I was fortunate during the completion of my Bristol Aircraft Student Apprenticeship to have joined the Manufacturing Development Department (MDD) in 1963, eventually becoming a technical assistant to John Dickens. I was deeply involved (working with Tony Wilkey and the Design Office systems specialists and their documentation) in compiling the hangar ground test working documentation and coordinating and assisting the ground test team through all the ‘Design’ and later the ‘Aircraft’ Acceptance Procedure systems testing on the aircraft in the West bay of the Aircraft Assembly Hanger. There were no test rigs.
This work subsequently led to similar activities for several weeks on the Engine Ground Running Base on the north side of the airfield prior to first flight. It involved integrating all of the Design office specialist systems group's data requirements into each engine run to maximise the data collection however short the engine run. There was no telemetry available, the pilot Godfery Auty reading out the data from the cockpit in response to the detailed engine run schedule called from the Test Van (usually called by Danny Godfrey).
I was also privileged to be part of the airfield and hanger team for the first 10 or so flights. On occasion I collected the jettisoned braking parachute in my 3rd hand Mini Van! A highlight at the end of those flights was the flyover of the ground test team, by Willie Williamson in the Hunter chase aircraft, as we waited half way up the airfield near the engine running base immediately after the Type 221 had touched down. A great team. They were some of the best days of my life!

My Father was the Project Aerodynamicist for the 221. He remembers this and the 188 quite fondly and all the people he worked with before moving onto Concorde.

I don't think there'll be many around now who worked on this wonderful aircaft. I had the priveledge of designing the powered elevon system on the new OG wing. I later spent 10 years working on the design of the mechanical systems of Concorde. Ah! those were the days, never forgotten.

I was a craft machinist apprentice in Rodney works during this time and seem to remember we were allowed to go out and look at it take off and land. The pilot was plaesed with the flight.

I remember one of my first jobs as a design apprentice was to design a means of stopping the nose undercarriage leg overrunning on extension. My names sake was in charge of the Hydraulics Section at that time. I seem to remember that the aircraft was regularly plagued with radio fires. In hind sight it does seem such a pity that one famous aircaft was cannibalised in order to produce another less famous design.

I don't know about this aircraft but was it a Prototype bomber or a fighter?

I well remember seeing the first flight from the Training Drawing Office while an Engineering Apprentice. I was just in time to stand by the Runway Garage to see it land directly overhead.

I did some work on Type 221 whilst with the Radio/Navigation Group at Filton - exact details now forgotten! I recall crawling around cockpit & designing a Resistor mounting (which subsequently overheated!) with a colleague.

Is anyone out there who worked in the parachute hangar at Filton in 1962- 1963, who was involved in the conversion of this a/c from the FD2?