Boulton Paul Bourges
| Bourges | |
|---|---|
| Role | day bomber, long-range reconnaissance |
| National origin | United Kingdom |
| Manufacturer | Boulton & Paul |
| Designer | John Dudley North |
| First flight | 1918 |
| Status | Prototype |
| Number built | 3 |
The Boulton & Paul P.7 Bourges was a prototype British twin-engined biplane day bomber built by Boulton & Paul to replace the Airco DH.10. Despite demonstrating excellent performance and manoeuvrability, only three prototypes were built, post World War I cost cutting leading to the DH.10 not being replaced.
In 1918, the British Air Ministry drew up specification A.2 (B) for the replacement of the Airco DH.10 medium bomber, despite the fact that the DH.10 Amiens had not yet entered service. In response, J.D North, chief designer of Boulton & Paul's aircraft department designed a twin-engined aircraft, the P.7 Bourges, powered, like most of the types designed to replace the DH.10, by two of the new ABC Dragonfly radial engines. The ABC was ordered off the drawing board by the Ministry and high hopes were held for it. The Bourges was a three-seat, three bay biplane with unstaggered wings of all-wooden construction. The armament was two Lewis guns - one in the nose on a Scarrf mounting and the other in the dorsal position - and 900 lb of bombs in three bomb cells with doors.
Three prototypes were ordered by the Air Ministry.
Delays in delivery of airworthy examples of the Dragonfly lead to the decision to fit the first prototype with the much less powerful (230 hp/172 kW), but reliable Bentley BR2 rotary engine as a temporary measure, allowing a first flight as the Bourges Mk IIA in June 1919.
Frank Courtney demonstrated the Bourges at Hendon at the end of May 1919 for a reception for Commander Read who had led the crossing of the Atlantic by US seaplanes. The magazine Flight commenting on its aerobatic capabilities and general performance though having already flown about 3,500 miles.
It was fitted with Dragonflys in July, becoming the Bourges Mk IA,. Both the Bentley and ABC engined Bourges demonstrated excellent performance and manoeuvrability, being able to be looped and rolled with ease. Courtney wrote that it could "be thrown around in loops, spins, rolls...without any special effort". This acrobatic quality was displayed for the reception at Hendon of Commander Read after his cross-Atlantic crossing by flying boat.
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