Short Sealand

infobox Aircraft
name = Sealand
type = Amphibious Seaplane
manufacturer = Short Brothers


caption =
designer = C T P Lipscomb
first flight = 22 January 1948
introduced = 31 December 1950
retired =
status =
primary user = Indian Navy
more users = East Bengal Transport Commission
Christian & Missionary Alliance
Shell Oil
Yugoslav Air Force
produced =
number built = 25
unit cost =
variants with their own articles = The Short SA.6 Sealand was a light, commercial amphibian aircraft for 5-7 passengers, designed for the general overseas market in territories with suitable water access and/or runways. It could take off from and land on rivers, lakes and sheltered bays or prepared runways. It was flown by either a single pilot or a pilot and navigator and saw service with the Indian Navy and in many other parts of the world, including Borneo, East Bengal, Norway and Venezuela.

Two variants were produced, the SA.6 Sealand I and the SB.7 Sealand III, an extended version with longer wings, a deeper rudder and a strengthened hull.

The SB.2 Sealand II was planned as a second prototype but was never completed as such, becoming the first of the batch of 4 pre-production aircraft "G-AKLM" to "G-AKLP". [ Barnes & James 1989, p.433.]

Design

The Sealand was a high wing cantilever monoplane of all-metal construction with a flying boat hull and both underwing floats and a standard tail-wheel undercarriage; the two main wheels retracted into recesses in the hull below the wings, while the tailwheel retracted behind the hull's planing bottom.

Orthographic drawings (of not very high quality) of the Sealand can be seen online here. [cite web
last =
first =
authorlink =
coauthors =
title =Short "Sealand"
work =
publisher =Fortunecity
date =
url =http://www.fortunecity.com/marina/manatee/272/sealand.html
format =
doi =
accessdate = 2007-01-30]

Operational history

The prototype Sealand was launched on 19 January 1948 and flew 3 days later from the waters of Belfast Lough, piloted by Shorts' Chief Test Pilot, Harold Piper. Four pre-production aircraft were built, the first of which was retained by Shorts for demonstration purposes (eventually crashing in fog while on a sales tour of Norway, killing both the pilot and the sales representative). The other three were eventually sold to overseas operators in Norway and Borneo. A further ten Sealands were built and sold to a variety of small operators, including one ("G-AKLW", later "SU-AHY") equipped as an "air yacht" with luxurious fittings for a private client in Egypt and given the name "Nadia" [ Barnes & James 1989, p.436.] .

The Indian Navy ordered 10 Sealands in 1952 to an enhanced specification, which included dual controls, increased fuel capacity and uprated engines. All ten aircraft were delivered between January and October, 1953. The last Indian Navy Sealand was taken out of service 12 years later; one aircraft is on display at the Indian National Aviation Museum. [cite web
last =
first =
authorlink =
coauthors =
title =War Birds of India
work =
publisher =Indian Naval Aviation Museum
date =
url =http://www.warbirdsofindia.com/wbgoanam01.html
format =
doi =
accessdate = 2007-01-29]

A second Sealand exists at the Air Museum in Belgrade [Lista Eksponata: Avioni] , which is claimed to have been registered originally as "G-AKLF". This registration was not, however, assigned to a Sealand; this aircraft is also said to have borne the local registration "YU-CFK", which indicates that it was in fact the aircraft with the Shorts manufacturing number SH.1567, i.e. "G-AKLS". [ Barnes & James 1989, p.436.] A picture of this aircraft can be seen here [Marinkovic] . A third, "G-AKLW" (originally bought by the wealthy Egyptian client mentioned above) is on display at the Ulster Folk and Transport Museum at Cultra, Holywood, Northern Ireland. [cite web
last =
first =
authorlink =
coauthors =
title =Air Transport: Short Sealand
work =
publisher =Ulster Folk and Transport Museum
date =
url =http://www.uftm.org.uk/collections_and_research/transport_collections/air_transport/
format =
doi =
accessdate = 2007-01-30]

Shorts retained the first prototype (G-AIVX) for company use, often using it without the wing-floats and struts to increase its payload. [ Barnes & James 1989, p.438.] It was finally scrapped it when its Certificate of Airworthiness expired in April 1955.

Operators

Civilian Operators

;East Bengal
*East Bengal Transport Commission;UK
*Shell Oil
*Short Brothers;USA
*Christian & Missionary Alliance

Military Operators

;IND
*Indian Navy;JOR
*Royal Jordanian Air Force;YUG
*Yugoslav Air Force

pecifications (Sealand I)

aircraft specifications

plane or copter?=plane
jet or prop?=prop

ref=cite web
url=http://www.britishaircraft.co.uk/aircraftpage.php?ID=374
title=British Aircraft Directory: Short Sealand

crew= 1 or 2
capacity= 5-7
payload main=
payload alt=
length main= 42 ft 2 in
length alt= 12.8 m
span main= 59 ft [Sealand III: 61 ft 6 in (18.07 m)]
span alt= 18 m
height main=
height alt=

area main= 353 ft2 [Sealand III: 358 ft2 (33.4 m2) ]
area alt= 32.8 m
airfoil=
empty weight main= 7,007 lb
empty weight alt= 3,192 kg
loaded weight main=
loaded weight alt=
useful load main=
useful load alt=
max takeoff weight main= 9,100 lb
max takeoff weight alt= 4,130 kg
more general=

engine (prop)= de Havilland Gipsy Queen 70
type of prop= inverted inline air cooled piston
number of props= 2
power main= about 350 hp
power alt=254kW
power original=

max speed main= 187 mph
max speed alt= 300 km/h
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=

References

*cite book
last =Barnes
first =C.H.
authorlink =
coauthors =James, Derek N.
title =Shorts Aircraft since 1900
publisher =Putnam
date =1989
location =London
pages =560
url =
doi =
id =

*cite web
last =
first =
authorlink =
coauthors =
title =Short Sealand
work =
publisher =British Aircraft Directory
date =
url =http://www.britishaircraft.co.uk/aircraftpage.php?ID=374
format =
doi =
accessdate = 2007-01-29

*cite web
last = Marinkovic
first = V.
authorlink =
coauthors =
title =Short S.A.6 Sealand
work =
publisher =V.Marinkovic
date =
url =http://www.pbase.com/vmarinkovic/image/24084364
format =
doi =
accessdate = 2007-01-29

*cite web
last =
first =
authorlink =
coauthors =
title =Lista Eksponata: Avioni
work =
publisher =Muzejski Avioni
date =
url =http://www.muzejrv.org/postavka/lista/avioni.htm
format =
doi =
accessdate = 2007-01-30

ee also

aircontent
related=
similar aircraft=
sequence= SB4 Sherpa - Short SB5 - SB6 Seamew - SB7 Sealand III

see also=
lists=