THE STORY OF THE BRISTOL FREIGHTER T170

Where a giant lives on…

Our Bristol Freighter was built here in Filton. In the 1950s this aircraft type, used to carry cars, people, and even racehorses. It’s now the only one of its kind in Europe.

We are embarking on our most ambitious conservation project to date, to bring the Bristol Freighter back to life through conserving and reassembling the aircraft and sharing the process with you.

The Bristol Freighter T170

The Bristol Freighter was designed and built in Bristol in the late 1940s and early 1950s by the Bristol Aeroplane Company, as a pioneering post-war cargo  aircraft. With its distinctive clamshell nose doors and 108ft wingspan, it was capable of carrying cargo ranging from vehicles to livestock and was later adapted for passenger travel as the “Wayfarer”.

It was even the first post-war aircraft to receive an unrestricted Certificate of Airworthiness and played an important role in advancing aviation technology and operations worldwide.

Our Freighter

Our freighter, serial number NZ5911, is one of only 12 freighters still in existence. It served with the Royal New Zealand Air Force’s No. 41 Squadron from 1955, operating across Southeast Asia during the Cold War and Vietnam War era in the 1970s. It was retired in 1977 and left for scrap on an airfield in New Zealand.

The aircraft was returned to Bristol in 2018 following a major international recovery effort led by Aerospace Bristol volunteers and supported by partners. It is now being brought back to life next to the very location where it was originally designed and built.

Volunteers have dedicated hours of their time to clean the aircraft and treat areas where metal had been damaged by corrosion. We are now working to weatherproof the freighter so it can be safely displayed outside, with new immersive interpretation to inspire future engineers.

It will be painted to wear the livery of the New Zealand Air Force - including the iconic kiwi.

This project has been supported by a restoration grant from the Association for Industrial Archaeology.

Bristol Freighter NZ591’s Timeline

Follow the story of the Bristol Freighter T170…

Discover the latest conservation updates below:

May 2026

• Primer application begins on middle wing

• Landing gear corrosion is removed and repainted

• Primer application begins on the fuselage
  
  

Instagram updates: