1. Design

2. Operational history

3. Operators
    Civilian operators  Military operators 

4. Specifications (Sealand I)

5. See also

6. References
    Notes  Bibliography 

7. External links

The Short SA.6 Sealand was a light, commercial Amphibious aircraft for 5–7 passengers, designed for the general overseas market in territories with suitable water access and/or runways. It could take off from and land on rivers, lakes and sheltered bays or prepared runways. It was flown by either a single pilot or a pilot and navigator and saw service with the Indian Navy and in many other parts of the world, including Borneo, East Bengal, Norway and Venezuela.

Two variants were produced, the SA.6 Sealand I and the SB.7 Sealand III, an extended version with longer wings, a deeper rudder and a strengthened hull.

The SB.2 Sealand II was planned as a second prototype but was never completed as such, becoming the first of the batch of 4 pre-production aircraft G-AKLM to G-AKLP.^[1]

Design

The Sealand was a high wing cantilever monoplane of all-metal construction with a flying boat hull and both underwing floats and a standard tail-wheel undercarriage; the two main wheels retracted into recesses in the hull below the wings, while the tailwheel retracted behind the hull's planing bottom.

Orthographic drawings (of not very high quality) of the Sealand can be seen online here.^[2]

Operational history

The prototype Sealand was launched on 19 January 1948 and flew 3 days later from the waters of Belfast Lough, piloted by Shorts' Chief Test Pilot, Harold Piper. Four pre-production aircraft were built, the first of which was retained by Shorts for demonstration purposes (eventually crashing in fog while on a sales tour of Norway, killing both the pilot and the sales representative). The other three were eventually sold to overseas operators in Norway and Borneo. A further ten Sealands were built and sold to a variety of small operators, including one (G-AKLW, later SU-AHY) equipped as an "air yacht" with luxurious fittings for a private client in Egypt and given the name Nadia.^[3]

The Indian Navy ordered 10 Sealands in 1952 to an enhanced specification, which included dual controls, increased fuel capacity and uprated engines. All ten aircraft were delivered between January and October, 1953. The last Indian Navy Sealand was taken out of service 12 years later; one aircraft is on display at the Indian Naval Aviation Museum.^[4]

A second Sealand exists at the Air Museum in Belgrade,^[5] which is claimed to have been registered originally as G-AKLF. This registration was not, however, assigned to a Sealand; this aircraft is also said to have borne the local registration YU-CFK, which indicates that it was in fact the aircraft with the Shorts manufacturing number SH.1567, i.e. G-AKLS.^[3]

A third, G-AKLW (originally bought by the wealthy Egyptian client mentioned above) is under rebuild (2008) at the Ulster Folk and Transport Museum at Cultra, Holywood, Northern Ireland.^[6]

Shorts retained the first prototype (G-AIVX) for company use, often using it without the wing-floats and struts to increase its payload.^[7] It was finally scrapped it when its Certificate of Airworthiness expired in April 1955.

Operators

Civilian operators

{{NOR}}

• Vestlandske Luftfartsselskap (VLS) – two aircraft modified as Srs 1M seaplanes with landing gear removed.

{{PAK}}

• East Bengal Transport Commission

{{SWE}}

• Aero Nord Sweden

{{UK}}

• Shell Oil
• Short Brothers

{{USA}}

• Christian & Missionary Alliance

{{YUG}}

• JAT

Military operators

{{IND}}

• Indian Navy – ten Series 1L aircraft with Gipsy Queen 70-4 engines and dual controls, all delivered in 1953.

{{SAU}}

• Royal Saudi Air Force – one aircraft donated to the RSAF for search and rescue duties.

{{YUG}}

• Yugoslav Air Force – two Series 1F aircraft transferred from JAT.

Specifications (Sealand I)

|genhide=
|crew=1 or 2
|capacity=5–7 passengers
|length m=
|length ft=42
|length in=2
|span m=
|span ft=59
|span in=0
|span note=^[8]
|height m=
|height ft=15
|height in=0
|height note=^[9]
|wing area sqm=
|wing area sqft=353
|wing area note=^[10]
|empty weight kg=
|empty weight lb=7007
|gross weight kg=
|gross weight lb=9100
|fuel capacity=

|eng1 number=2
|eng1 name=de Havilland Gipsy Queen 70-3
|eng1 type=inverted inline air cooled piston
|eng1 kw=
|eng1 hp=340|eng1 shp=
|prop blade number=
|prop name=
|prop dia m=
|prop dia ft=
|prop dia in=

|perfhide=
|max speed kmh=
|max speed mph=187
|max speed kts=
|max speed mach=
|cruise speed kmh=
|cruise speed mph=175
|cruise speed note=^[9]
|range km=
|range miles=660
|range note=^[9]
|endurance=3.5 hr
|ceiling m=
|ceiling ft=20600
|ceiling note=^[9]
|climb rate ms=
|climb rate ftmin=880
|climb rate note=^[9]
|more performance=
|avionics=
}}

See also

• List of seaplanes and amphibious aircraft

References

Notes

Bibliography

• {{cite book|last =Barnes|first =C.H.|author2=James, Derek N. |title =Shorts Aircraft since 1900| publisher =Putnam| year =1989| location =London| id = }}
• {{cite book |title=British Civil Aircraft 1919–1972:Volume III |last=Jackson |first= A.J.|authorlink= |year= 1988|publisher= Putnam|location=London |isbn= 0-85177-818-6}}
• {{cite web | last = Marinkovic| first = V.| authorlink = | title =Short S.A.6 Sealand| work = | publisher =V.Marinkovic | url =http://www.pbase.com/vmarinkovic/image/24084364 | format = | doi = | accessdate = 2007-01-29}}

External links

• Paulo Lopes
• Paulo Lopes de Faria
• Paulo Lopes (footballer)
• Paulo Lourenco Martins Alves
• Paul Olsen Løkke
• Paul Olum
• Paul O. Løkke
• Paulo "Macamito" Macamo
• Paulo Machado de Carvalho Filho
• Paulo Magalhães
• Paulo Maldini
• Paulo Marcos de Jesus Ribeiro
• Paulo Marques Musse
• Paulo Massaro
• Paulo mendes da rocha
• Paul Omeruo
• Paulo miguel campos de sousa
• Paulo Miki
• Paulo Modesto da Silva Júnior
• Paulo Moura
• Paul Omu
• Paul O. Mueller
• Paul O. Muller
• Paulo Murinello
• Paulo Musse