aviation

a large galley with sleeping quarters for six
below this area.
The UK government considered the
Shorts entry as the best offering and
announced its choice in January 1959. In
1960, an order was placed for ten for RAF
Transport Command (which became Air
Support Command in 1967), to be known as

the Belfast C.1. Shorts needed orders for just

30 to break even on the project and hoped to

attract civil sales.

MAIDEN FLIGHT

Construction of the Belfast began in late 1961

and the prototype Shorts SC.5 Belfast XR362

made its maiden  ight on January 5, 1964.

Chief test pilot Denis Tayler and his crew of

six took off from Shorts’ air eld at Sydenham

(now Belfast City Airport) and landed at

Aldergrove (now Belfast International Airport).

XR363, the second Belfast, made its  rst

 ight on May 1 that same year, joining XR362

on the 850-hour  ight test programme. Aircraft

XR362 was registered as G-ASKE and

http://www.aviation-news.co.uk 43

Belfast G-BEPS in its HeavyLift

livery. This aircraft served with the

RAF as XR368 before joining the

civilian operator’s  eet in 1980. All

Key Collection unless stated

Belfast XR395 demonstrating its

ability to carry large military loads

to support the UK’s armed forces.