Bristol Britannia Sounds

[Defender]

We get quite a few low flying C-130's here in Northumberland and although it's 45 years or more since I heard Britannias as regular visitors to Prestwick, I think the two sound not entirely dissimilar, the Britannia being a bit higher pitched but a "rumble" more than a whine. As Garry suggests, the props possibly made the greater contribution to the sound.

It wasn't called the "Whispering Giant" for nothing.

The Tyne powered Vanguards and CL-44's were quite different, a much "heavier" sound.

Bill

[garryrussell]

Hi Bill

Thanks for your input

The messages here form those who experience the type is much like other places where the question has been posed.

Basically...........nothing else sounded like a Britannia.

This makes it hard for those who haven't heard them as no one can say it sounded a bit like a.....with a prop buzz more like a....

One stab in the dark I will ask is if the SRN-4 Hovercraft sounded anything like it? It was powered my a marine version of the Proteus...

Not that I ever even saw one of those in service.

Garry

[Wolfgang]

Hi,

here in this vid you can hear a good representation
of the Britannia.
At 5.08 min you can hear an flyover
www.youtube.com/watch?v=RWw1fRW7x4c

Wolfgang

[Maarten]

Hi Wolfgang,

Sorry but hearing the sound again as I type these lines, it is definitely not the sound of a Brittannia. What we hear on the video is the sound of an Argosy (4 RR Darts), which is very different from the sound of the Britannia.

I last saw and heard Britannia's (Monarch) in the early 1970s at Rotterdam Airport (taxiing, taking off and returning with a nosewheel problem - many blue flashing lights along the runway) and low over Amsterdam. It struck me on both occasions that they had a sound that was very different from any turboprop engined aircraft of those days (and also from today's turboprops). Hardly a whining sound but a low and not very loud purrr from the blades (one could almost say it sounded like an extremely quiet (whispering) AN-24. Basically in my opinion the Britannia sound Garry referred to (britsnd.zip) is the most fitting right now, although the exterior sound is very low in comparison with the interior sound.

Cheers,
Maarten

[garryrussell]

Thanks Wolfgang ;D

The flyover ties in with the clip I saw where I commented on a bit of a Viscount scream..take off scream that is with a reduction in the shrillness caused by the Darts impellers.

That flyover sounds so Viscount Argosy like but you are saying that's just like a Brit??

Thanks for the clip....very enjoyable, although I had seen it a while ago I did not realise the significance of the flyover

ATB

Garry

[Wolfgang]

Hi,

but you are saying that's just like a Brit??[/

Seen in EDDF 67 or 68 but maybe I have seen a CL44 or ?
Can't remember the airline.
I was a young boy back then and this was the sound I had in
the ear, but I can be false.
For the Viscounts I have a more "tschirp" sound in the ear.

Wolfgang

[garryrussell]

Hi Wolfgang

That's certainly not like a 44 and as I mentioned ties in with another vid I saw of a Brit.

Gradually bit by bit I'll get there

Thanks for your input

ATB

Garry

[aspen31]

Hi all
One of my first aviation jobs was working on a ramp and I was assigned to a crew that moved around attending to various aircraft as they arrived at or left the gate. I saw several Britannias, from BOAC, British Eagle and Canadian Pacific. In the starting sequence I believe that they sounded not unlike a Convair 580; all four would come to an idle (a mechanic may have told me was about 900 RPM). There would be a large electrical type audible thump and all four at once would increase in idle by several hundred RPM. I Feel very fortunate to have been able to stand close to one of these aircraft on start up. The Britannia may have been a whispering giant on take off but on the ramp it was a noisy and powerful beast.
I also spent time around the CC-106 which I believe was Tyne powered and not unlike a CL-44. Tyne sounds still show up on places like youtube so I expect that some enterprising FS sound builder might be able to construct a package. Sorry I can't be more specific but my recollections are at least 40 years old.
Warren

[garryrussell]

Hi Warren

Thank for that

The Proteus had a start sequence and the engines were at low RPM and then they were taken up to ground idle which was a high RPM. The Tyne was similar in that respect.

The Canadair CC-106 was a CL-44 not a Britannia. As you say it was Tyne powered as were all CL-44.

Just for the record

There were four distinct basic types of CL-44. Two built and two more by modification.

The CL-44 was a re engineered re engined Britannia of increased length.

The CL-44-6 or CC-106 Yukon was the original with a forward and rear side cargo door. A civil version was offered and this was the CL-44-D4.

The D4 differed from the Yukon in that the rear freight door was deleted and replaced by a swing tail. Only three airlines bought it, all in the US, Seaboard, Slick and Flying Tiger.

The US authorities would not certify it with the Britannia windscreen due to visibilty problems so the windscreen was re designed. Contrary to popular myth it is not a CV.880 windscreen as nothing is the same as the jet. This gave the aircraft a very different look.

The other two by modification concerned unsold built D4's that were bought, reluctanly, by Loftledir on the understanding they would be lengthened to increase the pax to about 180+.

All were delevered as D4 and returned one by one and lengthened becoming the largest airliners in the world at the time, until the DC 8-Suoer Sixties. This version of the CL-44 was known as the CL-44J or as Loftledir called it, the Rolls Royce 400 leading to an often misnaming of the type as a Canadair 400. The swing tails were disabled and re activated when sold as freighters to Cargolux. One Icelandic machine was not converted.

The final type was to be two aircraft. The machines concerned were bought by Conroy to be converted for Transmeridian in the UK to transport RB-211 engines for the TriStar programme.

This is the Guppy conversion or CL-44-O (Oversized) Both aircraft N446T and N447T were delivered and whilst the first conversion to N447T was taking place the other aircraft was leased out until it's turn came. Sadly this machine crashed leaving N447T as the only one of it's type.

Tyne sounds won't be a problem, just the Proteus

This shows the difference between the Britannia (top) and CL-44-D4 noses.



On this shot you can see the Yuokn which has a Britannia nose with four eybrows instead of two each side




Garry

[aspen31]

Thanks Garry
Very informative. It all takes me back.
Warren

[simondix]

Sorry for getting back late. Is there a link to a recording of an SRN4.

[garryrussell]

Hi Simon

Not looked for one as it was a shot in the dark question in case anyone was familiar with both

If think there would be something on Pathe News which I am not a member of.

The prop noise would be different but I wondered about the turbine whine.?

Cheers

Garry

[simondix]

I never saw a SRN4. saw and heard the 1+2 and the models used on the Portsmouth-Ryde. All I can confirm is they were noisy. Used to hear the engine starting up at Portsmouth, sitting at Ryde.

[garryrussell]

Hi Simon

The 4 was Proteus powered but with the engines inside I doubt there was any similarity.

Garry

[simondix]

Thanks for the reply. Anyway looking forward to its' release.