Short 330

Short 330

Picture - A Short 330 of Mississippi Valley Airlines at Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport in 1985

Role: Transport airplane
Manufacturer: Short Brothers
First flight: 22 August 1974
Introduced: 1976
Primary users: Air Cargo Carriers Corporate Air
Produced: 1974-1992
Number built: 330-100: 68 330-200: 57
Developed from: Short Skyvan
Variants: Short 360 C-23A Sherpa

The Short 330 (also SD3-30) is a small transport aircraft produced by Short Brothers. It seats up to 30 people and was relatively inexpensive and had low maintenance costs at the time of its introduction in 1976. The 330 was based on the SC.7 Skyvan.

Development

The Short 330 was developed by Short Brothers of Belfast from Short's earlier Short Skyvan STOL utility transport. The 330 had a longer wingspan and fuselage than the Skyvan, while retaining the Skyvan's square shaped fuselage cross section, allowing it to carry up to 30 passengers while retaining good short field characteristics. The first prototype of the 330 flew on 22 August 1974.

While Shorts concentrated on production airliners, the design also spawned two freight versions. The first of these, the Short 330-UTT (standing for Utility Tactical Transport) was a military transport version fitted with a strengthened cabin floor, and paratroop doors, which was sold in small numbers, primarily to Thailand, who purchased four. The Short Sherpa was a freighter fitted with a full width rear cargo door/ramp. This version first flew on 23 December 1982 , with the first order, for 18 aircraft, being placed by the United States Air Force in March 1983, for the European Distribution System Aircraft (EDSA) role, to fly spare parts between USAF bases within Europe.

Operational history

Picture - Short 330 of Henson Airlines at Baltimore-Washington International Airport on 11 September 1983

The basic Short 330 was a passenger aircraft intended as a short-range regional and commuter airliner, and had been designed to take advantage of US regulations which allowed commuter airlines to use aircraft carrying up to 30 passengers, thereby replacing smaller commuter airliners such as the Beech 99 and the Twin Otter. The Short 330 entered service with Time Air (a Canadian Airline) in 1976. Despite its somewhat portly looks (one regional airline affectionately dubbed it the "Shed" ), it soon proved to be an inexpensive and reliable 30-seat airliner.

The 330 was somewhat slower than most of its pressurised competition, but it built up a reputation as a comfortable, quiet and rugged airliner. The quiet running of the Pratt & Whitney PT6A-65R was largely due to an efficient reduction gearbox. The cabin was the result of a collaboration with Boeing engineers who modelled the interior space, fittings and decor after larger airliners. The use of a sturdy structure complete with the traditional Short braced-wing and boxy fuselage configuration also led to an ease of maintenance and serviceability.

Production ended in 1992 with a total of approximately 136 being built (including freighter and military versions). As of 1998, approximately 35 were still in service. The 330's design was refined and heavily modified, resulting in the Short 360.

Variants

330-100 was the original production model with Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-45A and -45B turboprop engines.
330-200 included minor improvements and more powerful PT6A-45R engine.
330-UTT was the Utility Tactical Transport version of the 330-200, with a strengthened cabin floor and inward-opening paratroop doors.
Sherpa was a freighter version of the 330-200 with a full width rear cargo ramp.
C-23 Sherpa A, and B variants are military configured Short Sherpas.

Operators

Civilian operators

A total of 24 Short 330 aircraft (all variants) were in airline service as of August 2008, with Air Cargo Carriers (13), Corporate Air (3), Arctic Circle Air Service (2), Deraya Air Taxi (2), Mountain Air Cargo (2), Freedom Air (1), and McNeely Charter Service (1).

Military Operators

Tanzania

Tanzanian Air Force (former UAEAF 330-UTT)

Thailand

Royal Thai Army (Short 330-UTT)
Royal Thai Border Police (Short 330-UTT)

United Arab Emirates

United Arab Emirates Air Force (Short 330-UTT)

United States

United States Air Force (C-23)
United States Army (C-23)

Venezuela

Venezuelan Air Force (Short 330)

Specifications (330-200)

Data from Jane's All the World's Aircraft, 1988-1989

General characteristics

Crew: Three (Two pilots plus one cabin crew)
Capacity: 30 passengers
Length: 58 ft 0½ in (17.69 m)
Wingspan: 74 ft 8 in (22.76 m)
Height: 16 ft 3 in (4.95 m)
Wing area: 453 ft² (42.1 m²)
Airfoil: NACA 63A series (modified)
Empty weight: 14,727 lb (6,680 kg)
Max takeoff weight: 22,900 lb (10,387 kg)
Powerplant: 2x— Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-45-R turboprop, 1,198 hp (893 kW) each

Performance

Cruise speed: 218 mph (190 knots, 352 km/h) max cruise at 10,000 ft (3,050 m)
Stall speed: 85 mph (73 knots, 136 km/h) (flaps and landing gear down)
Range: 1,053 mi (915 nmi 1,695 km) (no reserves, passenger version, 1,966 kg payload)
Service ceiling: 21,000 ft (6,400 m)
Rate of climb: 1,180 ft/min (6 m/s)
Wing loading: 50.6 lb/ft² (247 kg/m²)
Power/mass: 0.052 hp/lb (0.17 kW/kg)

Related development

Short Skyvan
Short 360
C-23 Sherpa

Bibliography

Barnes C.H. and James Derek N. Shorts Aircraft since 1900. London: Putnam, 1989. ISBN 0-85177-819-4.
Donald, David, ed. The Encyclopedia of Civil Aircraft. London: Aurum, 1999. ISBN 1-85410-642-2.
Frawley, Gerard. The International Directory of Civil Aircraft, 2003/2004. London: Aerospace Publications Pty Ltd., 2003. ISBN 1-875671-58-7.
Smith, P.R. Shorts 330 and 360 (Air Portfolios 2) London: Jane's Publishing Company Limited, 1986. ISBN 0-7106-0425-4.
Taylor, John W.R., ed. Jane's All the World's Aircraft, 1988-1989. London: Jane's Information Group, 1988. ISBN 0-7106-0867-5.

Short 330 Pictures

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Source: WikiPedia