Jersey Trislanders

[Coochycool]

Can someone please advise what ever became of the Aurigny (and Blue Islands?) Trislanders?

Sadly I missed my chance to fly them, but now that I finally managed to make it to Jersey, I was rather hoping to find one preserved and on display here.

And on that note, I don't suppose there are still any remaining airworthy examples (anywhere)? I only ever encountered one once before, preserved in Taiwan. What a quirky design!

Cheers

Cooch

[kghjfg]

One was flown into Duxford, and is now on static display there.

[Beamr]

Regarding trislanders still in service: Apparently Roraima has flown those at least until 16th Aug 2021 when the fleet was grounded for accident investigation.
https://www.stabroeknews.com/2021/08/16/news/guyana/roraimas-trislander-fleet-grounded/amp/

[Planemike]

Three preserved apparently..... https://www.key.aero/article/aurigny-trislander-preserved

Not visited any of the sites. I gave myself a 50th birthday present: went down to the Channel Islands and had three flights on Aurigny Trislanders,
Jersey - Guernsey. Guernsey - Alderney. Alderney -Jersey. Great flights, great day out. Remember exploring Alderney by bicycle....

[kcockayne]

I don't know the answer to your question, but there may be a BN3 preserved, or on the fire dump, in Guernsey or Alderney. I'm sure that the regular Guernsey contributors will know the answer to that.

[chevvron]

The BN3 was a single engined design.

[bean]

Why post if you don"t know the answer?
There are three completely intact ex Aurigny Trislanders.
G-JOEY-Oatlands Guernsey
G-RLON-Solent Sky Museum
G-BEVT-Duxford

[bean]

Chevron. Quite corrrect. Only one built, was going to be called the nymph

[chevvron]

Chevron. Quite corrrect. Only one built, was going to be called the nymph
And looked very similar to the Freelance produced by Des Norman.

[bean]

ICAO desigtor for Trislanders-Tris. Surprising is'nt it?!!!

[treadigraph]

The Freelance prototype G-NACI was rebuilt from the Nymph G-AXFB.

[chevvron]

I could tell you a story about the Nymph but it would be thread creep and might take too long.

[VictorGolf]

Oh go on. Anything on British light aviation is worth hearing in my book..

[kcockayne]

The BN3 was a single engined design.
Yes, chevron. I was using the old ATC code that you might be familiar with. Silly me.

[kcockayne]

Why post if you don"t know the answer?
There are three completely intact ex Aurigny Trislanders.
G-JOEY-Oatlands Guernsey
G-RLON-Solent Sky Museum
G-BEVT-Duxford
Just trying to reassure the questioner that someone would know the answer and, lo & behold, you did !

[browndhc2]

G-PCAM was scrapped on Guernsey mid 2018 but the forward fuselage of G-FTSE survives in private ownership on the island. G-BDTN and G-BDTO serve as crash rescue airframes on ACI and GCI.

[Coochycool]

Much obliged to all contributors!

Too bad that luck failed me this time. Especially since I booked my trip to Jersey also ignorant of the airshow, which I will now promptly miss by a matter of days! But then again, I now have added value in catching it in Guernsey next year ;)

Don't mind a bit of thread drift now and again as long as its interesting, so tell me then....what's the story with the Jet Provost I spotted slumbering here? Looks to be an early model

Cheers muchly

Cooch

[Herod]

I've got just over 500 hours on the Trislander, with Loganair Aberdeen, mid-seventies. Enjoyed (almost) every minute.

[jensdad]

I've got just over 500 hours on the Trislander, with Loganair Aberdeen, mid-seventies. Enjoyed (almost) every minute.
Must have been interesting... What routes did you fly out of Aberdeen? Oil routes to Orkney, Shetland etc?
(Apologies to Coochycool for more thread drift!)

[chevvron]

Regarding trislanders still in service: Apparently Roraima has flown those at least until 16th Aug 2021 when the fleet was grounded for accident investigation.
https://www.stabroeknews.com/2021/08/16/news/guyana/roraimas-trislander-fleet-grounded/amp/
According to Wiki, Trislanders are still used in Anguilla, Guyana and Puerto Rico
I happened to visit the Farnborough Airshow on 11 Sep 1970; this was before I was a controller there and was still an assistant at London ATCC West Drayton.
Wandering about, before the air display, we heard the sound of Lycomings approaching; now in those days there was strictly no flying prior to the display so this was unusual then we saw the aircraft which looked similar to an Islander but different; the fuselage looked longer and there was an odd 'lump' halfway up the fin. When the aircraft turned final, we could see it was Islander shaped.
Apparently Des Norman had first flown the Trislander that morning then brought it straight to Farnborough for static display
Try googling 'Mainlander' to see further proposals from BN.

[10 DME ARC]

During my ATCA course at the CATC Bournemouth in 1981 my landlady worked for Glosair who have bought three green Trilanders from the then defunct BN. They only have one engine to start with so flew each across from IOW on one engine on the tail, taking the engine back by road each time for the next aircraft!! Often wonder where they ended up!!

[treadigraph]

They only have one engine to start with so flew each across from IOW on one engine on the tail, taking the engine back by road each time for the next aircraft!! Often wonder where they ended up!!

I find the concept of a Trislander flying with only one engine fitted a teensy bit hard to believe...

In 1980/1981 there were a number of green Islanders/Trislanders stored at Southampton in one of the hangars. The Trislanders were incomplete as I recall and had construction numbers stencilled but no reg. They ended up at Homestead Municipal in Florida, where I saw them again three or four years later still in kit form!

[Herod]

Jensdad. With apologies for thread drift. Primarily Shetlands, Sumburgh and Unst. Sometimes Kirkwall, or even Stavangar or Haugusand. Our longest was Cork.

