The Short SC.7 Skyvan (nicknamed the "Flying Shoebox") is a British 19-seat twin-

turboprop A turboprop is a Gas turbine, gas turbine engine that drives an aircraft Propeller (aeronautics), propeller. A turboprop consists of an intake, reduction drive, reduction gearbox, gas compressor, compressor, combustor, turbine, and a propellin ...

aircraft first flown in 1963, that was manufactured 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 ...

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 ...

Northern Ireland Northern Ireland ( ; ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, part of the United Kingdom in the north-east of the island of Ireland. It has been #Descriptions, variously described as a country, province or region. Northern Ireland shares Repub ...

. Featuring a basic rugged design and STOL capabilities, it was used in small numbers by airlines, and also by some smaller air forces. In more recent years the remaining examples were mostly used for short-haul freight and

skydiving Parachuting and skydiving are methods of descending from a high point in an atmosphere to the ground or ocean surface with the aid of gravity, involving the control of speed during the descent using a parachute or multiple parachutes. For hu ...

. The

Short 330 The Short 330 (also SD3-30) is a small turboprop 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 ...

and

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 ...

are

regional airliner A regional airliner, commuter airliner or feeder liner is a small airliner that is designed to fly up to 100 passengers on short-haul flights, usually feeding larger carriers' airline hubs from small markets. This class of airliners is typically ...

s developed from the original SC.7.

Design and development

1958 Events January * January 1 – The European Economic Community (EEC) comes into being. * January 3 – The West Indies Federation is formed. * January 4 ** Edmund Hillary's Commonwealth Trans-Antarctic Expedition completes the thir ...

, Short was approached by F.G. Miles Ltd (successor company to

Miles Aircraft Miles was the name used for aircraft and associated businesses of British engineer Frederick George Miles, who, with his wife – aviator and draughtswoman Maxine Blossom Miles, Maxine "Blossom" Miles (née Forbes-Robertson) – and his brother ...

) which was seeking backing to produce a development of the Hurel-Dubois Miles HDM.106 Caravan design with a high aspect ratio wing similar to that of the

Hurel-Dubois HD.31 The Hurel-Dubois HD.31, HD.32, and HD.34 were a family of civil aircraft produced in France in the 1950s, based on Maurice Hurel's high-aspect ratio wing designs. Design and construction Tests with the Hurel-Dubois HD.10 research aircraft had ...

. Short acquired the design and data gathered from trials of the

Miles Aerovan The Miles M.57 Aerovan was a British twin-engined short-range low-cost transport aircraft designed and produced by Miles Aircraft. It was primarily used for freight and passenger services. Development of the Aerovan started during the latter y ...

based HDM.105 prototype. After evaluating the Miles proposal, Short rejected the Caravan. They developed their own design for a utility all-metal aircraft which was called the Short SC.7 Skyvan. The Skyvan is a twin-engined all-metal, high-wing monoplane, with a braced, high aspect ratio wing, and an unpressurised, square-section

fuselage The fuselage (; from the French language, French ''fuselé'' "spindle-shaped") is an aircraft's main body section. It holds Aircrew, crew, passengers, or cargo. In single-engine aircraft, it will usually contain an Aircraft engine, engine as wel ...

with twin fins and rudders. It was popular with freight operators compared to other small aircraft because of its large rear door for loading and unloading freight. Its fuselage resembles the shape of a railroad

boxcar A boxcar is the North American (Association of American Railroads, AAR) and South Australian Railways term for a Railroad car#Freight cars, railroad car that is enclosed and generally used to carry freight. The boxcar, while not the simpl ...

for simplicity and efficiency. Construction started at Sydenham Airport in 1960, and the first prototype first flew on 17 January 1963, powered by two

Continental Continental may refer to: Places * Continental, Arizona, a small community in Pima County, Arizona, US * Continental, Ohio, a small town in Putnam County, US Arts and entertainment * ''Continental'' (album), an album by Saint Etienne * Continen ...

piston engines. Later in 1963, the prototype was re-engined with the intended Turbomeca Astazou II turboprop engines of ; the second prototype (the first Series 2 Skyvan) was initially fitted with Turbomeca Astazou X turboprop engines of but subsequently the initial production version was powered by Turbomeca Astazou XII turboprop engines of . In 1967, it was found that the Astazou XII was temperature limited at high altitudes. Consequently, in 1968, production switched to the Skyvan Series 3 aircraft, which replaced the Astazou engines with

Garrett AiResearch TPE331 The Honeywell TPE331 (military designation: T76) is a turboprop engine. It was designed in the 1950s by Garrett AiResearch, and produced since 1999 by successor Honeywell Aerospace. The engine's power output ranges from . Design and developme ...

turboprops of . A total of 149 Skyvans (including the two prototypes) were produced before production ended in 1986.

