Short Scylla

infobox Aircraft
name = L.17 Scylla
type = Biplane Airliner
manufacturer = Short Brothers


caption =
designer =
first flight = 26 March 1934
introduced =
retired = 1940
status =
primary user = Imperial Airways
more users =
produced = Rochester
number built = 2
unit cost =
developed from=Short Kent
variants with their own articles =

The Short L.17 Scylla was a British 4-engined 39-seat biplane luxury airliner designed and built by Short Brothers 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.

Design and development

The Scylla was a land-based development of the Short Kent (S.17) flying boat, essentially using the Kent's aerostructure above a redesigned fuselage. [Cassidy, p. 22 ] It was a large, all-metal biplane (wingspan of 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 www.century-of-flight.com] 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. [Cassidy, p. 31]

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 [Cassidy, p. 22] , 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.

Operators

;flag|United Kingdom
*Imperial Airways

pecifications

aircraft specifications
plane or copter?=plane
jet or prop?=prop
ref=Fact|date=August 2008
crew=4
capacity=39
payload main=
payload alt=
length main= 83 ft 10 in ft
length alt=
span main= 113 ft
span alt= 34.44 m
height main=
height alt=
area main= 2,640 ft²
area alt=
airfoil=
empty weight main=
empty weight alt=
loaded weight main= 32,000 lb
loaded weight alt=
useful load main=
useful load alt=
max takeoff weight main=
max takeoff weight alt=
more general=
engine (prop)= Bristol Jupiter XFBM
type of prop= air-cooled radial
number of props= 4
power main= 555 hp
power alt= 414 kW
power original=
max speed main= 103 mph
max speed alt=
cruise speed main=
cruise speed alt=
stall speed main=
stall speed alt=
never exceed speed main=
never exceed speed alt=
range main=
range alt=
ceiling main=
ceiling alt=
climb rate main=
climb rate alt=
loading main=
loading alt=
thrust/weight=
power/mass main=
power/mass alt=
more performance=
armament=
avionics=

The two L.17 aircraft, G-AJCC "Scylla" and G-AJCK "Syrinx", had at different times three different engine configurations between them:
# Four Bristol Jupiter XFBM one-row radial poppet valve piston engines of 595 hp (444 kW) each
# Two Bristol Jupiter XFBM radial poppet valve radial piston engines of 595 hp (444 kW) (outer pair) and two Bristol Perseus IIL sleeve valve radial piston engines of 540 hp (400 kW) each (inner pair)
# Four Bristol Pegasus XC radial poppet valve piston engines of 660 hp (492 kW) each

ee also

aircontent
related=
*Short Kent
similar aircraft=
lists=
see also=

Notes

References

* cite web
last=Cassidy
first=Brian
authorlink =
coauthors =
title =Flying Empires: Short ‘C’ class Empire flying boats
work =
publisher =Queens Parade Press
date =2004
url =http://www.users.waitrose.com/~mbcass/Flying%20Empires.pdf
format =
doi =
accessdate = 2007-01-15

* cite web
last =
first=
authorlink =
coauthors =
title =Century-of-Flight.net: Short Scylla
work =
publisher =
date =
url =http://www.century-of-flight.net/Aviation%20history/coming%20of%20age/imperial/short%20L17%20scylla.htm
format =
doi =
accessdate = 2007-01-18

* cite web
last =
first=
authorlink =
coauthors =
title =Short L17 Scylla
work =
publisher =Imperial Airways project
date =
url =http://www.imperial-airways.com/Short_l17_scylla.html
format =
doi =
accessdate = 2007-01-24