Britten Sheriff

__NOTOC__ Infobox Aircraft
name=Sheriff


caption=
type=Civil utility aircraft
manufacturer=Aircraft Designs
designer=John Britten
first flight=
introduced=
retired=
status=Abandoned project
primary user=
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produced=
number built=1 (incomplete)
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The Britten Sheriff was a light twin-engine aircraft developed in the United Kingdom in the 1970s.

Development

Aircraft engineer John Britten, who had been instrumental in founding Britten-Norman, left that company in February 1976. [ [http://www.britten-norman.com/links/about.htm Britten-Norman website] ] . After that, he began development of an economical four-place light twin aircraft, the Sheriff. It was a low-wing cantilever monoplane with twin tails and a tractor engine in a nacelle on each wing. Of all-metal construction (with a fiberglass nose section on the fuselage), it was fitted with fixed tricycle undercarriage and accommodated the pilot and three passengers under a bubble canopy.

Britten planned two versions of the aircraft, a two-place trainer and a four-place touring aircraft. Target price of the trainer was ₤25,000 and of the touring version was ₤29,000. By comparison, at that time the price of the Piper Seneca was around £58,000, so Britten's plan was daring.

Britten died in 1977, and work on the prototype aircraft, partly completed, came to a halt. The prototype (registered "G-FRJB") was never completed and as of 2007 is preserved and under restoration at Nottingham East Midlands Airport.

pecifications (as designed)

aerospecs
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crew=One pilot
capacity=3 passengers
length m=6.99
length ft=22
length in=11
span m=10.06
span ft=33
span in=0
swept m=
swept ft=
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rot dia m=
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width m=
width ft=
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height m=
height ft=
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wing area sqm=13.9
wing area sqft=150
swept area sqm=
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volume m3=
volume ft3=
aspect ratio=
empty weight kg=810
empty weight lb=1,785
gross weight kg=1,270
gross weight lb=2,800
lift kg=
lift lb=

eng1 number=2
eng1 type=Lycoming O-320-H horizontally-opposed four-cylinder piston engine
eng1 kw= 119
eng1 hp= 160
eng1 kn=
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max speed kmh=260
max speed mph=160
max speed mach=
cruise speed kmh=
cruise speed mph=
range km=1,000
range miles=620
endurance h=
endurance min=
ceiling m=
ceiling ft=
glide ratio=
climb rate ms=6.8
climb rate ftmin=1,330
sink rate ms=
sink rate ftmin=

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After Britten's death, the unfinished aircraft was kindly donated by the A.R.A.Aviation, Sandown Airport, Isle of Wight.The aircraft was transported free of charge by Sealink Ferries, and for the nominal charge by B.F.I Transport, castle Donington, arriving on site 2nd July 1986. The aircraft is now under restoration at East Midlands Aeropark [ [http://www.eastmidlandsaeropark.org/Sheriff.htm "Sheriff" page on East Midlands Aeropark website] ] .

References

ee also

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