{"title":"Bristol Type 188","description":"The Bristol Type 188 was a supersonic research aircraft designed and produced by the Bristol Aeroplane Company, nicknamed the \"Flaming Pencil\" in reference to its extraordinary length, slender cross-section, and fiery ambition — it was developed as part of supporting research efforts for the Avro 730, a bomber capable of Mach 3 flight. Its primary construction was of stainless steel, to avoid the potential kinetic heating limits of aluminium alloy at sustained speeds in excess of twice the speed of sound. The main problem proved to be that the fuel consumption of the engines did not allow the aircraft to fly at high speeds long enough to evaluate the \"thermal soaking\" of the airframe — combined with fuel leaks and an inability to reach its design speed of Mach 2, the test phase was severely compromised. The inconclusive nature of the research into the use of stainless steel led directly to Concorde being constructed from conventional aluminium alloys with a Mach limit of 2.2. Experience gained with the de Havilland Gyron Junior engine — the first British gas turbine designed for sustained supersonic operation — later assisted the development of the Bristol Olympus 593, which powered both Concorde and the BAC TSR-2. The Type 188 cost £20 million, never flew fast enough, and yet taught the world how to build Concorde. Sometimes failure is the most valuable lesson of all.","products":[],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/1009\/6354\/9529\/collections\/kiss-cut-stickers-white-5.5x5.5-default-696d64ae5e0a2.png?v=1778528678","url":"https:\/\/habilitate.club\/collections\/bristol-type-188.oembed","provider":"Habilitate Club","version":"1.0","type":"link"}