Bristol Belvedere

what is it?

The Bristol Type 192 Belvedere is a British twin-engine, tandem rotor military helicopter built by the Bristol Aeroplane Company. It was Britain's only tandem rotor helicopter to enter production, and one of the few not built by Piasecki/Vertol, or its successor, Boeing Vertol/Boeing Rotorcraft Systems. The Belvedere was designed during the late 1950s as a derivative of the abortive Bristol Type 173.

🔎How to recognise it: 2 turboshaft engines · 14.9 m main rotor

base stats

• speed 222 km/hcruise speed
• seats 19passengers
• size 8,618 kgmax take-off weight
• built 26made in total

Bars compare against all aircraft: 3,500 km/h, 20,000 km, 850 seats; size and number built on a log scale up to 640 t (An-225) and 45,000 built (Cessna 172).

fun facts

• 🎂First flew 68 years ago, in 1958.
• 🚗Rotor of 14.9 m: about 3 cars parked nose to tail.

turboshaft: A turbine that turns a shaft, usually a helicopter rotor.

spec sheet

first flight

1958-07-05

introduced

1961

retired

1969

status

retired

number built

26

role

cargo helicopter

makers

Bristol Aeroplane Company

engines

2× Napier Gazelle

crew

3

passengers

19

length

16.6 m

rotor diameter

14.9 m

height

5.2 m

max take-off weight

8,618 kg

top speed

—

cruise speed

222 km/h

range

—

ceiling

3,658 m

Specs are for the version in the Wikipedia article's specification section. Blank means the sources don't say.