The BAC Story
In 2010 we're celebrating the centenary of West of England achievement in aviation, focusing on the roots and legacy of the Bristol Aeroplane Company, and speculating what might lie ahead in the future.
As well as pushing forward the boundaries of technology, the industry has employed hundreds of thousands of people, including three or more generations of the same family; had a major impact upon the physical, economic, cultural and social development of the areas in which its factories are located; helped build communities in Bristol, South Gloucestershire and the wider city-region; established links around the globe through business connections and the opening up of world travel; and diversified into the building of buses, boats, cars, satellites, missiles, mobile phones and prefabricated buildings, among many other products.
In this section we've listed, decade by decade, just some of the many major events and important breakthroughs that have taken place since 1910.
A Century of Achievement
Bill Morgan, a retired BAC employee who volunteers at Bristol Aero Collection, Kemble, has compiled a list of Bristol aviation achievements from 1910 to 2010 covering aircraft, engines, space and missiles. This can be downloaded as the Word document Bristol Achievements.
Engine Slide Show
The Video Archive Team at the Bristol Branch of the Rolls-Royce Heritage Trust (Ralph Denning, John Goodwin, Don Manning and Pat Wilson) have produced a PowerPoint slide show covering Bristol poppet and sleeve-valve engines from World War One to 1965 which you can view here:
RRHT Bristol Piston Engines Slide Show - Part 1 (Powerpoint file).
Brazil Straker and Cosmos
RRHT Bristol Piston Engines Slide Show - Part 2 (Powerpoint file).
Fedden at BAC to Short-Stroke Mercury
RRHT Bristol Piston Engines Slide Show - Part 3 (Powerpoint file).
Jupiter VI to Phoenix
RRHT Bristol Piston Engines Slide Show - Part 4 (Powerpoint file).
Hydra to Sleeve Valves
The research advisors were John Heaven and Alan Baxter.
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