Short Satellite
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| Satellite | |
|---|---|
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| Type | two-seat monoplane |
| Manufacturer | Short Brothers |
| Maiden flight | 1924 |
| Introduced | 1924 |
| Retired | 1926 |
| Primary user | Short Brothers |
| Number built | 1 |
The Short S.4 Satellite was a British small two-seater sporting monoplane, produced in 1924 to take part in the Air Ministry's Two-Seater Light Aeroplane competition on 27 September of that year.
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[edit] Design
Design began in July, with only weeks available before the competition, so the monocoque fuselage was of conventional design, with wooden box spars; the ribs however were of duralumin, as were the tailplane, elevators, fin and rudder. The cantilever wings had a span of 34 ft (10.3 m) and they, the tail and the fuselage were fabric-covered. The Satellite was fitted initially with an ungeared Bristol Cherub engine, with which it had a top speed of 70 mph (110 km/h) without a passenger.
[edit] History
The aircraft was initially fitted with an ungeared Bristol Cherub engine. At the Air Ministry's Two-Seater Light Aeroplane competition at Lympne in 1924, where the Satellite was flown by the company's Chief Test Pilot J. Lankester Parker.[1] The engine delivered insufficient power to fly with a passenger, so the Satellite, along with 9 of the other 18 entrants, failed to meet the competition's success criteria. It was fitted with a tuned version of the Cherub within the week and on 4 October took part in the Grosvenor Cup race, completing the course and finishing in seventh place. It was later fitted with a geared Cherub II, later still with a ABC Motors Scorpion Mk. II engine, both of which greatly improved its performance. As a result of violent wing flutter experienced at 90 mph (140 km/h), the wingspan was reduced by 2 ft (0.61 m); this solved the problem and no flutter was experienced even at dives of up to 120 mph.[2]
The Satellite was sometimes irreverently referred to as "Parker's Tin Kettle" because he frequently flew the aircraft.[3]
[edit] Specifications
Data from [4]
General characteristics
- Crew: 1
- Capacity: 1
- Length: 23 ft 9 in (7.24 m)
- Wingspan: 34 ft (10.3 m)
- Height: ()
- Wing area: 168 ft² (15.6 m²)
- Empty weight: 640 lb (290 kg)
- Loaded weight: 1,060 lb (481 kg)
- Powerplant: 1× Bristol Cherub, 33 h.p. ()
Performance
- Maximum speed: 72 mph
- Wing loading: lb/ft² (kg/m²)
[edit] Notes
[edit] References
- Barnes C.H. & James D.N. Shorts Aircraft since 1900. London (1989): Putnam, 560. 0-85177-819-4.
- "The Guild of Aircraft Pilots and Navigators of London 1929 - 2004"
- "The Short Satellite" (Autumn 1953). "Shorts Quarterly Review" 2 (3): 24. Short Brothers and Harland Limited.
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