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Short Skyvan

1963 COLD WAR MODERN AIRCRAFT

A Brief History of Skyvan

Logistics has been an ongoing challenge for economies in wartime and peacetime. The former was demonstrated time and time again in the many battles of World War II (1939-1945), which continued into the Cold War (1947-1991). Short Brothers in Northern Ireland, who rose to prominence as the premier manufacturer of British military blimps during World War II, were invited by F.G. Miles Limited to join a new, user-friendly transport company that could potentially serve the military and civilian market.

The result of this work is the Short SC. 7 "Sky Bay".

The design presented a very distinctive look: a boxy fuselage was used, the cockpit had a short nose section in the front and a raised empennage in the stern. Below the stern is a ramp for loading and unloading cargo.

The wing main aircraft is mounted high on the fuselage and supported by thick struts, the location of which allows for excellent drag and lift characteristics, especially for short-field operations. The tail contains a biplane layout reminiscent of older British bombers of World War II. For ground operations, the aircraft uses a conventional wheeled tricycle landing gear that is fixed in flight, reducing complexity and reducing acquisition costs.

These non-retractable elements are short, giving the aircraft a shorter ground profile, making it easier to load and unload cargo. Each wing main plane is fitted with an engine nacelle that propels the plane through the sky.

The original prototype "Skyvan 1" first flew on 17 January 1963, powered by 2 x Continental GTSIO-520 series engines. The successor "Skyvan 1A" is equipped with 2 French-made Turbomeca "Astazou" engines with 520 hp each. This resulted in the series-quality "Skyvan 2", of which eight were built.

It was followed by the Garrett AiResearch TPE331 powered "Skyvan 3" with 145 units. The model is driven by two people and can carry up to 19 passengers. Dimensions include a length of 40 feet, a wingspan of 64.10 feet, and a height of 15 feet. Curb weight is 7,345 lbs and MTOW is 12,500 lbs.

The Garrett engines each produced 715 horsepower and propelled the plane to an altitude of 22,500 feet and a range of nearly 700 miles at 250 mph.

Enhanced transport capabilities welcome the improved "Skyvan 3A", the "Skyvan 3M" designed to meet the military market. The "Skyvan 3M-200" became another military-oriented branch with a total weight of up to 15,000 pounds.

Two other notable formats are the luxury passenger tug "Skyliner" and the Oman-operated water performer "Seavan".

The multifunctional Skyvan was later used by various powers seeking price-sensitive multifunctional products. These range from Argentina and Austria to the United Arab Emirates and Yemen. Total production before the end was 153 units, produced from 1963 to 1986.

Skyvan is still (in 2018) actively serving in Guyana and Oman (in military roles), despite being largely retired in most countries.