# Bristol Buckmaster

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Twin-engine British training aircraft, 1944

Type 166 Buckmaster General information Type Advanced trainer aircraft National origin United Kingdom Manufacturer Bristol Aeroplane Company Primary user Royal Air Force Number built 112 History Manufactured 1945–1946 Introduction date 1945 First flight 27 October 1944 Developed from Bristol Buckingham

The **Bristol Buckmaster** was an advanced British [training aircraft](/source/Training_aircraft) operated by the [Royal Air Force](/source/Royal_Air_Force) during the 1950s.

## Design and development

By 1945, there was a serious gap in performance between the so-called advanced trainers in use – such as the [Avro Anson](/source/Avro_Anson), [Airspeed Oxford](/source/Airspeed_Oxford), dual-control [Bristol Blenheim](/source/Bristol_Blenheim) and [Lockheed Hudson](/source/Lockheed_Hudson) – and the combat aircraft which the pilots would be expected to fly on graduation.

The [Bristol](/source/Bristol_Aeroplane_Company) company's response to [Air Ministry Specification](/source/Air_Ministry_Specification) [T.13/43](/source/List_of_Air_Ministry_Specifications#1940-1949)[1] was the Type 166 which was based on the [Buckingham](/source/Bristol_Buckingham) with a new wider front [fuselage](/source/Fuselage) to allow side-by-side seating for an instructor and trainee and room for a radio operator. All armament and armour and military equipment was also removed.

The Buckmaster was a propeller-driven, twin-engine mid-wing aircraft. The retractable [undercarriage](/source/Landing_gear) was of conventional (tailwheel) configuration. The radial engines were equipped with four-blade propellers.

Two partly completed Buckinghams were converted as prototypes, the first flying on the 27 October 1944. Unused sets of Buckingham components[a] were used to produce 110 aircraft which were delivered in 1945 and 1946.

## Operational history

All production aircraft were intended to serve as trainers for the similar [Brigand](/source/Bristol_Brigand).[1][2] It was considered to be the highest performance trainer used by the RAF when introduced. Blind flying instruction and instrument training could be undertaken, the normal crew complement being pilot, instructor and air signaller. The last Training Command Buckmasters served with the No. 238 [OCU](/source/Operational_conversion_unit) at [Colerne](/source/RAF_Colerne) into the mid-fifties; the transfer of one or two to [Filton](/source/Filton_Aerodrome) for experimental work[1] marked its retirement in the mid-1950s.[3]

## Operators

**[United Kingdom](/source/United_Kingdom)**

- [Royal Air Force](/source/Royal_Air_Force)

## Specifications

*Data from* Jane's Fighting Aircraft of World War II[4]

**General characteristics**

- **Crew:** 3 (student pilot, instructor pilot, radio operator)

- **Length:** 46 ft 10 in (14.27 m)

- **Wingspan:** 71 ft 10 in (21.89 m)

- **Height:** 17 ft 7 in (5.36 m)

- **Wing area:** 708 sq ft (65.8 m2)

- **Empty weight:** 23,000 lb (10,433 kg)

- **Max takeoff weight:** 38,193 lb (17,324 kg)

- **Powerplant:** 2 × [Bristol Centaurus](/source/Bristol_Centaurus) VII eighteen-cylinder air-cooled [radial engines](/source/Radial_engine), 2,400 hp (1,800 kW) each

- **Propellers:** 4-bladed Rotol [constant-speed propellers](/source/Constant-speed_propeller)

**Performance**

- **Maximum speed:** 352 mph (566 km/h, 306 kn) at 12,000 ft (3,700 m)

- **Cruise speed:** 325 mph (523 km/h, 282 kn) at 18,000 ft (5,500 m) (weak mixture)

- **Range:** 2,000 mi (3,200 km, 1,700 nmi) [5]

- **Service ceiling:** 30,000 ft (9,100 m)

- **Rate of climb:** 2,245 ft/min (11.40 m/s)

## See also

**Related development**

- [Bristol Buckingham](/source/Bristol_Buckingham)

**Related lists**

- [List of aircraft of World War II](/source/List_of_aircraft_of_World_War_II)

- [List of aircraft of the Royal Air Force](/source/List_of_aircraft_of_the_Royal_Air_Force)

## Notes

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** Buckingham orders were cut at the end of the war

## References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to [Bristol Buckmaster](https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:Bristol_Buckmaster).

**Notes**

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-Mondey_1994,_p._70_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-Mondey_1994,_p._70_1-1) [***c***](#cite_ref-Mondey_1994,_p._70_1-2) Mondey 1994, p. 70.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Winchester2005p94_3-0)** Winchester 2005, p. 94.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Winchester2005p95_4-0)** Winchester 2005, p. 95.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-janes_5-0)** Bridgeman 1946, pp. 113–113.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** Barnes 1964, p. 321.

**Bibliography**

- Barnes, C. H. *Bristol Aircraft since 1910*. London: Putnam, 1964.

- Bridgeman, Leonard. "The Bristol 166 Buckmaster." *Jane's Fighting Aircraft of World War II*. London: Studio, 1946. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [1-85170-493-0](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/1-85170-493-0).

- Mondey, David. *The Hamlyn Concise Guide to British Aircraft of World War II*. London: Aerospace Publishing Ltd., 1982 (reprint 1994). [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [1-85152-668-4](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/1-85152-668-4).

- Winchester, Jim. *The World's Worst Aircraft: From Pioneering Failures to Multimillion Dollar Disasters*. London: Amber Books Ltd., 2005. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [1-904687-34-2](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/1-904687-34-2).

v t e Bristol aircraft Pre-numbering scheme Boxkite Glider Bristol Racing Biplane Bristol Monoplane Type T Bristol Prier monoplanes Bristol Coanda monoplanes Bristol Gordon England biplanes B.R.7 T.B.8 P.B.8 X.2 X.3 Manufacturer designations 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 36 37 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 52 53 55 57 62 71 72 73 75 76 77 79 81 83 84 86 88 89 90 91 92 93 95 96 99 101 105 107 109 110A 118 120 123 124 130 133 135 137 138 142/142M 143 144 146 148 149 152 156 158 159 160 161 162 163 164 165 166 167 170 171 172 173 174 175 176 182 188 191 192 193 198 200 213 223 By role Fighters Scout A-D Scout E Scout F Bristol S.2A M.1 Monoplane F.2 Fighter Badger Jupiter Fighter Bagshot Bulldog Bullfinch Type 123 Type 133 Blenheim IF Type 146 Beaufighter Passenger Transports Tourer Ten-Seater Taxiplane Pullman Type 142 Britain First Brabazon Britannia Reconnaissance Bloodhound Bolingbroke Trainer Bristol Boxkite Bristol Coanda Monoplanes T.B.8 P.B.8 Primary Trainer Bolingbroke IVT/IVTT Buckmaster Transports Bombay Brandon Buckingham Freighter Superfreighter Experimental X.2 X.3 Bullet Racer Type 92 Type 138 Type 188 Type 221 Bombers Braemar Berkeley Bombay Blenheim Bisley Beaufort Buckingham Brigand Sporting Babe Brownie Helicopters Sycamore Type 173 Belvedere Designers Frank Barnwell George Henry Challenger Henri Coandă Eric Gordon England Leslie Frise Archibald Russell

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Bristol Buckmaster](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bristol_Buckmaster) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bristol_Buckmaster?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.