Short SC.7 Skyvan

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Template:Short description Template:DMCA Template:DMCA Template:Infobox aircraft

The Short SC.7 Skyvan (nicknamed the "Flying Shoebox")[1] is a British 19-seat twin-turboprop aircraft first flown in 1963, that was manufactured by Short Brothers of Belfast, Northern Ireland. Featuring a basic rugged design and STOL capabilities, it was used in small numbers by airlines, and also by some smaller air forces. In more recent years the remaining examples were mostly used for short-haul freight and skydiving.

The Short 330 and Short 360 are regional airliners developed from the original SC.7.

Design and development

In 1958, Short was approached by F.G. Miles Ltd (successor company to Miles Aircraft) which was seeking backing to produce a development of the Hurel-Dubois Miles HDM.106 Caravan design with a high aspect ratio wing similar to that of the Hurel-Dubois HD.31. Short acquired the design and data gathered from trials of the Miles Aerovan based HDM.105 prototype. After evaluating the Miles proposal, Short rejected the Caravan.[2] They developed their own design for a utility all-metal aircraft which was called the Short SC.7 Skyvan. The Skyvan is a twin-engined all-metal, high-wing monoplane, with a braced, high aspect ratio wing, and an unpressurised, square-section fuselage with twin fins and rudders.[3] It was popular with freight operators compared to other small aircraft because of its large rear door for loading and unloading freight. Its fuselage resembles the shape of a railroad boxcar for simplicity and efficiency.

File:Short 360, Short Skyvan and Short 330 at 1982 Farnborough Airshow.jpg
A Short Skyvan (centre) together with the two types developed from it, Short 360 (front) and Short 330 (rear) at 1982 Farnborough Airshow

Construction started at Sydenham Airport in 1960, and the first prototype first flew on 17 January 1963, powered by two Continental piston engines.[4] Later in 1963, the prototype was re-engined with the intended Turbomeca Astazou II turboprop engines of Template:Cvt;[5] the second prototype (the first Series 2 Skyvan) was initially fitted with Turbomeca Astazou X turboprop engines of Template:Cvt but subsequently the initial production version was powered by Turbomeca Astazou XII turboprop engines of Template:Cvt. In 1967, it was found that the Astazou XII was temperature limited at high altitudes.[6] Consequently, in 1968, production switched to the Skyvan Series 3 aircraft, which replaced the Astazou engines with Garrett AiResearch TPE331 turboprops of Template:Cvt. A total of 149 Skyvans (including the two prototypes)[7] were produced before production ended in 1986.

Operational history

File:Short SC.7 Skyvan C-FQSL TOR 27.07.75 edited-2.jpg
Skyvan 3 converted for survey work by Questor Surveys, 1975

Skyvans served widely in both military and civilian operations, and the type remained in service in 2009 with a number of civilian operators, and in military service in Guyana and Oman.

Skyvans continue to be used in limited numbers for air-to-air photography and for skydiving operations. In 1970, Questor Surveys of Toronto Canada converted the first of two Skyvan 3s for aerial geological survey work. The Collier Mosquito Control District uses Skyvans for aerial spraying.[8] NASA operated a single Skyvan at Wallops Island Flight Facility between 1979 and 1995, which was used to perform aerial recovery of parachute-borne payloads ejected from high-altitude balloons and sounding rockets.

Skyvan G-BEOL appeared in the film Kingsmen: The Secret Service as the aircraft trainee kingsmen skydived from. N194WW appeared in Season 1 Episode 4 of the TV show Narcos: Mexico.

