Shorts 330
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The Short 330 (also SD3-30) is a small turboprop transport aircraft produced by
Short Brothers Short Brothers plc, usually referred to as Shorts or Short, is an aerospace company based in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Shorts was founded in 1908 in London, and was the first company in the world to make production aeroplanes. It was particu ...
. 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. The
C-23 Sherpa The Short C-23 Sherpa is a small military transport aircraft built by Short Brothers. It was designed to operate from unpaved runways and make STOL, short takeoff and landings (STOL). It features a large squared fuselage with a full-width rea ...
was a military version of the 330. Production of the aircraft ended in 1992, after 141 were produced. The
Short 360 The Short 360 (also SD3-60; also Shorts 360)Mondey, David. ''Encyclopedia of the World's Commercial and Private Aircraft''. New York: Crescent Books, 1981. , p. 228. is a commuter aircraft that was built by UK manufacturer Short Brothers durin ...
was a development of the Short 330.


Development

The Short 330 was developed by
Short Brothers Short Brothers plc, usually referred to as Shorts or Short, is an aerospace company based in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Shorts was founded in 1908 in London, and was the first company in the world to make production aeroplanes. It was particu ...
of
Belfast Belfast (, , , ; from ) is the capital city and principal port of Northern Ireland, standing on the banks of the River Lagan and connected to the open sea through Belfast Lough and the North Channel (Great Britain and Ireland), North Channel ...
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.Donald, David, ed. ''The Encyclopedia of World Aircraft''. London: Aerospace Publishing, 1997. . The first prototype of the 330 flew on 22 August 1974.Taylor 1988, p. 304. The Short 330 is unusual in having all of its fuel contained in tanks located directly above the ceiling of the passenger cabin. There are two separate cockpit doors for pilot and co-pilot for access from inside the cabin. While Short concentrated on producing 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,Taylor 1988, p. 306 which was sold in small numbers, primarily to Thailand, which 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 The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Air force, air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its ori ...
(USAF) in March 1983, for the European Distribution System Aircraft (EDSA) role, to fly spare parts between USAF bases within Europe. Subsequently, a further 16 were ordered as C-23B Sherpas.


Operational history

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,Donald 1999, p. 709–714. thereby replacing smaller types such as the Beechcraft Model 99 and the
de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter The de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter is a Canadian STOL (Short Takeoff and Landing) utility aircraft developed by de Havilland Canada in the mid-1960s and still in production today. Built by De Havilland Canada from 1965 to 1988, Viking ...
. The Short 330 entered service with Time Air (a Canadian airline) in
1976 Events January * January 2 – The International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights enters into force. * January 5 – The Pol Pot regime proclaims a new constitution for Democratic Kampuchea. * January 18 – Full diplomatic ...
. 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.Smith 1986, p. 2. The quiet running of the Pratt & Whitney PT6A-45R 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 1992 was designated as International Space Year by the United Nations. Events January * January 1 – Boutros Boutros-Ghali of Egypt replaces Javier Pérez de Cuéllar of Peru as United Nations Secretary-General. * January 6 ** The Republ ...
with a total of 141 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 The Short 360 (also SD3-60; also Shorts 360)Mondey, David. ''Encyclopedia of the World's Commercial and Private Aircraft''. New York: Crescent Books, 1981. , p. 228. is a commuter aircraft that was built by UK manufacturer Short Brothers durin ...
.


Variants

* 330-100 was the original production model with Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-45A and -45B turboprop engines.Frawley 2003, p. 193. * 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 The Short C-23 Sherpa is a small military transport aircraft built by Short Brothers. It was designed to operate from unpaved runways and make STOL, short takeoff and landings (STOL). It features a large squared fuselage with a full-width rea ...
A, and B variants are military configured Short Sherpas. (NB The C-23B+ is a conversion of 28
Short 360 The Short 360 (also SD3-60; also Shorts 360)Mondey, David. ''Encyclopedia of the World's Commercial and Private Aircraft''. New York: Crescent Books, 1981. , p. 228. is a commuter aircraft that was built by UK manufacturer Short Brothers durin ...
airframes.)


Operators


Civilian

The aircraft is popular with air charters, small feeder airlines, and air freight companies. *
Sunstate Airlines Sunstate Airlines is a subsidiary of Qantas which operates regional flights under the QantasLink banner throughout New South Wales, Queensland, Victoria and to Canberra, Australian Capital Territory. Its head office is in Mascot, New South Wal ...
* Atlantic Air BVI *
Air Labrador Labrador Airways Limited, operating as Air Labrador, was a regional airline based at the Goose Bay Airport in Happy Valley-Goose Bay, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. It operated scheduled daily passenger and freight services throughout Labr ...
* Olympic Aviation * Freedom Air * Deraya Air Taxi *
Bangkok Airways Bangkok Airways plc () is a regional airline based in Bangkok, Thailand. It operates scheduled services to destinations in Thailand, Cambodia, China, Hong Kong, Laos, Maldives, and Singapore. Its main base is Suvarnabhumi Airport in the Thai cap ...
* Thai Airways Company *
Thai Airways International Thai Airways International plc () is the flag carrier airline of Thailand. Formed in 1961 as a joint venture between SAS and Thai Airways Company, the airline has its corporate headquarters in Vibhavadi Rangsit Road, Chatuchak district, Bang ...
*
BAC Express Airlines BAC or Bac may refer to: Arts and entertainment Arts centres and arts councils * Balochistan Arts Council, in Quetta, Pakistan * Baryshnikov Arts Center, in Manhattan, New York City * Battersea Arts Centre, London, England * Beirut Art Cent ...
* British Air Ferries *
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*
Emerald Airways Emerald Airways was an airline based in Liverpool, United Kingdom. It operated contract and ad hoc freight services throughout the UK and Europe for postal, newspaper and freight companies and passenger services to Ireland under the brand Fly ...
* Gill Airways *
Titan Airways Titan Airways Limited is a British charter airline based at London Stansted Airport. The carrier specialises in short-notice ACMI (aircraft, crew, maintenance, and insurance) and wet lease operations, as well as ad-hoc passenger and cargo char ...
* Air Cargo Carriers * Airways International * Command Airways * Corporate Air * Crown Airways * Skyway Enterprises *Aeronaves del Centro