Operational history

Skyvans served widely in both military and civilian operations, and the type remained in service in 2009 with a number of civilian operators, and in military service in Guyana and Oman. Skyvans continue to be used in limited numbers for air-to-air photography and for skydiving operations. In 1970, Questor Surveys of

Toronto Toronto ( , locally pronounced or ) is the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, most populous city in Canada. It is the capital city of the Provinces and territories of Canada, Canadian province of Ontario. With a p ...

Canada converted the first of two Skyvan 3s for aerial geological survey work. The Collier Mosquito Control District uses Skyvans for aerial spraying. NASA operated a single Skyvan at

Wallops Island Flight Facility Wallops Flight Facility (WFF) is a rocket launch site on Wallops Island on the Eastern Shore of Virginia, United States, just east of the Delmarva Peninsula and approximately north-northeast of Norfolk. The facility is operated by the Goddar ...

between 1979 and 1995, which was used to perform aerial recovery of parachute-borne payloads ejected from high-altitude balloons. Skyvan G-BEOL appeared in the film '' Kingsmen: The Secret Service'' as the aircraft trainee kingsmen skydived from.

Variants

;Skyvan 1: prototype, one built. 2 × Continental GTSIO-520 engines. ;Skyvan 1A: re-engined 1st prototype. 2 × 388 kW (520 hp)

Turbomeca Astazou The Turbomeca Astazou is a highly successful series of turboprop and turboshaft engines, first run in 1957. The original version weighed and developed at 40,000 rpm. It was admitted for aviation service on May 29, 1961, after a 150-hour test r ...

II engines. ;Skyvan 2: Turbomeca Astazou powered production. 8 Series 2 produced (including the second prototype). ;:

Garrett TPE331 The Honeywell TPE331 (military designation: T76) is a turboprop engine. It was designed in the 1950s by Garrett AiResearch, and produced since 1999 by successor Honeywell Aerospace. The engine's power output ranges from . Design and developm ...

powered production. 140 produced (of all Series 3 versions) plus 2 Series 2 were converted. ;Skyvan 3A: higher gross weight version (MTOW 6,214 kg, 13,700 lb). ;Skyvan 3M-100, -200, -400: military transport versions with higher gross weights; 3M-200 (MTOW 6,804 kg, 15,000 lb); 3M-400 as per Skyvan 3A. Used for supply dropping, assault transport, dropping paratroops, troop transport, cargo transport, casualty evacuation, plus

search and rescue Search and rescue (SAR) is the search for and provision of aid to people who are in distress or imminent danger. The general field of search and rescue includes many specialty sub-fields, typically determined by the type of terrain the search ...

missions. ;Skyliner 3A-100: deluxe all-passenger version, large cargo door removed, cabin accessed through standard size side door. ;Seavan: Maritime patrol version, single example (serial '915', SH.1942) used by the

Sultan of Oman's Air Force The Royal Air Force of Oman ( or RAFO) is the air arm of the Armed Forces of Oman. History Sultan of Oman's Air Force era The Sultan of Oman's Air Force (SOAF) was formed with British personnel and aircraft in March 1959. The first aircraft w ...

Royal Air Force of Oman The Royal Air Force of Oman ( or RAFO) is the air arm of the Sultan of Oman's Armed Forces, Armed Forces of Oman. History Sultan of Oman's Air Force era The Sultan of Oman's Air Force (SOAF) was formed with United Kingdom, British personnel an ...

(SOAF / RAFO) (conversion from basic 3M-400)

Operators

Civilian operators

Former (airline) operators

* BEA /

British Airways British Airways plc (BA) is the flag carrier of the United Kingdom. It is headquartered in London, England, near its main Airline hub, hub at Heathrow Airport. The airline is the second largest UK-based carrier, based on fleet size and pass ...

