The Short Belfast was a four-engined turboprop-powered freighter aircraft built by aircraft manufacturer Short Brothers in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Ten aircraft were built in total, all operated by the Royal Air Force (RAF), which operated the plane under the designation Short Belfast C.1. Five of the ten aircraft later enjoyed second lives in the civilian cargo arena. Let's have a look at this remarkable aircraft which was ahead of its time.

Design-led by RAF requirements

The Belfast has its origins in studies conducted by the Belfast-based aircraft manufacturer Short Brothers on behalf of a request from the Royal Air Force (RAF). The RAF had enquired into the possibility of pairing four Bristol Orion turboprop engines with a specially designed airframe to transport military vehicles and equipment during the mid-1950s.

Despite the chairman of the company at that time, Sir Matthew Slattery, doubting the practicality or saleability of such aircraft, it was decided to continue these studies as part of the company's management believing that there would likely be an Operational Requirement issued for the Royal Air Force (RAF) seeking such an aircraft in the near future.

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The RAF required a versatile transport aircraft able to operate worldwide. Photo: USAF via Wikimedia Commons 

In light of the chairman's doubts, the design team focussed on the use of as many components and systems from the already-existing Bristol Britannia transport aircraft as would be reasonably possible. Adopting such measures was considered both logical and practical to reduce development time and cost while improving reliability.

Larger than usual fuselage

In March 1957, Short Brothers submitted the first design of its proposed large transport aircraft, designated as the Britannic. Despite the pursuit of commonality, the Britannic differed significantly from the Britannia in terms of the high-mounting of its wings; the wing design themselves, the tail unit, engines, and significant portions of the landing gear. Various other systems, however, were common to both types.

The new circular cross-section fuselage design was particularly large for the era. The design could accommodate bulky loads up to 12 feet wide and allow troops to be carried across two separate decks.

In 1957, it became clear that there was a definite need within the RAF for a heavy freighter, and the issuing of an Operational Requirement followed, seeking the availability of a freighter capable of carrying a wide range of military payloads over long ranges.

The commissioned aircraft would be operated by RAF Transport Command, capable of carrying artillery, more than 200 troops, helicopters, and guided missiles. In particular, the RAF required an increased payload/range demand of 30,000 lbs being carried over a distance of 3,600 nautical miles, significantly higher than the RAF's existing transport fleet.

Short proceeded to develop their original proposal for the Britannic to meet the RAF's revised requirements. As the design of the proposed aircraft was repeatedly revised, it was progressively becoming less common to the earlier Britannia, incorporating a more significant proportion of all-new components, sections, and systems instead.

Amongst the changes made was a new center section to the wing, along with the adoption of the Rolls-Royce Tyne engine. In January 1959, the RAF announced its selection of the Short design to meet the requirement. Accordingly, in February 1959, work on the Short's project formally commenced and on December 21st, 1960, a contract for a total of 10 freighters, now designated as the Belfast C.1, was signed.

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The RAF eventually ordered ten Belfasts. Photo: Airliners.net via Wikimedia Commons

Ground-breaking design

The cargo deck of the Belfast was 84ft (26m) in length in a circular-section pressurized fuselage over 16 feet (4.9m) in diameter and was reached through a 'beaver tail' with rear loading doors and an integral ramp. It was large enough that forklift trucks could work within the cargo hold.

The main undercarriage was two 8-wheel bogies and a 2-wheel nose pairing. The Belfast was capable of a maximum takeoff weight (MTOW) of over 220,500 lb (100 tonnes). This was less than the contemporaneous 250-tonne Antonov An-22 and the 128-tonne Douglas C-133 Cargomaster, although was greater than the RAFs existing Lockheed C-130 Hercules.

The Belfast could carry 150 troops with full equipment or various vehicles, such as -

  • A single Chieftain tank;
  • Up to three armored cars;
  • A pair of Westland Wessex helicopters;
  • Four Westland Whirlwind helicopters; or
  • Up to six Westland Wasp or Westland Scout helicopters.
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The RAF utilized its Belfasts in a number of transport roles. Photo: Airliners.net via Wikimedia Commons

Uniquely, the Belfast was equipped with a full automatic landing system, produced by Smiths Aerospace. The Belfast was the first aircraft in the world to be designed to feature such capability from the onset of its development.

