S
horts enjoyed some success with
the Skyvan and, after overcoming
its initial powerplant changes, the
type sold steadily and proved to
be very reliable. However, the company
soon realised that it was better suited to
ying conditions in less developed areas
of the world, and that a similar, but re ned
and capacious aircraft would have a greater
attraction to airlines providing feeder
services in sophisticated markets. Thus,
while the Skyvan was still in production,
the company began looking into a follow-on
design with 30 seats, with a special eye onthe US ‘commuter-carrier’ airlines. In order
to quickly produce an aircraft that could
be sold in the US for under $1m, Short
Brothers (Shorts) decided to utilise as many
components of the Skyvan as possible,
but rst a major regulatory problem had
to be overcome. The US Civil Aeronautics
Board (CAB) had set a limitation on the
size of aircraft that could be used on feeder
services, restricting the gross take-off weight
to12,500lb (5,670kg), effectively restricting
the payload to 19 or 20 passengers. The
smaller airlines had been campaigning
for an increase for some time, and whenShorts took its 30-seater design to the CAB,
con rming that they were ready to put it into
production, the authorities nally relented.
In July 1972 the CAB introduced revised
regulations permitting the use of 30-seat
aircraft on commuter services.
Aided by a government grant towards
the development costs, design work was
nalised in the early part of 1973, and the
official go-ahead for the aircraft, which was
initially designated as the SD3-30, was given
on May 23.
The wing panels were based on those
used on the Skyvan, but with an extendedSHORTS 330 & 360
THE FLYING ‘SHEDS’
The success of the ungainly, but capable, Skyvan led Short
Brothers to come up with a replacement. Charles Woodley
tells the story of the Shorts 330/360 family of regional airliners.
20 Aviation News incorporating Jets March 201720-24_shortsDC.mfDCDC.mf.indd 20 03/02/2017 15: