Bristol Bolingbroke
The Bristol Fairchild Bolingbroke was a maritime patrol aircraft and trainer used by the Royal Canadian Air Force during the Second World War. Built by Fairchild-Canada, it was a license-built version of the Bristol Blenheim Mk IV bomber.
Design and development
In 1935, the British Air Ministry issued Specification G.24/35 to procure a coastal reconnaissance/light bomber to replace the Avro Anson. Bristol proposed the Type 149, based on its Blenheim Mk I, with Bristol Aquila engines to give greater range. While the Air Ministry rejected this proposal, a Blenheim Mk I, retaining its Mercury VIII engines, was converted as a Type 149 for the general reconnaissance role. The nose was lengthened to provide more room for the bombardier, with the upper left surface of the nose being scooped out to maintain pilot visibility during takeoff and landing.The longer range also fulfilled a Canadian requirement for a maritime patrol aircraft. Consequently, Fairchild Aircraft Ltd. of Quebec started production of the Blenheim Mk IV as the Bolingbroke. This type was nicknamed the "Bolly". After a small run of aircraft constructed to British specifications, as the Bolingbroke Mk I, Fairchild switched production to the Bolingbroke Mk IV with Canadian and American instruments and equipment. These versions also included anti-icing boots and a dinghy. One of the early Mk IV variants was the Bolingbroke Mk IVW which was powered by two 825 hp Pratt & Whitney SB4G Twin Wasp Junior engines. Incapable of maintaining altitude on one engine, the normal bomb load was reduced to 500 pounds on these aircraft to compensate for the low engine power. The most-produced variant was the Bolingbroke Mk IVT trainer, of which 457 were completed. A total of 626 Bolingbrokes were produced.
Operational history
Most of the 151 Mk IVs built served in their intended role as patrol bombers on the Atlantic and Pacific coasts of Canada between 1940 and 1944. Two squadrons of these aircraft also served in Alaska during the Aleutians campaign. The Mk IVT trainers saw extensive use in the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan.Variants
;Bolingbroke Mk I;Bolingbroke Mk II
;Bolingbroke Mk III
;Bolingbroke Mk IV
;Bolingbroke Mk IVW
;Bolingbroke Mk IVC
;Bolingbroke Mk IVT
Operators
- Royal Canadian Air Force
- * Operational Squadrons of the Home War Establishment :
- ** No. 8 Squadron RCAF - Used Bolingbroke Mk I and Mk IV
- ** No. 115 Squadron RCAF - Used Bolingbroke Mk I and Mk IV
- ** No. 119 Squadron RCAF - Used Bolingbroke Mk I, Mk IVW and Mk IV
- ** No. 147 Squadron RCAF - Used Bolingbroke Mk I and Mk IV
- * The following HWE squadrons only had small numbers of Bolingbrokes on strength:
- ** No. 13 Squadron RCAF - Used Bolingbroke Mk IV
- ** No. 121 Squadron RCAF - Used Bolingbroke Mk IVTT
- ** No. 122 Squadron RCAF - Used Bolingbroke Mk IVTT
- ** No. 163 Squadron RCAF - Used Bolingbroke Mk IV
- ** -Bomber Reconnaissance; -Operational Training; -Auxiliary; -Army Co-operation
- British Commonwealth Air Training Plan
- * Bombing and Gunnery Schools
- ** No. 1 B&G School - Jarvis, Ontario, Used Bolingbroke IVT
- ** No. 2 B&G School - Mossbank, Saskatchewan, Used Bolingbroke IVT
- ** No. 3 B&G School - Macdonald, Manitoba, Used Anson, Battle, Bolingbroke IVT and Lysander,
- ** No. 4 B&G School - Fingal, Ontario, Used Bolingbroke IVT
- ** No. 5 B&G School - Dafoe, Saskatchewan, Used Bolingbroke IVT
- ** No. 6 B&G School - Mountain View, Ontario, Used Bolingbroke IVT
- ** No. 7 B&G School - Paulson, Manitoba, Used Bolingbroke IVT
- ** No. 8 B&G School - Lethbridge, Alberta, Used Bolingbroke IVT
- ** No. 9 B&G School - Mont-Joli, Quebec, Used Bolingbroke IVT
- ** No. 10 B&G School - Mount Pleasant, Prince Edward Island, Used Bolingbroke IVT
- ** No. 31 B&G School - Picton, Ontario, Used Bolingbroke IVT — currently Picton Airport
Surviving aircraft
- 9895 – Mk. IVT on static display at the Royal Museum of the Armed Forces and of Military History in Brussels. It includes parts from 10038.
- 9059 – Mk. IV on static display at the Commonwealth Air Training Plan Museum in Brandon, Manitoba.
- 9869 – Mk. IVT in storage at the Royal Aviation Museum of Western Canada in Winnipeg, Manitoba.
- 9887 – Mk. IV under restoration to static condition at 17 Wing Winnipeg in Winnipeg, Manitoba. It was donated from a farm in 2013.
- 9892 – Mk. IVT on static display at the Canada Aviation and Space Museum in Ottawa, Ontario.
- 9904 – Mk. IVT in storage at the Reynolds-Alberta Museum in Wetaskiwin, Alberta.
- 9944 – Mk. IVT on static display with the Commonwealth Air Training Plan Museum in Brandon, Manitoba. This aircraft is displayed next to the Trans-Canada Highway in Brandon.
- 9987 – Mk. IV on static display at the Bomber Command Museum of Canada in Nanton, Alberta.
- 9997 – Mk. IVT under restoration to static display at the Greenwood Military Aviation Museum in Greenwood, Nova Scotia.
- Composite – Mk. IV on static display at the British Columbia Aviation Museum in Victoria, British Columbia. It is a combination of two different airframes.
- Composite – Mk. IVT under restoration to ground running condition at the Canadian Warplane Heritage Museum in Hamilton, Ontario. It is a combination of eight different airframes.
- Unknown ID – Mk. IV under restoration to static display at the Canadian Aviation Heritage Centre in Sainte-Anne-de-Bellevue, Quebec.
- 9048 – Mk. IV under restoration to static display at Aerospace Bristol in Filton, Gloucestershire.
- 9940 – Mk. IVT on static display at the National Museum of Flight in East Fortune, East Lothian. It uses the outer wings of 9059.
- 10001 – Mk. IVT on static display at the Royal Air Force Museum London in London. It has been restored as a Blenheim and is painted as L8756 "XD-E" of 139 Squadron RAF.
- 10038 – Mk. IVT in storage at Duxford Airfield in Duxford, Cambridgeshire. It was severely damaged in a crash in Denham Aerodrome on 21 June 1987.
- 10201 – Mk. IVT airworthy with the Aircraft Restoration Company in Duxford, Cambridgeshire. It was restored using a Blenheim Mk I nose which had previously been converted to a car. It is registered as G-BPIV.
- 9983 – Mk. IVT in storage at Fantasy of Flight in Polk City, Florida.
- 10076 – Mk. IV on static display at the Pima Air & Space Museum in Tucson, Arizona.
Specifications (Bolingbroke Mk IV)