New book on Short Skyvan
Joined: Jan 2008
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From: Reading, UK
Thread Starter
Joined: May 2024
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From: Bristol
The book I am writing about the Short Skyvan has just been picked up by Fonthill Media, and should appear in 2025.
I am therefore looking for photos to help illustrate the book. If anyone would like to contribute Skyvan photos please get in touch.
I'm afraid for such a niche topic I can't make any payment for photos, but each photo will be individually credited by name to the contributor.
Thanks very much for your attention.
I am therefore looking for photos to help illustrate the book. If anyone would like to contribute Skyvan photos please get in touch.
I'm afraid for such a niche topic I can't make any payment for photos, but each photo will be individually credited by name to the contributor.
Thanks very much for your attention.
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 221
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From: London
Two takeoffs but no landing in one, at Peterborough Sibson 
. I believe the aircraft concerned was later written off (possibly in Europe at a parachute competition) with the classic para-dropper accident of running out of fuel. You put in minimal fuel each trip so you can get in an extra paying jumper, be just within MTOW, refuel a bit every lift, and (in theory) the aircraft is normally within glide range of the runway anyway.
. I believe the aircraft concerned was later written off (possibly in Europe at a parachute competition) with the classic para-dropper accident of running out of fuel. You put in minimal fuel each trip so you can get in an extra paying jumper, be just within MTOW, refuel a bit every lift, and (in theory) the aircraft is normally within glide range of the runway anyway.
Joined: Aug 2024
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From: Headcorn
Good evening. I have just seen your post regarding your book on the Skyvan. I grew up around the Skyvan as my father was a test pilot with Shorts. I am aware of at least one flight test in a magazine but will need to search for it and let you know if you are interested. I also have numerous photographs which I would be happy to share.
let me know if of any interest.
let me know if of any interest.
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 970
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From: uk
While collecting a new SC7 we had dinner with Shorts Chief Designer. His account of why it looked as it did was illustrated by a series of drawings on a tissue, and started with a stripped down LWB Landrover in a box, which was the requirement of the time, with an alternate role of cargo/people carrier with STOL capability. Stabilisers, a wing, engines, a fuel tank were added, and the upward lifting rear "door" completed the design.
I accepted an invitation to ride in the RHS for a demo flight at Abu Dhabi. The aircraft was parked facing into wind at the downwind edge of the apron, The pilot (Mike ??) surprised me a little by calling for takeoff clearance while still parked with - I guess - 150m of tarmac in front of us. The clearance came, at which point he applied full power, released the brakes, and executed a STOL takeoff to about 75, feet flew round the back of the terminal and landed back on the apron, stopping, I'm sure, in about 100m or less. It was the most terrifying 3 minutes of my life. Then he did it again, but failing one engine on the way round.
Exploding TPE331 engines; up to a certain production number, TPE 331 had no overspeed protection. So when another fault, eg break-up of the bull gear wheel resulting from manufacturing defects, resulted in uncontrolled overspeed, this increased until the turbine broke up, throwing debris into and through the cabin, wing and fuel tank. The lack of a turbine containment ring didn't help, if I remember rightly. This happened twice with Gulf Air. On both occasions, superb flying by the pilot saved the aircraft and passengers. Their skills were called for; on neither occasion could the aircraft maintain height due to the drag from the dead engine and its nacelle, and on the second, which happened over the desert at night, the engine, which contained a lot of magnesium, caught fire with fuel from the ruptured tank sloshing round the cabin. The fire extinguisher was ineffective since most of the cowlings had disappeared or were flapping around. Please note; my memory gets dim, and it was all a long time ago; I would be happy to be corrected on the technical detail.
The Shorts sales team were adamant that the SC7 had a better STOL performance than the Twin Otter, and this turned out to be true. Plus there were things you could put into a SC7 that a Twin Otter couldn't touch, A LWB Landrover, for example.
I accepted an invitation to ride in the RHS for a demo flight at Abu Dhabi. The aircraft was parked facing into wind at the downwind edge of the apron, The pilot (Mike ??) surprised me a little by calling for takeoff clearance while still parked with - I guess - 150m of tarmac in front of us. The clearance came, at which point he applied full power, released the brakes, and executed a STOL takeoff to about 75, feet flew round the back of the terminal and landed back on the apron, stopping, I'm sure, in about 100m or less. It was the most terrifying 3 minutes of my life. Then he did it again, but failing one engine on the way round.
Exploding TPE331 engines; up to a certain production number, TPE 331 had no overspeed protection. So when another fault, eg break-up of the bull gear wheel resulting from manufacturing defects, resulted in uncontrolled overspeed, this increased until the turbine broke up, throwing debris into and through the cabin, wing and fuel tank. The lack of a turbine containment ring didn't help, if I remember rightly. This happened twice with Gulf Air. On both occasions, superb flying by the pilot saved the aircraft and passengers. Their skills were called for; on neither occasion could the aircraft maintain height due to the drag from the dead engine and its nacelle, and on the second, which happened over the desert at night, the engine, which contained a lot of magnesium, caught fire with fuel from the ruptured tank sloshing round the cabin. The fire extinguisher was ineffective since most of the cowlings had disappeared or were flapping around. Please note; my memory gets dim, and it was all a long time ago; I would be happy to be corrected on the technical detail.
The Shorts sales team were adamant that the SC7 had a better STOL performance than the Twin Otter, and this turned out to be true. Plus there were things you could put into a SC7 that a Twin Otter couldn't touch, A LWB Landrover, for example.
Joined: Aug 2024
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From: Headcorn
Hi I suspect that could have been Mike Ingle-Finch? He was at Shorts at the same time as my Father and both did tours of the Middle East.
i think I recall someone else recounting a similar tale. It really didn’t need much runway!!
i think I recall someone else recounting a similar tale. It really didn’t need much runway!!
Joined: Apr 2006
Posts: 970
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From: uk
The second TPE331 explosion was on the way back to Seeb on a night casevac from Fahud, I think it was. I can only guess wildly about the date, but it must have been in 1977 or 1978. The pilot turned back and luckily the person responsible for dowsing all the gooseneck flares was a bit slow doing that after the aircraft had departed, so the strip was still visible. Also luckily, the nacelle fire went out just before touchdown. I would imagine that landing between burning flares with fuel sloshing everywhere would have concentrated the mind on rolling out very straight down the centre line.
A double failure also happened with an SC7at Seeb. This one - also on a night casevac - was due to fuel starvation. The routine was to refuel to 100% after the last flight of the day, and enter the tech log accordingly. On this occasion the engineer requested the bowser. and then completed the over night check. He entered the fuel uplift with the check details, but when he learned that there would be a long delay he left the entry in the tech log and wrote a note saying that the fuel was NOT loaded, leaving that where an incoming pilot or engineer would normally see it. When the casevac was called for, the duty pilot went to the airport, checked the tech log, missed the note, did a walk-round, started up, taxied out and departed. All as per SOP, apart from missing the note. (The fuel gauges were known to be unreliable and pilots relied on tech log entries and the totaliser, set in agreement with the tech log.) After about 20 minutes, I think it was, it all went quiet and the pilot executed a perfect forced landing in the valley beneath him, lit by the stars. The aircraft was later recovered undamaged. A classic example of Human Factors working together to screw things up.
Last edited by old,not bold; 20th August 2024 at 10:31.