The autopilot and flight control system was triplex in the roll and pitch channels. The instrument landing system comprised many functions, such as an autothrottle, a head-up display, and a radio altimeter - all representing cutting-edge technology back in the 1950s and 1960s.

Short Belfast - Specifications

  • Wingspan - 48.40m / 158 ft 9 in
  • Length - 41.58 m / 136 ft 5 in
  • Height - 14.33 m / 47 ft
  • Wing area - 229 sq m / 2,466 sq ft
  • Empty operating weight - 57, 606kg / 127,000lb
  • Maximum take-off weight - 104,326 kg / 230,000lb
  • Maximum crusing speed - 566kph / 352mph
  • Service ceiling - 9,145m / 30,000ft
  • Range with maximum payload - 1,609 km / 1,000 miles

Proposed variants

Multiple military derivatives of the Belfast were proposed by Short. Two principal civil versions of the aircraft retained much of the original design, such as its large rear-loading doors for access to the main freight hold. The payload was to be increased to 85,000 lb, and reportedly, up to 150 passengers could be seated on a single deck. In contrast, up to 288 people could be seated across a double-deck configuration in an airline configuration.

The second civil variant to be offered was to have featured a swinging nose arrangement for loading purposes in place of the rear door layout used by the RAF model of the aircraft. One proposed configuration for this variant was as a transatlantic airliner, carrying a maximum of 138 passengers on the top deck and up to 55,000 lb of palletized cargo on the lower deck. It was projected that it would be capable of flying a payload of 100,000 lb on the London-New York route.

During 1964, Short revealed that it had approached British European Airways (BEA) and BOAC with its proposals for a large double-deck short-haul passenger version of the Belfast. However, with the jet age in its infancy and other more practical civil aircraft already being developed or introduced, no orders from either airline (which merged to form British Airways in 1974) were forthcoming.

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The Belfast was also proposed as a high-density airliner. Photo: Kitmasterbloke via Wikimedia Commons 

First flight of the behemoth

On January 5th, 1964, the prototype Belfast conducted its maiden flight from Sydenham Airport, Belfast. The prototype flew for 55 minutes by chief test pilot Denis Taylor alongside a crew of six. Following the first flight, Taylor stated that,

"It was the easiest ride I have had for a very long time. The aircraft was an absolute joy to fly. She's a beauty."

The first two aircraft produced were equipped with dedicated flight-test instrumentation and were used to complete 850 hours of flight trials. Certification was conducted to both RAF and Air Registration Board (ARB) requirements, and the first autoland was performed after only 120 hours of test flying, significantly less than originally estimated.

Entry into service

On January 20th, 1966, the Belfast entered service with No. 53 Squadron when XR367 (the sixth production aircraft) was delivered to RAF Brize Norton, Carterton, Oxfordshire. Following the type's entry into RAF service, it became apparent that a major drag problem prevented the initial five aircraft from attaining Short's desired performance.

Consequently, modifications and testing were carried out, and a new rear fairing was developed, which resulted in raising the fleet's cruising speed by 40 mph.

Upon its entry into service, the Belfast boasted the distinction of becoming the largest aircraft that the British military had ever operated up to that time. It was also notable for being the first aircraft to be designed from the onset to be equipped with full 'blind landing' automatic landing system equipment. However, the accolades enjoyed by the Belfast were to be short-lived.

The reorganization of the new RAF Strike Command was to have repercussions on the RAF's relatively small fleet of Belfasts. The process ushered in the retirement of a number of aircraft types, including the Bristol Britannia and De Havilland Comet in 1975. By the end of 1976, the Belfast fleet had been retired entirely and was subsequently flown to RAF Kemble, Gloucestershire, for long-term storage.

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After a relatively short service life,  the ten RAF Belfasts were put into storage. Photo: Airliners.net via Wikimedia Commons 

Re-born for commercial operations

Shortly after the type had been retired by the RAF, four of the ten Belfasts were broken up and scrapped by the RAF, while one was preserved. However, five Belfasts were sold and placed into civilian service with the commercial cargo airline HeavyLift Cargo Airlines based at London Stansted Airport.