(Scottish Division) - operated three 1971-74 *

Busy Bee Busy Bee was an airline which operated in Norway between 1966 and 1992. Entirely based around wet lease, it conducted a mix of regional services for larger airlines and the military, as well as corporate, ''ad hoc'' and inclusive tour charters. ...

/ Air Executive Norway A/S - operated three 1974-84 *

Gulf Aviation Gulf Aviation was a Bahrain-based charter and scheduled airline that evolved into Gulf Air. Its formal incorporation in 1950 was followed by constant change as the Persian Gulf economies developed. The airline operation became a subsidiary compa ...

Gulf Air Gulf Air () is the flag carrier of Bahrain, which was founded in 1950. Headquartered in Muharraq, the airline operates scheduled flights to 51 destinations in 30 countries across Africa, Asia, and Europe. The airline's main hub is at Bahrain I ...

- operated a total of six 1971-1983 *

Loganair Loganair is a Scottish regional airline headquartered at Glasgow Airport in Paisley, Renfrewshire, Scotland. The airline primarily operates domestic flights within the United Kingdom. It is the largest regional airline in Scotland by passenger ...

- operated one 1969-74 *

Olympic Airways Olympic Airlines (, ''Olympiakés Aerogrammés'' – OA), formerly named Olympic Airways, was the flag carrier airline of Greece. The airline's head office was located in Athens. The airline operated services to 37 domestic destinations and ...

- operated two 1970-93 * Papuan Airlines (PNG) - operated two 1968-73 * Wien Consolidated (Alaska) - operated four 1967-74

Current operators

Skyvans still active in 2022–2024 include *Collier Mosquito Control District (FL): N642M, N643M, N644M *Perris Skydive (CA): SH.1859, 1885, 1907, 1911, *Pink Aviation (Austria): SH.1881, 1932, 1964 *Skydive Deland (FL): SH.1842 *Skyforce (Poland): SP-HOP (SH.1906), (sister ship SP-HIP SH.1962 written off 3 Sept 2022), Ayit Aviation (Israel) 4X-AGP / SH.1893, *Win Aviation (USA): Up to nine Skyvans

Military operators

; *

Guyana Defence Force The Guyana Defence Force (GDF) is the military of Guyana, established in 1965. It has military bases across the nation. The Commander-in-Chief of the Defence Force is always the incumbent President of Guyana. The branches include the Army, Air F ...

- Five acquired 1979-81, believed non-operational (2019). Two additional second-hand examples acquired in June, 2019. ; *

: Oman continues to operate five of its original 16 Skyvans as of December 2013.

Former military operators

; *

Argentine Coast Guard The Argentine Naval Prefecture ( or PNA) is a service of Argentina's Security Ministry charged with protecting the country's rivers and maritime territory. It therefore fulfills the functions of other countries' coast guards, and furthermore acts ...

: Bought five in 1971; two written off during

Falklands War The Falklands War () was a ten-week undeclared war between Argentina and the United Kingdom in 1982 over two British Overseas Territories, British dependent territories in the South Atlantic: the Falkland Islands and Falkland Islands Dependenci ...

, remaining three sold in 1995 following replacement by five

CASA C-212 Aviocar The CASA C-212 Aviocar is a turboprop-powered STOL medium cargo aircraft designed and built by Spanish aircraft manufacturer Construcciones Aeronáuticas SA (CASA). It is designed for use by both civil and military operators. The C-212 was ...

s. In 2023 one of these Skyvans returned to Argentina and is on display at ESMA, Buenos Aires as a memorial to those killed in the notorious

Death Flights Death flights () are a form of extrajudicial killing in which victims are dropped to their deaths from airplanes or helicopters and their bodies land in oceans, large rivers or mountains. Death flights have been carried out by governments durin ...

; *

Austrian Air Force The Austrian Air Force () is a component part of the Austrian Armed Forces. Aircraft Current inventory History The Austrian Air Force in its current form was created in May 1955 by the victorious Allies of World War II, Allied powers ...

5S-TA & 5S-TB. 'TA now preserved at Militärluftfahrtmuseum, Zeltweg AB ; *

Botswana Defence Force Air Wing The Botswana Defence Force Air Wing is the air force of the Botswana Defence Force. The Air Arm was formed in 1977 and squadrons are designated with a Z, meaning "squadron". History The Air Wing was formed in 1977 and is part of the Botswana De ...