Treadigraph. I believe the Trislander was sometimes flown using just the tail engine, but I doubt it could take-off on one. Lovely and quiet I believe, but I never had the courage to try. Only the wing engines had generators, and Sod's Law says the battery is insufficient to start another engine when you need it.

Back to thread, with apologies.

[Arthur Bellcrank]

Other than the power issue, the aircraft with a tail engine only would simply just sit on its tail due to CofG issues.

[treadigraph]

Treadigraph. I believe the Trislander was sometimes flown using just the tail engine, .

Briefly in the instance of Peter Phillip's unfortunate incident at Lanseria in '77!

http://www.ivanberrymandirect.com/BNAPS_Images/BNAPS_News-January_2017.pdf - see pages 15-18!

[Crosswhinge]

A story I heard was Bush Pilots (North Queensland) found the centre engine was out of alignment which was causing problems.

Also, after stopping the pilot had to put a prop under the tail so it wouldn't tip up.

[jensdad]

Jensdad. With apologies for thread drift. Primarily Shetlands, Sumburgh and Unst. Sometimes Kirkwall, or even Stavangar or Haugusand. Our longest was Cork.

Thanks for that Herod. Sounds like fun!

[zac21]

A story I heard was Bush Pilots (North Queensland) found the centre engine was out of alignment which was causing problems.

Also, after stopping the pilot had to put a prop under the tail so it wouldn't tip up.

They all had to do that to stop the tail hitting the ground during loading, a la Caravan.

[dixi188]

I worked on the Aurigny fleet 1973-6 doing radio and autopilot fits.
G-AYWI and G-AZLJ are two of the Trislanders I remember.
I can't find any reference to these in any Aurigny history on the web.
I wonder what became of them.

[chevvron]

I'm minded to recall that I was told by an ATC Inspector that one Trislander pilot (whom I happened to know having worked with him as a controller at several PFA Rallys) encountered a triple engine failure just after takoff from Jersey and managed to land on the beach.

[bean]

It wasn't a triple failure. It was just the port engine

[G-APDK]

G-RLON is currently stored at Lee On Solent with BN. See below)
G-AYWI was written Off at Hale Cheshire (as GOCME) on 10.2.87
G-AZLJ went to Greece and later returned and was stored at Coventry for spares in 2001/2 and the fuselage ended up at Lydd.
https://cimg9.ibsrv.net/gimg/pprune.org-vbulletin/1600x1069/20210611_los_g_rlon_bn2_iii_trislander_c_7505a6a0c97ec15e6ff 58b1251649d9f99f5a354.jpg
G-APDK

[airsmiles]

I worked on the Aurigny fleet 1973-6 doing radio and autopilot fits.
G-AYWI and G-AZLJ are two of the Trislanders I remember.
I can't find any reference to these in any Aurigny history on the web.
I wonder what became of them.

Another was G-AZJA.

[treadigraph]

G-AZJA went to Panama in '82 and was written off out there.

[dixi188]

Another was G-AZJA.
G-BBYO just popped into my brain.
I think there were 6 Trislanders in my time dealing with them, ( up to March 1976), - G-AYWI, G-AZJA, G-AZLJ, G-BBYO, plus two others ??????????
The Islanders were G-AVCN, G-AXWP, G-AXWR.

[treadigraph]

Islanders 'XWP and R went to Isles of Scilly Skybus... They also had 'WNR and 'XVR in the early '70s which both went to Loganair and eventually overseas.

I can't find 'VCN as being one of theirs but it was with an owner on Jersey for a bit in the '70s so may well have been leased or something! This is 003, the oldest survivor and is being rebuilt by the BN Historic Trust!

G-BEVT, G-BDTN, G-BDTO and G-BDWV (also RBCI) were Trislanders also operated by Aurigny, plus G-RLON (also G-OCTA/ITEX), JOEY and FTSE (also G-BEPI)...

Always enjoyed my rare visits to Southampton Airport in the late '70s and seeing the Trislanders arrive!

[bean]

Dixi, the other Tris were G-BCNO and BCXV

[treadigraph]

'CNO and 'CXV both ended up in Panama, 'CNO written off and 'CXV apparently still active in Venezuela. Both were owned at one time by Zeekoegat who were the Jersey-based owners of G-AVCN I referred to above. Presume they were a financing company.

[dixi188]

treadigraph (https://www.pprune.org/members/45458-treadigraph):
G-AVCN was the first Islander to go into service and started Aurigny.
I think it went back to BN around 1974 in partex for a new Trislander.
I still have the hand mic that I took off it when it went back. Perhaps I should send it to the museum.
I remember the name Zeekogat on some of the owners plates, also some aircraft were owned by Brinsop Farms Ltd. which was Sir Derek Bailie's property in Glos.

bean: Thankyou, yes thay were the other two. I did the radio fit on them when new.

'WI had an autopilot fitted by someone at Shoreham and we at Glos Air did the fit on 'LJ and 'JA I think.
It was a Bendix M4C but they didn't last long and were removed after a couple of years.
I think the autopilots were an attempt to get round the new rules about single pilot aircraft and the number of passengers allowed.

Long time ago now but good memories.
Dixi.

[treadigraph]

Yep, 'VCN was registered to Brinsop Farms from '67 to '74! It also starred as Airfix's 1/72 kit I see...

[Fargo Boyle]

CN is now in situ at the Wight Military and Heritage Museum in Cowes The Historic B-N Islander Aircraft G-AVCN - The Wight Military and Heritage Museum (wmahm.org.uk) (http://www.wmahm.org.uk/saving-britten-norman-islander-g-avcn-2/)

I love the original Aurigny colour scheme.