After the Type 171, the Bristol Helicopter Division started work on a tandem rotor civil helicopter.

British European Airways ' Bristol Sycamore | Bristol 171 Mk 3A at London Gatwick on the scheduled passenger service from Birmingham in 1955

Bristol was also involved in helicopter development, with the Belvedere and Sycamore going into quantity production.

On 15 December 1955, RAF Bristol Sycamore helicopter XG501, crewed by Flight Sergeant P. A.

In 1954 the fixed wing aircraft had been joined by a flight of Bristol Sycamore helicopters for Search and Rescue duties.

The main gearbox and rotor of a Bristol Sycamore helicopter

* Bristol Sycamore

Bristol Sycamore HR 14 helicopters of No. 275 Squadron RAF arrived on 9 October 1957 before being re-equipped with the Westland Whirlwind HAR 4 in March 1959 with the HAR 2 version being added in August 1959, however on 1 September 1959 the squadron was disbanded.

650 marines and 23 tons of equipment were flown in ten Westland Whirlwind Mark 2s of 845 Naval Air Squadron from the deck of the HMS Theseus, and six each Whirlwinds and Bristol Sycamore HC. 12s and HC. 14s off HMS Ocean's embarked Joint Experimental Helicopter Unit ( JEHU ) ( Royal Air Force ).

On 1 September 1959, the Bristol Sycamore Flight of No. 228 Squadron at RAF Aldergrove became No. 118 Squadron in Transport Command.

When the war ended Bristol set up a separate helicopter division in the Weston-super-Mare factory, under helicopter pioneer Raoul Hafner.

The Bristol Aeroplane Company's Helicopter Division had its roots in 1944, when the helicopter designer Raoul Hafner, released from the Airborne Forces Experimental Establishment ( AFEE ), came to Bristol along with some members of his team.

The Type 194 was in an advanced state of design when the Bristol Helicopter Division was merged, as a result of government influence, with the helicopter interests of other British aircraft manufacturers ( Westland, Fairey and Saunders-Roe ) to form Westland Helicopters in 1960.

While the majority of fixed-wing aircraft design and construction lie in the British Aircraft Corporation and the Hawker Siddeley Group the helicopter divisions of Bristol, Fairey and Saunders-Roe ( with their hovercraft ) were merged with Westland to form Westland Helicopters in 1961.

The chairmanship of Eric Mensforth from 1953 – 1968 marked the start of the transition, which was aided by the government when in 1959 – 1961 they forced the merger of the 20 or so aviation firms into three groups, British Aircraft Corporation and Hawker Siddeley Group took over fixed-wing designs, while the helicopter divisions of Bristol, Fairey and Saunders-Roe ( with their hovercraft ) were merged with Westland to form Westland Helicopters in 1961.

* Bristol Belvedere, helicopter designed by the Bristol Aeroplane Company ( later Westland Aircraft )

The merger of Fairey's aviation interests with Westland Aircraft took place in early 1960 shortly after Westland had acquired the Saunders-Roe group and the helicopter division of the Bristol Aeroplane Company.

It subsequently operated transport types such the Bristol Freighter and Army co-operation types such as the Auster AOP, before becoming a dedicated helicopter squadron in 1965, based at Hobsonville, Auckland, and equipped with Bell 47s, and from the end of the year Bell UH-1 Iroquois, a type it still operates.

Larry Pearson regained consciousness before he was lifted out of the car on a backboard and transported by ambulance to a waiting helicopter that transported him to Bristol Regional Medical Center.

Bristol even piloted his helicopter — without radar — while snorting cocaine off the map he was using for navigation.

Nevertheless, the Type 171, called Sycamore in military service, was sold to air forces around the world and 178 were built in total.

At that time there were 171 aircraft based at this airport: 22 % single-engine, 13 % multi-engine, 56 % jet and 9 % helicopter.

* July 27-Bristol Sycamore, first British helicopter

1997-On February 16, Deputy Patrick " Pat " S. Coyle, 42, died after the ASTREA helicopter in which he and pilot Ron Hobson were flying crashed in Sycamore Canyon, northeast of Santee, California.