Model of the month May 2018 Bristol M.1
Bristol M.1,Fighter Monoplane
In 1916, the British company Bristol built a new single-seater fighter at its own risk. The front-mounted engine with draught propeller was new while the previous British fighters were all those with pusher propeller and grid frame fuselage. The success of Fokker's German monoplane additionallly strengthened the new concept.
The new plane made ist maiden flight in July 1916, and the Ministry of War took over the plane and tested it. And it was actually better than the German Fokker E or the French Morane monoplanes. However, the downward view was difficult, especially during the landing.
The government ordered four more aircraft and tested it with the force. Howevver, the pilots did not really love the Bristol, they believed in the superiority of the biplanes, possibly resulting from bad experiences of the RFC with the French Moranes.
A total of 125 MICs were built in 1917. However, they ended up in flight schools or in the fight against the Turks in Mesopotamia (Palestine). 12 surviving planes were sold to Chile after the war. With one of these Bristol aircraft the Andes were crossed for the first time in December 1918 (summer in Chile!).
Technical data:
Length 6.24 m, wingspan 9.37 m, wing area 13.60 m², height 2.37 m, engine: 1 x Le Rhone 9J rotary engine with 110 PS/82 kW, v/max 209 km/h, max. flight time 1.45 h, service peak height 6096 m, empty weight 409 kg, take-off weight 611 kg, crew 1, armament 1 x 7.7 mm Vickers MG, synchronized firing through the propeller circle.