Bristol Bullfinch II

During construction of the Bullfinch prototypes, it was decided to complete the third aeroplane as a two-seat fighter biplane, and this, the Bullfinch II, was first flown on 15 February 1924. The Bullfinch II differed from the single-seat model primarily in having a 91.4cm section housing a self-contained gunner's cockpit inserted in the fuselage immediately aft of the pilot's cockpit and beneath which was attached a cantilever lower wing, the resultant shift of the centre of pressure compensating for the change in the CG. The only other change consisted of the repositioning of the main undercarriage members farther aft. The rear cockpit was fitted with a Scarff-mounted 7.7mm Lewis gun, and structural weight was increased by 145kg. The 425hp Jupiter III engine was insufficiently powerful to cater for the additional 400kg of the two-seater in fully loaded condition and the performance of the Bullfinch II suffered in consequence.

3-View

A three-view drawing (800 x 693)