Shorts 330/360
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Reminds me of the one where a disbelieving F-86 Sabre jock pulled alongside a DC3 flying at something like FL300.
He was so busy rubbing his eyes and scratching his head - that when he got a wave from the cockpit window, he stalled it and disappeared from view.
Turned out that it was one of the first Turbo-DC3s under test.
He was so busy rubbing his eyes and scratching his head - that when he got a wave from the cockpit window, he stalled it and disappeared from view.
Turned out that it was one of the first Turbo-DC3s under test.
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Did you say 60,000 feet? 
Perhaps the result of a secret Shorts project to cross-breed the SD3-30 with the SC.9...
Well I didn't find anything quite that exciting but here's a thread about the proposed Shorts 450, a 49-seat stretch:
http://www.secretprojects.co.uk/foru...html#msg227820
Last edited by El Bunto; 20th Dec 2015 at 12:24.
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I remember the R/T exchange that went between a BA Shuttle B757 & a Loganair SH36...
Shuttle in response to Glasgow ATC: 'Roger, copied, number 2 to the Shed'
Loganair retorted: 'I'd rather be a shed than a tube!'
Shuttle in response to Glasgow ATC: 'Roger, copied, number 2 to the Shed'
Loganair retorted: 'I'd rather be a shed than a tube!'
The 360 pedigree went back to the SC7 Skyvan, as everyone knows, but fewer know that the first step after the Skyvan was the Skyliner; exactly the same airframe and engine (TPE331) as a Skyvan, but the large upwards rear door was replaced by a door in the side, and it was intended for 19 passengers only. We had one in the Gulf, in the '70s, but I don't know if there were any others, or indeed what happened to ours.
I think the 330 was the next step, followed by the 360.
Something else that people don't know is that the Skyvan could outperform a Twin Otter on STOL any day of the week, payload for payload, with the greatest of ease. And that's at the military MTOW 13,500 lbs that the aircraft was designed for, as operated by SOAF, as I recall, among others. Civil regs allowed only 12,500 lbs. Leaving Saiq, 6,500 ft elev., in a SOAF Skyvan, with a good load, was always exciting.
I think the 330 was the next step, followed by the 360.
Something else that people don't know is that the Skyvan could outperform a Twin Otter on STOL any day of the week, payload for payload, with the greatest of ease. And that's at the military MTOW 13,500 lbs that the aircraft was designed for, as operated by SOAF, as I recall, among others. Civil regs allowed only 12,500 lbs. Leaving Saiq, 6,500 ft elev., in a SOAF Skyvan, with a good load, was always exciting.
Last edited by old,not bold; 20th Dec 2015 at 17:19.
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I well remember a 360 flight to Guernesesy in or about 1986, it may have been AirUk and was from the old Stansted terminal. Weather was also nearly terminal but certainly marginal, wet and very windy. Our lady F/O took us up like a rocket and I remember the sewing-machine-like screech from the engines. Buffeting continued as we dodged through very black clouds. Right over central London with amazing views through deep shafts of clear air and sun light. Then the lightning flashed and we buzzed off like a bumble-bee. At Guernesey there was gusting wind and we were tossed around like a leaf in the autumn but they got us down in one piece. I got the impression that the 360 was one tough little babe and will never forget that flight experience.
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If anyone is interested I've found a picture of our group after returning to Norwich from Fairford, as I described in an earlier comment. The Registration is G-OJSY which according to G-INFO was being operated by BAC Express Airlines at the time we flew on her (July 20th 1996). In 2000 it was transferred to Nigeria
Nemo Me Impune Lacessit
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The Skyvan...known affectionately in its home town as the Flying Henhouse.
BA didn't fly the Skyliner for very long out of Glasgow, something to do with performance I believe, they managed to make the end of the GLA runway an obstacle!
I don't know about the performance (well I do, though that's another story), but the Skyliner was incredibly unpopular with passengers, with its two very noisy Garretts. Many regular flyers on the GLA routes used to carry their own earplugs, in fact I have a feeling that towards the end of its brief career with BA, passengers were issued with them as a matter of course.
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Van /330/360
The skyliner was so unpopular with the pax was, it is alleged, because it made you want to wee. Not sure if that is true, never had a problem myself.
Last edited by Ivan aromer; 22nd Dec 2015 at 06:15.
Buttonpusher
Many fond memories of the 360 30 years ago, cut my airline teeth on it for Atlantic Southeast Airlines the "Skypig" was a reliable aircraft, all manual flying, flying skills were never better than back then flying between 5-7 hours a duty day.
Atlanta tower would always inform the aircraft in position ready to go, that " A pair of Shorts are crossing downfield"
The only fun fact I remember was if the airplane got overfuelled the vent was directly over the fuelllers head and would inform him/her of such a situation.
Atlanta tower would always inform the aircraft in position ready to go, that " A pair of Shorts are crossing downfield"
The only fun fact I remember was if the airplane got overfuelled the vent was directly over the fuelllers head and would inform him/her of such a situation.
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According to my logbook, over a period of four and a half years in the eighties I have 887 take-off's in a Skyvan and 27 landings. Fond memories of a real workhorse.
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Incidentally I think the last Astazou-engined Skyvan went to the scrappy back in the 1990s, it was owned by a University in the USA ( Wisconsin? perhaps ) as an instructional airframe.
All the others had already been scrapped or converted to Garretts. Why did they go with those instead of PT6A I wonder?
Pity the UAS haven't shown much interest in preserving the type.
All the others had already been scrapped or converted to Garretts. Why did they go with those instead of PT6A I wonder?
Pity the UAS haven't shown much interest in preserving the type.
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Mr Oleo Strut
Yes Would definitely have been Air UK you flew with, they operated STN-GCI until their demise in 1998.Shorts 360 flights from Stansted were very short lived, about 1 year I think 1986-87, most flights were on the F27 Before that and then a mix of F27 and BAE 146,possibly F100 towards the end[weekends] from 1988 onwards.
They also downgraded the SOU route from F27 to SH6 at that time too.
Not sure what the reason was but it was very short lived and was back to the F27 within a year or so. You definitely got some bumpy landings into Guernsey when it was windy on the Shorts!
Yes Would definitely have been Air UK you flew with, they operated STN-GCI until their demise in 1998.Shorts 360 flights from Stansted were very short lived, about 1 year I think 1986-87, most flights were on the F27 Before that and then a mix of F27 and BAE 146,possibly F100 towards the end[weekends] from 1988 onwards.
They also downgraded the SOU route from F27 to SH6 at that time too.
Not sure what the reason was but it was very short lived and was back to the F27 within a year or so. You definitely got some bumpy landings into Guernsey when it was windy on the Shorts!
