Short Scylla

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L.17 Scylla
Type	Biplane Airliner
Manufacturer	Short Brothers
Maiden flight	26 March 1934
Retired	1940
Primary user	Imperial Airways
Produced	Rochester
Number built	2

The Short L.17 Scylla was a British 4-engined 39-seat biplane luxury airliner designed and built by Shorts at the request of Imperial Airways and used by them for scheduled flights between London and European cities e.g. Paris. Two aircraft were built, the Scylla (G-ACJJ) and the Syrinx (G-ACJK). Both served with the airline until its merger into BOAC in 1939, and both were finally taken out of service the following year.

Contents 1 Design 2 Operators 3 References 4 Specifications

[edit] Design

The Scylla was a land-based development of the Short Kent flying boat, essentially using the Kent's aerostructure above a redesigned fuselage.^[1] It was a large, all-metal biplane (wingspan 113 ft, 34,44 m) powered originally by four Bristol Jupiter XFBM radial engines mounted on vertical struts between the upper and lower planes. The square-section braced-framed fuselage was mounted below the lower wing. The tail unit comprised a single vertical fin and a horizontal tailplane mounted on the fin at approximately one quarter height. The Scylla was originally fitted with a Flettner trimming aerofoil (clearly visible here ^[2]) to ease the forces on the rudder controls; an experimental servo tab on the rudder was tested on G-ACJJ Scylla for a time. Experience gained with the latter possibly contributed to a later patent application submitted jointly by Shorts and Dudley Lloyd Parkes on 7 August 1936.^[3]

The forward undercarriage comprised one fixed wheel on each side, mounted on 3 diagonally braced struts, one to the upper and two to the lower edge of the fuselage; there was a single tailwheel. Ailerons were fitted to both upper and lower wings.

The engine nacelles were designed to receive Bristol Jupiter, Pegasus or Perseus engines without modification^[4], a far-sighted and sensible provision, which later enabled e.g. the two inboard Jupiters of G-ACJK Syrinx readily to be replaced with Perseus IIL sleeve valve engines, to test their performance in airline conditions. When Syrinx was re-built (after it had been severely damaged when blown over by sidewinds while taxiing at Brussels airport), it was fitted with four Pegasus XC engines.

[edit] Operators

• United Kingdom
  • Imperial Airways

[edit] References

1. ^ Cassidy, p. 22
2. ^ www.century-of-flight.com
3. ^ Cassidy, p. 31
4. ^ Cassidy, p. 22

• Cassidy, Brian (2004). Flying Empires: Short ‘C’ class Empire flying boats. Queens Parade Press. Retrieved on January 15, 2007.

• Century-of-Flight.net: Short Scylla. Retrieved on January 18, 2007.

• Short L17 Scylla. Imperial Airways project. Retrieved on January 24, 2007.

[edit] Specifications

General characteristics

• Crew: 4
• Capacity: 39
• Payload: lb (kg)
• Length: 83 ft 10 in ft (m)
• Wingspan: 113 ft (34.44 m)
• Height: ft (m)
• Wing area: 2,640 ft² ()
• Empty weight: lb (kg)
• Loaded weight: 32,000 lb (kg)
• Powerplant: 4× Bristol Jupiter XFBM air-cooled radial, 555 hp (414 kW) each

Performance

• Maximum speed: 103 mph
• Service ceiling: ft (m)
• Rate of climb: ft/min ()

The two L.17 aircraft (G-AJCC Scylla and G-AJCK Syrinx) had at different times three different engine configurations between them:

1. Four Bristol Jupiter XFBM one-row radial poppet valve piston engines of 595 lb (444 kW) thrust each
2. Two Bristol Jupiter XFBM radial poppet valve radial piston engines of 595 lb (444 kW) (outer pair) and two Bristol Perseus IIL sleeve valve radial piston engines of 540 lb (400 kW) thrust each (inner pair)
3. Four Bristol Pegasus XC radial poppet valve piston engines of 660 lb (492 kW) thrust each

Related development

• Short Kent