Military

; *
United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the Air force, air service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is one of the six United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Tracing its ori ...
(C-23) *
United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the primary Land warfare, land service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is designated as the Army of the United States in the United States Constitution.Article II, section 2, clause 1 of th ...
(C-23) ; *
Philippine Army The Philippine Army (PA) () is the main, oldest and largest branch of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), responsible for ground warfare. , it had an estimated strength of 143,100 soldiers The service branch was established on December ...
(SD3-30)


Former

; * Tanzanian Air Force ; *
Royal Thai Army The Royal Thai Army or RTA (; ) is the army of Thailand and the oldest and largest branch of the Royal Thai Armed Forces. History Origin The Royal Thai Army is responsible for protecting the kingdom's sovereignty. The army was formed in 187 ...
*
Royal Thai Police The Royal Thai Police (RTP) (; ) is the national police force of Thailand. The RTP employs between 210,700 and 230,000 officers, roughly 17 percent of all civil servants (excluding the military and the employees of state-owned enterprises). The R ...
; *
United Arab Emirates Air Force The United Arab Emirates Air Force (UAEAF) () is the air force of the United Arab Emirates (UAE), part of the United Arab Emirates Armed Forces. Its predecessor was established in 1968, when the Emirates were still under British rule. Since then, ...
; *
Venezuelan Air Force Bolivarian Military Aviation of Venezuela (), is a professional armed body designed to defend Venezuela's sovereignty and airspace. It is a service component of the National Bolivarian Armed Forces of Venezuela. Etymology The organization is al ...


Accidents and incidents

, the aircraft type has suffered three fatal accidents in civilian use: * 3 August 1989. An Olympic Aviation Short 330, operating as Olympic Aviation Flight 545, crashed on a hillside in
Samos Samos (, also ; , ) is a Greek island in the eastern Aegean Sea, south of Chios, north of Patmos and the Dodecanese archipelago, and off the coast of western Turkey, from which it is separated by the Mycale Strait. It is also a separate reg ...
island,
Greece Greece, officially the Hellenic Republic, is a country in Southeast Europe. Located on the southern tip of the Balkan peninsula, it shares land borders with Albania to the northwest, North Macedonia and Bulgaria to the north, and Turkey to th ...
, while attempting a landing approach in thick fog. All 3 crew members and 31 passengers were killed. *25 May 2000. A Streamline Aviation Short 330 ''G-SSWN'' was hit by a departing aircraft (F-GHED, an MD-83 of Air Liberte) when it entered an active runway at Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport. The wingtip of the departing plane slashed through the Short's cockpit and killed one of its pilots. *5 May 2017. A Short 330 cargo plane owned by Air Cargo Carriers and operated as Air Cargo Carriers Flight 1260 crashed after suffering a hard landing at Yeager Airport in
Charleston, West Virginia Charleston () is the List of capitals in the United States, capital and List of municipalities in West Virginia, most populous city of the U.S. state of West Virginia. It is the county seat of Kanawha County, West Virginia, Kanawha County and ...
. Early reports stated that the left wing made contact with the surface of the runway and separated from the fuselage, causing the aircraft to cartwheel off the runway and down a heavily wooded hillside. Both pilots died in the crash. In addition to these three accidents, there have been at least sixteen hull-loss occurrences, i.e., non-fatal accidents in which planes were damaged beyond repair.


Aircraft on display

G-BDBS msn SH3001, the production prototype, is on display within the Ulster Aviation Society's Heritage Collection of Shorts aircraft at the former
RAF Long Kesh Royal Air Force Long Kesh, or more simply RAF Long Kesh, is a former Royal Air Force station at Maze, Lisburn, Northern Ireland. Various aircraft operated from the airfield during the Second World War, including the Supermarine Seafire and Spi ...
in
Lisburn Lisburn ( ; ) is a city in Northern Ireland. It is southwest of Belfast city centre, on the River Lagan, which forms the boundary between County Antrim and County Down. First laid out in the 17th century by English and Welsh settlers, with t ...
, Northern Ireland. G-OGIL msn SH3068 is on display at the North East Land, Sea and Air Museum in Sunderland, United Kingdom.


Specifications (330-200)


See also


References


Notes


Bibliography

* Barnes C.H. and James Derek N. ''Shorts Aircraft since 1900''. London: Putnam, 1989. . * Donald, David, ed. ''The Encyclopedia of Civil Aircraft''. London: Aurum, 1999. . * Frawley, Gerard. ''The International Directory of Civil Aircraft, 2003/2004''. London: Aerospace Publications Pty Ltd., 2003. . * Smith, P.R. ''Shorts 330 and 360'' (Air Portfolios 2) London: Jane's Publishing Company Limited, 1986. . * Taylor, John W.R., ed. ''Jane's All the World's Aircraft, 1988–1989''. London: Jane's Information Group, 1988. .


External links


Short 330 page on Airliners.net


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