; *

Ciskei Defence Force The Ciskei Defence Force (CDF) was established during March 1981 from the 141 Battalion of the South African Defence Force (SADF). It was the defence force of Ciskei, a bantustan that was controlled by the apartheid regime of South Africa. The ...

; *

Ecuadorian Army The Ecuadorian Army () is the land component of the Ecuadorian Armed Forces. Its 25,650 active soldiers are deployed in relation to its military doctrine. The contemporary Ecuadorian Army incorporates many jungle and special forces infantry un ...

; * Military of Gambia ; *

Ghana Air Force The Ghana Air Force (GHF) is the aerial warfare organizational military branch of the Ghanaian Armed Forces (GAF). The GHF, along with the Ghana army, Ghanaian army (GA) and Ghana Navy, Ghanaian navy (GN), make up the Ghana Armed Forces, Ghanaia ...

; *

Indonesian Air Force The Indonesian Air Force (, sometimes shortened as IDAF / IdAF) is the Air force, aerial branch of the Indonesian National Armed Forces. The Indonesian Air Force is headquartered in Jakarta, Indonesia, and is headed by the Chief of Staff of th ...

; *

Japan Coast Guard The is the coast guard responsible for the protection of the Geography of Japan#Composition, topography and geography, coastline of Japan under the oversight of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism. It consists of about ...

; * Lesotho Defence Force – Air Squadron ; * Malawi Police Force Air Wing ; *

Mauritania Islamic Air Force The Mauritania Islamic Air Force ( or FAIM, sometimes also Faidem) is the air force of the Armed Forces of Mauritania. It was established in 1960. Like many of the former French colonies, Mauritania received limited economic and military aid from ...

: bought two Skyvan 3Ms in 1975 ; *

Mexican Air Force The Mexican Air Force (FAM; ) is the air service branch of the Mexican Armed Forces. It is a component of the Mexican Army and as such overseen by the National Defense Secretariat (SEDENA). The objective of the FAM is to defend the integrity, in ...

; *

Nepalese Army The Nepali Army (), also referred to as the Gorkhali Army (; see ''Gurkha, Gorkhas''), formally known as "Royal Nepal Army" is the Ground warfare, land Military branch, service branch of the Nepalese Armed Forces, Nepali Armed Forces. After t ...

Nepalese Army Air Service The Nepali Army Air Service () is the army aviation branch of the Nepalese Armed Forces, also known as the Nepal Army Air Wing (formerly Royal Nepalese Air Force). Nepal has no separate air force but the Nepali Army operates several aircraft with ...

; *

Panamanian Public Forces The Panamanian Public Forces () are the national security forces of Panama. Panama is the second country in Latin America (the other being Costa Rica) to abolish its standing army, with Panama retaining a small paramilitary security force. This c ...

; *

Republic of Singapore Air Force The Republic of Singapore Air Force (RSAF) is the aerial service branch of the Singapore Armed Forces (SAF) responsible for controlling and defending the airspace of the country, and providing air support to the Army and Navy. It was establis ...

** 121 Squadron, Republic of Singapore Air Force operated the Skyvan 3M for Utility transport and Search-and-locate duties from 1973 to 1993. ; *

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 ...

**Thai

Border Patrol Police The Border Patrol Police (; (BPP) is a Thai paramilitary police under the jurisdiction of the Royal Thai Police, responsible for border security, counterinsurgency, disaster relief, law enforcement, operating in difficult terrain, and supporting ...

; *

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, ...

* Sharjah Amiri Guard ; *:The Yemen Arab Republic (North Yemen) Air Force operated two Skyvans as of 1984. These aircraft were subsequently absorbed into the Yemen Air Force in 1990 as a result of

Yemeni unification The Yemeni unification () took place on 22 May 1990, when the People's Democratic Republic of Yemen (South Yemen) and the Yemen Arab Republic (North Yemen) united, forming the Republic of Yemen. Background (1918–1990) North Yemen became an ...

Specification (Skyvan 3)

References

Notes

Citations

Bibliography

* * * * * *

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Short SC.7 Skyvan 1960s British cargo aircraft 1960s British airliners Aircraft first flown in 1963 High-wing aircraft Short Brothers aircraft Twin-turboprop tractor aircraft Twin-tail aircraft Aircraft with fixed tricycle landing gear