On 12 April 1935, the "Type 142", which had been given the name "Britain First", conducted its maiden flight from Filton Aerodrome, South Gloucestershire. Flight tests soon proved that the aircraft was in fact faster than any fighter in service with the Royal Air Force (RAF) at the time, having demonstrated a top speed of . Rothermere presented the aircraft to the nation for a formal evaluation at a potential bomber. By June 1935, the Air Ministry had become interested in the project due to its high performance. On 9 July 1935, a design conference was held by Bristol at the ministry's request into the question of converting the "Type 142" into a suitable medium bomber.