Variants

File:G-ASCN Shorts SC1 Skyvan (proto) LPL 28APR64 (6925479033).jpg
G-ASCN Shorts SC.7 Skyvan 1A prototype with Turbomeca Astazou engines, 28 APR 1964
File:Shorts SC.7 Skyvan.jpg
SC.7 Skyvan 3A-100 at Oulu Airport, Finland in 2005
Skyvan 1
prototype, one built. 2 × Continental GTSIO-520 engines.
Skyvan 1A
re-engined 1st prototype. 2 × 388 kW (520 hp) Turbomeca Astazou II engines.
Skyvan 2
Turbomeca Astazou powered production. 8 Series 2 produced (including the second prototype).
Page Template:Visible anchor/styles.css has no content.Skyvan 3
Garrett TPE331 powered production. 140 produced (of all Series 3 versions) plus 2 Series 2 were converted.Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:Footnotes/anchor_id_list' not found.
Skyvan 3A
higher gross weight version (MTOW 6,214 kg, 13,700 lb).[9]
Skyvan 3M-100, -200, -400
military transport versions with higher gross weights; 3M-200 (MTOW 6,804 kg, 15,000 lb); 3M-400 as per Skyvan 3A.[10] Used for supply dropping, assault transport, dropping paratroops, troop transport, cargo transport, casualty evacuation, plus search and rescue missions.[11]
Skyliner 3A-100
deluxe all-passenger version, large cargo door removed, cabin accessed through standard size side door.[11]
Seavan
Maritime patrol version, single example (serial '915', SH.1942) used by the Sultan of Oman's Air Force / Royal Air Force of Oman (SOAF / RAFO) (conversion from basic 3M-400)[12]

Civilian Operators

Civilian operators

File:SX-BBO SC.7 Skyvan 400 Olympic Aws MYK 07JUN75 (6779362200).jpg
SX-BBO SC.7 Skyvan 400 Olympic Airways at Mykonos ca 1975
File:A Short Skyvan at Barra Airport (geograph 4932878).jpg
A British Airways (Scottish Division) Short Skyvan on the beach (Barra Airport) ca 1974

Former (airline) operators

Current and military operators

File:Short Skyvan (8705610372).jpg
The Short Skyvan is popular as a skydiving launch platform

Skyvans still active in 2022–2024 include[17]

  • Collier Mosquito Control District (FL): N642M, N643M, N644M [18]
  • Perris Skydive (CA): SH.1859, 1885, 1907, 1911,
  • Pink Aviation (Austria): SH.1881, 1932, 1964
  • Skydive Deland (FL): SH.1842
  • Skyforce (Poland): SP-HOP (SH.1906), (sister ship SP-HIP SH.1962 written off 3 Sept 2022),[19] Ayit Aviation (Israel) 4X-AGP / SH.1893,[citation needed]
  • Win Aviation (USA): Up to nine Skyvans[20][21]

Military operators

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  • Guyana Defence Force - Five acquired 1979-81, believed non-operational (2019). Two additional second-hand examples acquired in June, 2019.[22][23]
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Former military operators

File:Museo Sitio de Memoria ESMA, Short Skyvan PA-51 Prefectura Naval Argentina.jpg
Argentine Naval Prefecture Skyvan 'PA-51' on display at the Museo Sitio de Memoria ESMA in Buenos Aires, Argentina. This particular aircraft was used to carry out death flights during the Dirty War.
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File:SC-7-3M-400 Austria.JPG
5S-TA, Austrian Air Force Skyvan 3M-400 in 2005 (now at Zeltweg Museum)
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File:Royal Thai Police (15370674628).jpg
Royal Thai Police compound at Bangkok Don Mueang-DMK, October 2014. In view are three Shorts SC.7 Skyvans, a Shorts SD3-30, plus three PC 6 Turbo Porters, and a Fokker F-50
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Accidents and incidents

  • On September 1, 1972, a Short Skyvan crashed on northeastern slope of Mt Giluwe due to poor visibility. Four people died as result of the crash.[33]
  • On 22 November 1976, a Gulf Air Short SC.7 Skyvan cargo plane travelling from Bahrain to Abu Dhabi-Al Bateen Airport experienced an engine failure. The crew abandoned the aircraft off Das Island. The two occupants were rescued while the airplane sank.[34]
  • On 18 December 1980, two Shorts SC.7 Skyvan (9M-AQG and 9M-AXN) collided in a unknown circumstance in Bayan Lepas International Airport, both aircraft was small damaged and continued to service beyond repair.[35]

Specification (Skyvan 3)

Data from Jane's Civil and Military Upgrades 1994-95[36]

General characteristics

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  • Takeoff run to 15 m (50 ft): 482 m (1,581 ft) (STOL)
  • Landing run from 15 m (50 ft): 567 m (1,860 ft) (STOL)

See also

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Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era

