Short S.17 Kent

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Short_Kent

The Short S.17 Kent was a British four-engined 15-seat biplane luxury flying
boat airliner, designed and built by Shorts to meet a requirement from Imperial
Airways for an aircraft with greater range than the Short Calcutta. The new
aircraft was to have sufficient range to fly the stage from Mirabella, Crete, to
Alexandria in Egypt without the need for refuelling stops in Italian colonial
territory due to a political row which had led the Italian Government to ban
British aircraft from its ports.

Three aircraft were built, each receiving its own name: Scipio, Sylvanus and
Satyrus; they were referred to collectively within Imperial Airlines as the
Scipio Class flying boats. Each had an aircrew of three (two pilots and a radio
operator/navigator) and a steward to prepare meals and light refreshments for
the passengers.

The Short Kent flying boat was essentially an enlarged, four-engined version of
the Calcutta, with the same passenger carrying capacity but with an increased
payload for mail and fuel. It was powered by four Bristol Jupiter XFBM radial
engines mounted on vertical struts between the upper and lower planes.

The wings were constructed using corrugated duralumin box spars and tubular rib
assemblies, with a fabric covering and Frise ailerons on the upper and lower
wings. Duralumin walkways were provided to allow ready access to the engines for
maintenance purposes. The tail unit consisted of braced monoplane horizontal and
vertical stabilizers; the tailplane was fitted with Flettner-type servo tabs for
trimming on the Short Scylla which had the same wings and tail as the Kent.

The anodised duralumin fuselage was mounted below the lower wing, with the
planing bottom of the hull made of stainless steel (as on the Singapore II) with
a transverse main step. The use of stainless steel reduced the frequency of land
inspections of the hull. The bimetallic corrosion problems experienced on the
Singapore II hull had been solved; Short Brothers became the first company to
master the technique of building seaplane floats and flying boat hulls in this
combination of metals.

A quick-release hook (controlled by the pilots) was provided, which enabled the
captain to start, warm up and (when required) run all four engines up to full
power for takeoff while the aircraft was still attached to the mooring buoy.

Maximum comfort was required for passengers and crew: the Kent's passenger cabin
was 8 ft 6 in (2.59 m) wide and 14 ft (4.27 m) long. The seating was arranged in
four rows of facing pairs, with a centre aisle, Pullman-style. The steward's
pantry, situated on the port side aft of the passenger cabin, was equipped with
twin-burner oil stoves on which stewards (and the valets of valued passengers)
could cook meals in flight. The toilet and washroom were opposite the pantry;
the mail and freight compartment was further aft.

Special attention was paid to sound levels in the passenger cabin and crew's
stations; accordingly the engines were fitted with exhaust collector rings and
long tailpipes, to reduce exhaust noise inside the hull.

The cockpit, for two pilots, was fully enclosed (unlike that of the Calcutta's)
with a separate Radio Officer's station directly aft of the cockpit.


Role
Biplane flying boat airliner

Manufacturer
Short Brothers

First flight
24 February 1931

Introduction
1931

Retired
1938

Primary user
Imperial Airways

Produced
1930-1931

Number built
3

Developed from
Short Calcutta

Variants
Short Scylla

In October 1930, Short Brothers started building the first of the three S.17
Kent flying boats (G-ABFA, named Scipio). It was launched and flown on 24
February 1931 by Shorts' Chief Test Pilot J. Lankester Parker and was in service
in the Mediterranean in May of that year. The second (G-ABFB, named Sylvanus)
was launched on 31 March 1931; the third Kent (G-ABFC, Satyrus) was launched on
30 April 1931 and flown for the first time on 2 May 1931.

Imperial Airways used the Kent aircraft on the Mediterranean stages of its
routes to India and beyond, also using them to survey planned routes to South
Africa and Australia.

On 22 August 1936 "Scipio", on its way back from India, flipped over and sank in
"Mirabella Harbour" (between the mainland of Crete and the island of Spinalonga)
after landing heavily, killing two passengers. Sylvanus was destroyed by fire at
Brindisi on 9 November 1935. Only Satyrus survived to be taken out of service
and scrapped in June 1938.

In 1933 Imperial Airways placed an order for two landplanes based on the Kent;
known initially as the S.17/L and later as the L.17, these became the Short
Scylla, of which two were built and given the names "Scylla" and "Syrinx".

Specifications

General characteristics
Crew: four
Capacity: 16
Length: 78 ft 5 in (23.91 m)
Wingspan: 113 ft 0 in (34.45 m)
Height: 28 ft 0 in (8.51 m)
Wing area: 2,640 ft² (245 m²)
Empty weight: 20,460 lb (9,300 kg)
Loaded weight: 32,000 lb (14,545 kg)
Powerplant: 4 × Bristol Jupiter XFBM air-cooled radial piston engine, 555 hp
(414 kW) each

Performance
Maximum speed: 137 mph (119 knots, 220 km/h)
Cruise speed: 105 mph (91 knots, 169 km/h)
Range: 450 miles (391 NM, 725 km)
Service ceiling: 17,500 ft (5,340 m)
Rate of climb: 840 ft/min (4.3 m/s)




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