Shorts 330/360

[Mike Tee]

Flown in the 360 twice. Once from Teesside to Gatwick, think that was Casair and another with Bangkok Airways from Hua Hin to Bankok. Seem to recall looking into the flight deck which looked like a submarine !!.

[HEATHROW DIRECTOR]

TWA aircraft taxying out passed a 360 and asked what it was. When told he said "I bet it looks better out of its box".

During delays one morning at Heathrow a 360 in the BNN hold asked "How much longer - it's wall to wall sick in the back".

[pppdrive]

Had many a trip in both (plus Twin Otters & Bandeirantes) between HVB & BNE back in the 90s with Sunstate. Very roomy inside but were subject to a few bumps especially if going via MBH. Also known as the Irish Concord.

[Hotel Tango]

Since we are going down memory lane I logged 330/360 flights with British Midland, Air-UK, Air Europe Express, British Caledonian Commuter (operated by Brymon Airways in BCAL livery), Guernsey Airways, Jersey European Airways, British Air Ferries and, on a more exotic scale, Coral Air - between St Thomas and St Croix. Quite a trip down airline memory lane too

[Wycombe]

Look at FR24 most weekday evenings and you will see a 360 freighter plying it's way (at FL100) between Frankfurt and Coventry.

[Hotel Tango]

Look at FR24 most weekday evenings and you will see a 360 freighter plying it's way (at FL100) between Frankfurt and Coventry.

One of two operated by Nightexpress.

[Cremeegg]

The only jump seat I ever sat on that was on the left of the captain. Made for a weird perspective!

Jump seated a TriStar LHR - CDG once - seem to recall jump seat was to the left of the Captain and slightly higher - gave a great view through those huge windows.

[Midland 331]

>Flown in the 360 twice. Once from Teesside to Gatwick, think that was Casair.

Probably Genair or Gill Airways if it was a 360.

I used to use the MME-LGW in Gill days. The routing brought us in sight of the East Coast Main Line at some points, and I was convinced that the newly-introduced electric trains were overtaking us.

[1DC]

Flew Shorts regularly from HUY to LHR and AMS and for a short time GLW. I remember waiting to leave GLW one night and delayed because the wind was too strong. It was blowing a hooligan but eventually we left and i looked out of the window and we seemed to be about 10 feet above the runway travelling at walking pace. We then turned around and travelled to Teesside faster than the Pilot had ever done it before, before carrying on to HUY.
If the 1900 flight from LHR to HUY didn't get off before Concorde I seem to recall that we had to wait about 10 minutes until the turbulence subsided.
One time after a bumpy ride from AMS an American chap opened the overhead locker and a bottle of whisky fell out and crowned the chap sitting below. The American picked the bottle up and said "Is this your's Buddy?", dropped it into the lap of the semi conscious feller who had blood running down his face and walked off the plane without a backward glance!!

[surely not]

Since we are going down memory lane I logged 330/360 flights with British Midland, Air-UK, Air Europe Express, British Caledonian Commuter (operated by Brymon Airways in BCAL livery), Guernsey Airways, Jersey European Airways, British Air Ferries and, on a more exotic scale, Coral Air - between St Thomas and St Croix. Quite a trip down airline memory lane too

I don't think the British Caledonian Commuter 330/360 would have been Brymon Airways. They never operated their aircraft in BCAL Commuter colours, though their own colours were blue and yellow/gold and not too disimilar. Also I don't remember Brymon ever owning any Shorts 330/360. They did have a short term lease of a 330 on the BHX-LGW-BHX service to see if it would generate better loads than the Twin Otter. From memory I think that was a Fairflight/Air Ecosse aircraft.

Connectair also built up quite a fleet of 330 and 360 on their way to becoming City Flyer Express

[Border Reiver]

The Genair Sheds were painted in BCal Commuter colours. Not sure from memories of ABZ in the 80s that the Air Ecosse ones were.

With reference to MME, didn't Casair acquire a 330 before the merger with Genair and Eastern that created the enlarged Genair?

Time for a list of UK 330 360 operators?

[Mike Tee]

Thanks for jogging the memory Midland 331. Yes it was Gill Air. Also seem to remember our parking gate at Gatwick was just about the furthest possible distance from the BA Lagos gate meaning a hard dash to make the connection.

[N707ZS]

Casair bought G-OCAS 330 new from the factory.

[Hotel Tango]

surely not:

Brymon leased Shorts 330 G-BKDO from Shorts between June and September 1985. It was indeed on a LGW-BHX route that I flew on it, 3 July 1985. It had BRITISH CALEDONIAN COMMUTER SERVICE titles and (in my opinion) was closer to BCAL's colours than those of Brymon.

I found a photo and am trying to link it on here.

http://www.jetphotos.net/photolink.php?id=7587909

[surely not]

Thanks for posting that photo Hotel Tango.

G-BKDO pictured was leased to Brymon by Fairflight during the summer of 1985 to see whether increasing available seats on the BHX-LGW-BHX route would stimulate additional demand. By then ownership of G-BKDO had passed from Genair, who operated it in full BCAL Commuter Colours, to Fairflight of Biggin Hill who initially flew it in the BCAL Commuter colours for Brymon with Genair painted out. Brymon never owned a 330.

G-BKDO was originally with Eastern Airways (Mk1) and was repainted to BCAL Commuter colours when Genair bought Eastern and Casair.

edit to add.......... I have a photo of G-BKDO taxiing out from stand 97 at LGW, but on 8th Jun 1985, and a comment on the photo that it is operated by Fairflight but leased to Brymon.

[Opsbeatch]

Surely the King of Sheds!!

Photos: Short 360-300 Aircraft Pictures | Airliners.net

Spent many an hour in this lovely little ship.

OB

[Hotel Tango]

surely not

But the bottom line was that it was effectively a Brymon flight when I flew on it, so my original remark still stands.

[split system breaker]

I recall seeing a picture of a prototype Shorts 360 with 3 engines!

The same configuration as a Trilander, it was just about the ugliest aeroplane I've ever seen; I'm still not sure that it wasn't a wind-up.

Has anyone else heard of such a thing? I'd love to see the picture again.

[Midland 331]

So, would any drivers like to say what they liked about them?

I seem to recall that there was some kind of icing "gotcha", and that there was an absence of boots at vital places.

Did the ditching exit leak, and there was a need for bush hats?

[Herod]

Comment from a driver. In good weather a very pleasant little machine. However; in any sort of icing, not nice at all. I got airborne from Leeds/Bradford one dark night, en-route to Belfast. Having got to about FL50, and no chance of any higher, decided to divert to Manchester. The de-ice that was fitted was working fine, but ice was building up rapidly on the struts and undercarriage sponsons (and probably on the flat-plate underside, which was becoming more flat-plate as the speed decayed). The FO was more experienced on type than I was, so I left him flying it. The ILS glideslope was about all the beast could manage, and in the final stages I had effectively take-off power on. Having had a nice little worry about when our decaying airspeed was going to meet our increasing stall speed, I came out with a case of alopecia nervosa. Yep, a few weeks later big chunks of my hair came out. All grown back now; just a receding hairline these days.

Yes, in good weather, which I think it was designed for, very pleasant.