Copyright: Andrew Shepherd

Nicknamed the 'Whispering Giant', the Bristol Type 175 Britannia was a medium/long-range airliner built by the Bristol Aeroplane Company in 1952 to fly a number of air routes across the British Empire. Soon after entering production the engines proved unusually susceptible to icing, and two prototypes were lost while solutions to the problems were found. By the time it was cleared through testing the US-built jet airliners were about to enter service, and only eighty-five Britannias were built before production ended in 1960. Nevertheless the Britannia is often considered the high point in turboprop airliner design.