Short Belfast
| Short Belfast | |
|---|---|
 Short Belfast, 1979 |
|
| Type: | Transport plane |
| Design country: | |
| Manufacturer: | |
| First flight: |
5th January 1964 |
| Commissioning: |
1966 |
| Number of pieces: |
10 |
The Short SC.5 Belfast is one of four propeller turbines driven transport aircraft of the British manufacturer Short Brothers & Harland Ltd . The ten machines built were initially used as Belfast C.1 for the Royal Air Force . Some of them were then used as civil cargo planes.
history
The Short Belfast was created at the request of the Royal Air Force for a transport aircraft with which 200 soldiers or heavy equipment can be transported over long distances. Short started development in 1959. The first flight took place on January 5, 1964, the commissioning with the RAF took place in 1966. At that time it was the largest aircraft in the British armed forces. Due to budget problems of the government, only 10 of the planned 30 units could be purchased.
construction
The Belfast is a shoulder- wing designed all-metal aircraft in half-shell construction . Four Rolls-Royce Tyne RTy.12 propeller turbines, each with an output of 4275 kW, serve as the drive . The four-blade propellers made of aluminum have a diameter of 4.90 m. The rear loading door was provided with a loading ramp. The retractable landing gear consists of a two-wheeled front landing gear leg and a two-part main landing gear with eight wheels each.
use
150 fully equipped soldiers, a medium battle tank or two helicopters could be accommodated in the hold. With a takeoff weight of over 100 tons, the Belfast is one of the most powerful propeller-driven transport aircraft.
The only RAF squadron was the 53rd Squadron at RAF Fairford and RAF Brize Norton , which operated Belfast from 1966 to 1976. As early as 1976, the aircraft were decommissioned as part of a restructuring measure , five of which were sold to Transmeridian Air Cargo / Heavy Lift . The rest were scrapped. The RAF rented Belfasts for the Falklands War in 1982 and the Second Gulf War in 1991/92 .
Technical specifications
| Parameter | Data |
|---|---|
| crew | 2 pilots, 1 flight engineer, 1 navigator, 1 loadmaster |
| length | 41.58 m |
| span | 48.41 m |
| height | 14.33 m |
| Wing area | 229.1 m² |
| Wing extension | 10.2 |
| payload | 34,000 kg |
| Empty mass | 59,000 kg |
| Takeoff mass | 104,325 kg |
| Cruising speed | 510 km / h |
| Top speed | 566 km / h |
| Service ceiling | 9,150 m |
| Range | Max. 8,530 km, 6,200 km with a 10,000 kg payload |
| Engines | four Rolls-Royce Tyne RTy 12 propeller turbines, each with 4,275 kW (approx. 5,810 hp) |
Received aircraft
A Belfast was in use for the Australian airline HeavyLift Cargo Airlines until around 2009 , but has since been parked at Cairns Airport (Australia) and is allegedly for sale.
A second aircraft with the serial number XR371 has been in front of the Royal Air Force Museum in Cosford since 1978 .
Comparable aircraft types
See also
Web links
- British Aircraft Directory (English) ( Memento of 30 September 2007 at the Internet Archive )
- airliners.net (English)