Derived metrics
Computed by aircraft.fyi from the core specification — see how we calculate these.
How big is it, really?
The Bristol Brabazon's wingspan, against things you already know the size of.
The numbers
| Length | 53.95 m |
|---|---|
| Wingspan | 70.10 m |
| Height | 15.24 m |
| MTOW | 131,542 kg |
| Passengers (planned) | ≈100 in luxury |
| Engines | 8 × Bristol Centaurus, paired to contra-props |
| First flight | 4 September 1949 |
| Built | 1 (scrapped 1953) |
Put the Bristol Brabazon next to something
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What makes it different
The Brabazon was designed in wartime Britain for a post-war world that never arrived: a luxury liner flying London to New York with just 100 passengers in staterooms, a cinema, a cocktail bar and a promenade — each passenger allotted more space than a small flat. Its 70-metre wingspan exceeded a 747's; eight engines buried in the wing drove four pairs of contra-rotating propellers.
Bristol built a vast new assembly hall and demolished a village to extend the runway. The prototype flew beautifully in 1949 — and no airline wanted it. The economics of carrying 100 people in an aircraft that size were absurd next to smaller, faster types, and the coming jets made it prehistoric overnight.
It was scrapped in 1953 with under 400 hours flown. The consolation prize was real: the giant hall and runway at Filton later built Concorde.
Bristol Brabazon — the short answers
How fast is the Bristol Brabazon?
Is the Bristol Brabazon still in production?
How big is the Bristol Brabazon?
The Bristol Brabazon line
Brabazon Mk.I
Mk.II
Who flies the Bristol Brabazon
No current operators — this aircraft's flying days are over. The operators of record are below.