Museums
Bristol and the surrounding area has a unique and sizeable place in aerospace history books. One chapter of that history is the subject of a special exhibition just opened in Bristol City Museum, entitled Flight – 100 years of the Bristol Aeroplane Company (BAC). The culmination of the BAC 100 celebrations marking a century of aviation in the west of England, this free exhibition runs until 28 November.
It tells BAC’s story and the evolution of the industry in the region up to the present. There are replicas of its first aircraft alongside exhibits about today’s big beasts, such as the A400M built by Airbus, via the ever-impressive Concorde.
BAC’s early days are represented by full-size replicas of a Bristol Boxkite, which first flew in 1910, and sitting beneath it in the museum’s central hall, a Bristol Babe, a neat biplane measuring just 4.5m in length. While the Boxkite appears similar to the Wright Brothers’ Flyer, the developments made in just nine years make the much smaller Babe seem like the height of luxury, with its wooden frame covered in treated cotton.
Entering the exhibition space itself, through an airport-style security gate to help enthuse younger visitors, one faces a painting of BAC founder Sir George White. However, Flight does not simply tell the story of his life and work. Through a collection of more personal mementos, verbal recollections and artefacts, Flight makes great effort to tell the story of the workers. There are memories of what life was like working as a BAC secretary, of what a bombing raid was like and of the apprentices’ experience.
Alongside photos, sections and models of Bristol planes and engines, including a case with the entire fleet at 1:72 scale, Flight presents some unexpected details. For example, there is the original purchase ledger detailing, in beautiful handwriting, the sale of two planes to Russia – a snip at £800 each.
There were signs that there will be plenty to keep youngsters happy, including a World War Two bunker to crawl into, a simulated airport baggage scanner and a dressing-up corner.
Flight presents many layers of the BAC story. Firstly it’s about a company that pioneered the idea of flight as transport for the masses and pushed forward the development of aeroplanes and engines, largely thanks to the demands of two world wars.
But it’s also about the postwar periods when slumps in demand led to not altogether successful diversification. These include the colossal Brabazon airliner that was scrapped just four years after its maiden flight, in 1949.
Flight provides a fascinating look at a pioneering company unafraid of failure through a time when working in the local factory was the only job in town.