The Bristol Sycamore (or Type 171) was designed starting 1944 but production started after the Second World War. The first flight was July 1947 and but the Mk.2 with the 550 hp engine called Alvis Leonides became the standard. The first versions had the pilot in the left-hand seat and co-pilot in the right seat. But later with the mk.4 this was switched with the pilot on the right. By nine British R.A.F. the type was used for search and rescue and anti-submarine warfare.
The Sycamore was also exported. Some 50 Sycamores were delivered to the German Federal Government for the BundesWehr, 7 to the Royal Australian Navy and the Belgian Air Force operated 3 Sycamore helicopters from 1954-1960 in Congo / Kamina.
Overall production was probably some 178 helicopters.
Sycamore
This Sycamore of the Fire brigade is located at the German museum in Speyer (I think I photographed it there...)
Photographed July 2005 by Meindert de Vreeze (C) Copyright IPMS Nederland
Sycamore B-171
The West-German BundesWehr operated some 50 Sycamores in the 1950s and 1960s. This Sycamore mk. 52 coded "78+20" is located at the German Helicopter museum in Buckeburg.
Photographed July 2005 by Meindert de Vreeze (C) Copyright IPMS Nederland
.... and the same helicopter in more detail seen many years later :
Photographed 2018 by Meindert de Vreeze (C) Copyright IPMS Nederland
Sycamore HC-14 / mk.14
This Sycamore mk.14 is a former RAF helicopter "XG547" and was seen in the Brussels air museum at the Jubelpark in Brussel, Belgium.
Photographed 2016 by Meindert de Vreeze (C) Copyright IPMS Nederland
Several plastic scale models have appeared over the years. In 1/72 scale CMR has a resin kit as well as Maintrack, WhirlyBird and S&M. DF Helostuff also released the S&M 1/72 kits with new decals. Glencoe had an old 1/65 scale model. Recent AMP released a nice 1/48 kit.
This walk around page was first created September 2012 by M. de Vreeze