Related lists

References

Notes

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  1. ^ The UAE is a federation of 7 Sheikdoms, each of which maintain a small army known as the Amiri Guard. One of which, the Emirate of Sharjah, purchased two Skyvan 3M's in the 1970's, and then sold them to the UAE air force in 1995.[31]

Citations

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  1. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Your Place And Mine - Topics - Transport - The Flying Shoebox - The Shorts Skyvan". Archived from the original on 20 August 2004.
  2. ^ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:Footnotes/anchor_id_list' not found.
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  6. ^ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:Footnotes/anchor_id_list' not found.
  7. ^ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:Footnotes/anchor_id_list' not found.
  8. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Collier Mosquito Control District 2019 Open House".
  9. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Aircraft Register Search 'G-BAIT'". caa.co.uk. Retrieved 11 August 2024.
  10. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Aircraft Register Search 'G-BCFJ' (to Ghana AF)". caa.co.uk. Retrieved 11 August 2024.
  11. ^ a b Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Short SC7 Skyvan". aircraftrecognitionguide. Retrieved 9 August 2024.
  12. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Oman AF SC.7 Skyvan '915'". airhistory.net. Retrieved 12 August 2024.
  13. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Bucher, F.E.; Klee, Ueli (1977). JP Airline-Fleets. Zurich Airport: Editions JP. p. 10.
  14. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Loganair - BBC article dated 27 Dec 2022". bbc.co.uk. Retrieved 4 August 2024.
  15. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."SX-BBN (read photo caption)". airliners.net. Retrieved 4 August 2024.
  16. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Papuan Airlines - Photo showing two Skyvans at Port Moresby, PNG". airhistory.net. Retrieved 4 August 2024.
  17. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."SC.7 Skyvan photos, date ordered". airhistory.net. Retrieved 6 August 2024.
  18. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Collier Mosquito Control District adds new airplane and helicopter to fleet". Collier Mosquito Control District. 21 October 2022. Retrieved 18 March 2025.
  19. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."SP-HIP accident 3 September 2022". Aviation Safety Network. Retrieved 6 August 2024.
  20. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Win Aviation Fleet details". Win Aviation. Retrieved 12 August 2024.
  21. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."SC-7 Skyvan Specifications & Capability Statement (pdf)" (PDF). Win Aviation. Retrieved 12 August 2024.
  22. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Guyana gets Skyvans (2019)". keymilitary.com. Retrieved 6 August 2024.
  23. ^ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:Footnotes/anchor_id_list' not found.
  24. ^ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:Footnotes/anchor_id_list' not found.
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  26. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Death Flight plane to return to Argentina". theguardian.com. Retrieved 9 August 2024.
  27. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Skyvan 5S-TA at Zeltweg May 2024". airhistory.net. Retrieved 6 August 2024.
  28. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Short SC.7 SRS 3M "Skyvan"" (in Deutsch). Archived from the original on 16 March 2016. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  29. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Ghana Air Force". Archived from the original on 25 May 2009. Retrieved 17 December 2012.
  30. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Cooper, Tom; Grandolini, Albert (2018). Showdown in Western Sahara, Volume 1: Air Warfare Over the Last African Colony, 1945-1975. Warwick, UK: Helion & Company Publishing. p. 47. ISBN 978-1-912390-35-9.
  31. ^ a b Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Air Force Magazine". Air Force Association. July 1996. Retrieved 25 January 2024.
  32. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content.Cooper, Tom (2017). Hot Skies Over Yemen, Volume 1: Aerial Warfare Over the South Arabian Peninsula, 1962-1994. Solihull, UK: Helion & Company Publishing. p. 42. ISBN 978-1-912174-23-2.
  33. ^ Cite error: The named reference :2 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  34. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Crash of a Short SC.7 Skyvan 3 Variant 200 off Das Island". Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives. Retrieved 3 November 2021.
  35. ^ Page Module:Citation/CS1/styles.css has no content."Ground accident of a Short SC.7 Skyvan Variant in Pulau Penang". Bureau of Aircraft Accidents Archives. Retrieved 10 May 2026.
  36. ^ Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'Module:Footnotes/anchor_id_list' not found.

Bibliography

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  • Page Template:Sister-inline/styles.css has no content.Script error: No such module "Sister project logo". Media related to Script error: No such module "Commons link". at Wikimedia Commons

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