BRISTOL BEAUFIGHTER OIL TEMP GAUGE

The Bristol Beaufighter was a fighter derivative of the Beaufort torpedo-bomber and was produced to fulfil the RAF’s need for a fast ground support fighter/bomber and night time interceptor. For Coastal Command, the requirement was for a weapons platform that could deliver a wide variety of ordinance at enemy shipping including torpedoes, bombs rocket or heavy cannon fire.

In many ways the Bristol Beaufort differed little from its predecessor. 

The wings, control surfaces, retractable landing gear and aft section of the fuselage were identical to those of the Beaufort, while the wing centre section was similar apart from certain fittings. The areas for the rear gunner and bomb-aimer were removed, leaving only the pilot in a fighter-type cockpit. The navigator-radar operator sat to the rear under a small Perspex bubble where the Beaufort's dorsal turret had been.

Both crew-members had their own hatch in the floor of the aircraft. The front hatch was behind the pilot's seat. As there was no room to climb around the seat-back, the back collapsed to allow the pilot to climb over and into the seat. In an emergency, the pilot could operate a lever that remotely released the hatch, grasp two steel overhead tubes and lift himself out of his seat, swing his legs over the open hatchway, then let go to drop through. Evacuating the aircraft was easier for the navigator, as the rear hatch was in front of him and without obstruction.

One thing that did set the Beaufighter apart however, was the replacement of the Beaufort’s underpowered twin Bristol Taurus engines with the new and more powerful, two-speed supercharger-equipped Bristol Hercules radial engines. Delivering a maximum speed in excess of 335mph, the Beaufighter was one of the  most powerful interceptors of WWII. 

Recognised by their over-sized numeral Indicators, the Bristol Beaufighter two Oil Temperature Indicators were installed an a line at the bottom of the aircraft’s main flying panel, adjacent to the Beaufighter’s Port and Starboard Cylinder Head Temperature Indicators. Running to 120°C, the same instrumentation can also be found in the Bristol Beaufort and Bristol Blenheim.

* Note that this Beaufighter * Note that this Bristol Beaufighter Collectable is pictured with a 1/48 scale model rather than the standard detailed, but smaller 1/72 scale. Click on the 'Model Upgrade' option at the top of this page for the larger 1/48 scale or go the Super large and incredibly detailed 1/32 scale

This Bristol Beaufighter Instrument comes complete with detailed Scale Model, Mango Wood Stand & Plaque plus Printed Fact Sheet featuring photo of instrument in aircraft cockpit.

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