Monster of a plane from the 1940s was bigger than a Boeing 737 and had its own cinema

A British airliner of the 1940s, the Bristol Brabazon, was bigger than a Boeing 737, and it even had its own in-flight cinema.

After World War II, British aviation was starting to transition from military to civilian, and many radical ideas were proposed. One of these was the de Havilland Comet, the world’s first jet airliner, which entered commercial service in 1952.

However, one that didn’t prove as successful was the Bristol Brabazon, a behemoth of the skies with its own cinema that first flew in 1949.

The Brabazon was a giant airliner built by British manufacturer Bristol, and they hoped it would revolutionize air travel. Sadly, it vanished as quickly as it had appeared, with just one example ever built.

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Bristol designed the Brabazon to fly transatlantic flights between the UK and the United States.

It took its unusual name from the Brabazon Committee and its chairman, Lord Brabazon of Tara.

The committee had come up with the original specifications for the massive aircraft.

Initially designated the Type 167, the design had a massive 25-foot diameter fuselage, with upper and lower decks full of luxurious seating and features.

Power would come from eight Bristol 2,650hp Centaurus radial engines, driving eight paired contra-rotating propellers.

The wingspan of the aircraft was also massive, at 230ft, which is larger than the wingspan of the Boeing 747.

The aircraft would be able to carry 6-12 crew members and up to 100 passengers.

Bristol wanted the Brabazon to be as luxurious as possible, and they kitted out the aircraft with as much luxury as possible.

The aircraft had a cinema, cocktail bar, and a full lounge area.

These would have made it one of the most feature-rich airliners in the world to travel in.

Considering that in-flight entertainment wasn’t as big a deal in the late 1940s, the idea of a cinema was very impressive and ambitious.

The British Air Ministry commissioned Bristol to build two prototypes, with the first one taking flight on September 4, 1949.

After its maiden flight, the Brabazon made star appearances at the 1950 Farnborough Airshow, Heathrow Airport, and the 1951 Paris Air Show.

The aircraft did this to showcase its capabilities and drum up customer interest.

While the first aircraft was testing, a second, Brabazon Mk.II was being built, set to be powered by more powerful Proteus turboprop engines.

Provisions were also made for the Brabazon to carry up to 300 passengers.

Additional seating and cabins would have put it more on par with rival airliners from the United States.

Despite some initially positive feedback upon the commencement of testing, things began to unravel for the Bristol aircraft.

BOAC, at the time Britain’s national airline, was slowly becoming less interested in the aircraft.

Chairman of the airline ,Sir Miles Thomas, test-flew it and remarked how it felt slow, underpowered, and incredibly slow to respond to control inputs.

Development of the Proteus turboprop was also becoming troublesome, and it was costing Bristol money when it was already in a very difficult position.

The development of the jet engine was also making the Brabazon obsolete.

The de Havilland Comet was the aircraft that the world was talking about.

Other aircraft from America, such as the Boeing 707, were also beginning to gain global interest.

The Comet was sleek, fast, quiet, and comfortable.

Potential passengers also didn’t seem to mind not having a cinema or cocktail bar.

Finally, the lack of interest from airlines and military air arms around the world meant there was no hope for the Brabazon to enter any form of commercial service.

In October 1953, the aircraft made its final flight.

In total, the Brabazon flew 164 times, with 382 total flying hours.

The sole flying aircraft was broken up and sold off for scrap, for a total of £10,000/$13,000.

The Brabazon Mk.II had been under construction, but what was built of it was also sold for scrap.

Few remains still exist of this amazing white elephant, a term used to denote something whose cost is out of proportion to its usefulness.

The Brabazon, like Concorde, was a remarkable aircraft, and it remains one of the largest ever produced to this day.

It is still bigger than most modern airliners, including the latest Boeing 737.

Sadly, it was conceived during a period when the aviation industry was still thinking pre-war, while the world was very quickly moving into a post-war period as regards technology.

We do wonder just how good that cinema could have been had the Bristol giant entered commercial aviation service.

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