Short Solent
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| S.45A Solent | |
|---|---|
 The Aquila Airways Solent 3, G-AKNU, Sydney taking-off from Funchal |
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| Type | passenger flying boat |
| Manufacturer | Short Brothers and Harland |
| Maiden flight | 11 November 1946 |
| Primary users | BOAC TEAL |
| Number built | 16 (and 7 converted S.45 Seafords) |
| Developed from | Short Seaford |
The Short Solent was a passenger flying boat produced by Short Brothers in the late 1940s. It was developed from the Short Seaford (Short Sunderland Mark IV) military flying boat design, which was too late to serve in World War II.
The first Solent flew in 1946. New Solents were used by BOAC and TEAL, production ending in 1949. Second-hand aircraft were operated briefly by a number of small airlines such as Aquila Airways.
Contents |
[edit] History
The Solent was a high wing monoplane flying boat of aluminium construction. Power was, initially, four Bristol Hercules engines but later some had four Bristol Centaurus sleeve-valve radial piston engines. The Solent 2 introduced by BOAC could carry 34 passengers and 7 crew, the final TEAL aircraft could carry 45 passengers. Both provided a great deal of space and luxury compared with contemporary or modern land-based aircraft.
One Solent, a Mk IV formerly used by TEAL on the Coral Route, connecting South Pacific Islands to New Zealand has been fully restored and preserved at the Museum of Transport and Technology in Auckland. This is often said to be the only survivor of the type but an ex-BOAC Solent 3, later owned by Howard Hughes, has been rescued and is in the United States at Oakland Aviation Museum in Oakland, California.[1]; it is this Solent which appears briefly (and anachronistically) in the film Raiders of the Lost Ark.
[edit] Variants
- Solent 2: civilian version of the S.45 Seaford
- Solent 3: converted S.45 Seaford
- Solent 4: powered by Bristol Hercules 733
[edit] Production[2]
- Solent 2 : 12 aircraft (Rochester)
- Solent 3 : 7 aircraft (6 at Queen's Island, Belfast, 1 at Hamble)
- Solent 4 : 4 aircraft (Belfast)
[edit] Operators
- Trans-Oceanic Airways
- Aquila Airways
- British Overseas Airways Corporation
- South Pacific Airlines
The only military use of the Solent was evaluation at the United Kingdom Marine Aircraft Experimental Establishment.
[edit] Specifications (Solent 2)
Data from British Aircraft Directory entry 26 January 2007; Barnes and James[3]
General characteristics
- Crew: 7
- Capacity: 34 passengers
- Length: 87 ft 8 in (26.7 m)
- Wingspan: 112 ft 9 in (34.3 m)
- Height: ()
- Wing area: 1,487 ft² (138.1 m²)
- Empty weight: 47,760 lb (21.670 kg)
- Loaded weight: 78,000 lb (35,400 kg)
- Powerplant: 4× Bristol Hercules 637 radial piston, 1,690 hp () each
Performance
- Maximum speed: 273 mph (440 km/h)
- Range: 1,800 miles (2,900 km)
[edit] See also
[edit] References
- ^ Solent at the Oakland Aviation Museum, Oakland, California
- ^ Barnes and James, pp. 407-409
- ^ Barnes and James, p. 412
- Barnes C.H. & James D.N. Shorts Aircraft since 1900. London (1989): Putnam, 560. ISBN 0-85177-819-4.
[edit] External links
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