Short Solent

infobox Aircraft
name = S.45A Solent
type = passenger flying boat
manufacturer = Short Brothers and Harland



caption = The Aquila Airways Solent 3, G-AKNU, "Sydney " taking-off from Funchal
designer =
first flight = 11 November 1946
introduced =
retired =
status =
primary user = BOAC
more users = TEAL
produced =
number built = 16 (and 7 converted S.45 Seafords)
unit cost =
developed from = Short Seaford
variants with their own articles =

The Short Solent was a passenger flying boat produced by Short Brothers in the late 1940s. It was developed from the Short Seaford (Short Sunderland Mark IV) military flying boat design, which was too late to serve in World War II.

The first Solent flew in 1946. New Solents were used by BOAC and TEAL, production ending in 1949. Second-hand aircraft were operated briefly by a number of small airlines such as Aquila Airways.

History

sleeve-valve radial piston engines. The Solent 2 introduced by BOAC could carry 34 passengers and 7 crew, the final TEAL aircraft could carry 45 passengers. Both provided a great deal of space and luxury compared with contemporary or modern land-based aircraft.

One Solent, a Mk IV formerly used by TEAL on the Coral Route, connecting South Pacific Islands to New Zealand has been fully restored and preserved at the Museum of Transport and Technology in Auckland. This is often said to be the only survivor of the type but an ex-BOAC Solent 3, later owned by Howard Hughes, has been rescued and is in the United States at Oakland Aviation Museum in Oakland, California. [ [http://www.oaklandaviationmuseum.org/museum/solent/solent.html Solent at the Oakland Aviation Museum, Oakland, California] ] ; it is this Solent which appears briefly (and anachronistically) in the film Raiders of the Lost Ark.

Variants

* Solent 2: civilian version of the "S.45 Seaford"
* Solent 3: converted "S.45 Seaford"
* Solent 4: powered by Bristol Hercules 733

Production

Reference: [Barnes and James, pp. 407-409]
* Solent 2 : 12 aircraft (Rochester)
* Solent 3 : 7 aircraft (6 at Queen's Island, Belfast, 1 at Hamble)
* Solent 4 : 4 aircraft (Belfast)

Operators

; AUS
* Trans-Oceanic Airways; NZL
* Tasman Empire Airways Limited (TEAL); UK
* Aquila Airways
* British Overseas Airways Corporation; USA
* South Pacific Airlines

The only military use of the Solent was evaluation at the United Kingdom Marine Aircraft Experimental Establishment.

pecifications (Solent 2)

aircraft specifications

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

ref= [http://www.britishaircraft.co.uk/aircraftpage.php?ID=378 British Aircraft Directory entry] 26 January 2007; Barnes and James [Barnes and James, p. 412]

crew=7
capacity=34 passengers
payload main=
payload alt=
length main= 87 ft 8 in
length alt= 26.7 m
span main=112 ft 9 in
span alt= 34.3 m
height main=
height alt=
area main= 1,487 ft²
area alt= 138.1 m²
airfoil=
empty weight main= 47,760 lb
empty weight alt= 21.670 kg
loaded weight main= 78,000 lb
loaded weight alt= 35,400 kg
useful load main=
useful load alt=
max takeoff weight main=
max takeoff weight alt=
more general=

engine (jet)=
type of jet=
number of jets=
thrust main=
thrust alt=
thrust original=
afterburning thrust main=
afterburning thrust alt=
engine (prop)= Bristol Hercules 637
type of prop=radial piston
number of props=4
power main= 1,690 hp
power alt=
power original=

max speed main= 273 mph
max speed alt= 440 km/h
cruise speed main=
cruise speed alt=
stall speed main=
stall speed alt=
never exceed speed main=
never exceed speed alt=
range main= 1,800 miles
range alt= 2,900 km
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=

ee also

aircontent
related=
similar aircraft=
see also=
lists=

References

* cite book
last = Barnes C.H. & James D.N
first =
authorlink =
coauthors =
title =Shorts Aircraft since 1900
publisher =Putnam
date =
location =London (1989)
pages =560
url =
doi =
id = ISBN 0-85177-819-4

External links

* [http://www.teal.co.nz/teal/default.htm Tasman Empire Airways Limited]
* [http://www.britishaircraft.co.uk/aircraftpage.php?ID=378 British Aircraft Directory]
* [http://www.century-of-flight.net/Aviation%20history/coming%20of%20age/flying%20boats/Short%20Solent.htm Century of Flight]