Bristol Type 170 Freighter MK.31M(NZ) - Part One

NZPAF/RNZAF AIRCRAFT COLOUR SCHEMES

The Bristol type 170 designed by A. E. Russell of the Bristol
Aeroplane Company, was built in 1944 and intended as a
short range general transport aircraft, capable of being
operated in and out of jungle airstrips. The design was
an all-metal, twin-engined, high wing monoplane of
98 ft (29.8m) wingspan, built at low cost using numerous
steel components, rather than expensive alloys, and
was fitted with a fixed undercarriage in the ‘taildragger’
configuration. The Bristol company had carried out quite
extensive research into the use of fixed undercarriages as
opposed to the fully retractable types. This led the company
to adopting the rugged, low drag, fixed type undercarriage
for the type 170, mainly because of its cheapness of
construction and minimum of ongoing maintenance.