Britten-Norman Trislander
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| Trislander | |
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| Type | Airliner |
| Manufacturer | Britten-Norman |
| Maiden flight | 1970 |
| Primary user | Aurigny Air Services |
| Number built | 72 |
| Developed from | Britten-Norman Islander |
The Britten-Norman Trislander (more formally designated the BN-2A Mk III Trislander) is an 18-seat three-engined piston-powered civilian utility aircraft produced in the 1970s and early 1980s by Britten-Norman of Britain. The aircraft were produced on the Isle of Wight. They were also produced in Romania, and delivered via Belgium to Britain for their certification.[1]
The aircraft are known locally in the Channel Islands as Joeys, and one Aurigny Air Services craft carries the registration G-JOEY.
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[edit] Development
The Trislander is a further development of Britten-Norman's better-known Islander aircraft in order to give it a larger carrying capacity. In comparison with the Islander, the Trislander has a stretched fuselage, strengthened landing gear and a third engine. The third engine is a tractor engine mounted on the fuselage centerline atop the vertical stabilizer. The Trislander has fixed tricycle undercarriage.
The prototype of the Trislander, which was constructed from the original second Islander prototype, first flew on September 11, 1970. Initial production ceased in 1982 after 73 were ordered. As of January 2008 Britten-Norman is preparing a second production run of the Trislander.[2]
The Trislander is capable of taking off from a 450 m long landing strip and can also readily operate from unprepared surfaces.
[edit] Variants
- BN-2A Mk III-1 : First production version.
- BN-2A Mk III-2 : Lengthened nose and higher operating weight
- BN-2A Mk III-3 : Variant certified for operation in the United States
- BN-2A Mk III-4 : III-2 fitted with rocket-assisted takeoff equipment
- Trislander M : Proposed military version.
[edit] Operators/Former Operators
- PARSA
- Aero Taxi
- Chitreana de Aviacion
- Vieques Air Link
- Wings Airways
[edit] Specifications (III-2)
Data from [3]
General characteristics
- Crew: 1
- Capacity: 17 passengers
- Length: 49 ft 3 in (15.01 m)
- Wingspan: 53 ft 0 in (16.15 m)
- Height: 14 ft 2 in (4.32 m)
- Wing area: 337 ft² (31.31 m²)
- Empty weight: 5843 lb (2650 kg)
- Gross weight: 10000 lb (4536 kg)
- Powerplant: 3 × Avco Lycoming O-540-E4C5 horizontally-opposed piston engine, 260 hp (194 kW) each
Performance
- Maximum speed: 167 mph (267 km/h)
- Range: 1000 miles (1609 km)
- Service ceiling: 13,150 ft (4010 m)
[edit] References
- ^ Britten-Norman Historians website
- ^ Britten-Norman Trislander
- ^ Orbis 1985, pp 993
- The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft (Part Work 1982-1985). Orbis Publishing.
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