These aircraft, having since been allocated civilian registrations, were used by the company for the charter transport of various items of outsized cargo goods that could not be flown in other aircraft types available at the time. They were offered on the general cargo charter market and found themselves performing outsize cargo operations worldwide for several years.

Ironically, one of the early commercial customers for HeavyLift Cargo Airlines was the RAF itself, now short of a large freighter capable of long-range flights. Some of the Belfasts were chartered during the Falklands war in 1982, with some sources suggesting that this operation cost the RAF more than keeping all the aircraft in active service until the 1990s. HeavyLift's Belfasts were again contracted to support the RAF during the first Gulf War, transporting vehicles and helicopters too large to be carried by the existing RAF Hercules fleet.

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Several Belfasts enjoyed a new lease of life with HeavyLift Cargo Airlines based in the UK. Photo: Airliners.net via Wikimedia Commons

According to Planespotters.net, the five aircraft that were retained by Hevylift for commercial cargo operations were -

  • G-BEPE (formerly XR362, commenced service with Heavylift Cargo Airlines in March 1980 and retired in 1984)
  • G-BEPS (formerly XR368, commenced service with Heavylift Cargo Airlines in October 1980 and retired in March 2001)
  • G-BFYU ((formerly XR367, commenced service with Heavylift Cargo Airlines in October 1980 and retired in 1992)
  • G-HLFT (formerly XR365, commenced service with Heavylift Cargo Airlines in September 1981 and retired in September 2003 - although see below)
  • G-OHCA (formerly XR363, purchased for spare parts, civil registration never worn and scrapped at Southend)

After being retired from HeavyLift Cargo Airlines service between 1984 and 2003, the aircraft were parked at London Southend Airport for several years. Four of the aircraft were subsequently scrapped at the airport, although a lone Belfast (G-HLFT) managed to escape this fate and was flown out of the UK for one last chance of further commercial service.

Retirement

This one aircraft, G-HLFT, was refurbished at London Southend Airport and was subsequently flown to Australia in 2003, operated by a new company, coincidentally also named HeavyLift Cargo Airlines. Initially re-registered 9L-LDQ and later registered RP-C8020, the aircraft flew missions relating to the mining industry throughout Australia and further afield.

However, in September 2010, the plane was removed from service. On August 19th, 2011, after spending the best part of a year sitting on the Cairns International Airport apron where it had been moved before the scrapping of the remaining company Boeing 727 (RP-C8016), it was moved to the general aviation apron at Cairns International Airport, where it believed to still reside to this day.

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G-HLFT was last known to be residing in Cairns, Australia. Photo: Aero Icarus via Wikimedia Commons 

The HeavyLift titles were painted over on August 28th, 2011, but the registration RP-C8020 was still visible. The latest on the aircraft is that it remains at the airport, reportedly intact at the time of writing, painted all-white, but with no registration visible.

According to sources at the airport, the aircraft is the subject of a legal dispute between its owner and the Cairns airport authority over unpaid landing and parking fees - a disagreement that seemingly has dragged out for over ten years.

A second Belfast, G-BEPS, was to have joined G-HLFT in Australia following refurbishment at Southend Airport but instead was scrapped in October 2008.

The last production Belfast (XR371 'Enceladus'), is preserved at the RAF Museum Cosford near Wolverhampton, UK. This aircraft was repainted before being displayed under cover at the National Cold War Exhibition.

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A single Belfast is preserved at RAF Cosford, UK. Photo: Clemens Vasters via Wikimedia Commons

A sad end of an iconic aircraft

After promising so much when first designed and introduced, the Belfast never really fulfilled its true potential. As a specialist in the carriage of outsize freight, one might argue that there remains a niche market for such an aircraft to this day.

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Will we ever see a Belfast fly again in the future? Photo: Airliners.net via Wikimedia Commons

However, with just a single example safely tucked inside a museum and another remaining stuck in legal limbo in Australia, the chances of a Belfast ever taking to the air again seem sadly remote, if not impossible.

Do you remember the Short Belfast in operation, or perhaps you have even seen the aircraft sitting at Cairns Airport in Australia? Either way, tell us about your experiences in the comments.

Source: Planespotters.net