Skyvans for sale

[smudge]

Came up in discussion: G-PIGY and G-BEOL on the market.

https://www.skyquestinternational.com/listings-for-sale/1977-shorts-sc-7-3-200-skyvan-sn-sh1954-rg-g-beol/

If only I had money, and could fly them, and had built a hangar for them at EGAD.

But other than that...

[wavecrest1]

Any idea how many are still airworthy?
 

[smudge]

Those are the last two in the UK, possibly in Europe, but there are about three dozen still active on the the US register.  Whether they're all flying or not I don't know, the FAA register is really piecemeal compared to G-INFO.

[wavecrest1]

I saw one take off in Muscat about 2 years ago. I think Shorts sold a few to the military there and they are ( or were) still in use upto relatively recently.

One appeared in the background of a bbc report on ebola last year. That was somewhere in West Africa.

[Dr Draken]

Those are the last two in the UK, possibly in Europe, but there are about three dozen still active on the the US register.  Whether they're all flying or not I don't know, the FAA register is really piecemeal compared to G-INFO.

Pink Skyvan are still flying them in Europe. Although I'm not sure of the current fleet number, but it could be as many as six.
The University in Finland is also still operating its example for research.

Would like to see some effort to preserve one in the UK.

[smudge]

Good news about Pink Skyvan!  Not sure how I forgot about them given 'that' livery.


The Finnish one was sold-off last year, it was ferried to USA in October according to Turboprop Spotter.  I hadn't even realised it was up for sale until it was gone, I wrote to them a couple of years ago about their plans for it but never received a reply.
 
http://www.turbopropspotter.com/2016/10/regionalcorporateutility-turboprop_20.html?m=1

Still three ex-Police examples in decent condition in storage in Thailand according to the same site.



Some interesting Skyvan anecdotes:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/northernireland/yourplaceandmine/belfast/A928631_replies.shtml

Pleased to discover that the seats were made across the road from my house!

But what the heck is a Seavan?!

Aha.. Muscat again:

An original 16 Skyvans were introduced by Oman from the late 1960s, with its fleet having been reduced to a current strength of five by 2009, operating with the air force's 5 Sqn from Salalah.

Three of these were modified locally to perform maritime patrol and reconnaissance duties, with the Seavan aircraft flown from Seeb by 2 Sqn.

Wore a pretty white-and-light-grey livery for their duties:

http://www.dappa.nl/photos/OMI-023.jpg

[Angry Turnip]

Perhaps the Wild Geese Club at Garvagh would be interested in one   Might be too large for their airfield mind you.

[Dr Draken]

That's interesting that the Finnish example has crossed to the US.
And it's new operators seem to have a soft spot for local products.
Three  C-23B and four Skyvans in their fleet. Evidently still an ongoing demand in the US.

Would be nice to see them as below




 

[gadwall58]

A splendid sight.

[wavecrest1]

Wore a pretty white-and-light-grey livery for their duties:

Which makes them damn difficult to spot on a concrete apron from a satellite image ....
Stealth Skyvans .... Who'd a thought?

I suspect Omanis still operate 2 or 3 of the marine patrol Skyvans from Al-Musannah (covering Gulf of Oman) and Khasab (for Straits of Hormuz). They were still flying in 2015.

[smudge]

Another Skyvan nugget.

In 1968 one Skyvan 3 ( probably G-ASZJ which was on its Americas tour ) was tested at Edwards AFB as a contender for supply under the US Military Assistance Program.  Had it been selected it would have been manufactured, or at least assembled, in the USA by Cessna.

Also in the same year it did a demo for the US Army at Ft Rucker.

Edit: found a couple of photos in Flight, 29 August 1968


While I'm at it, there's also a photo of Helio's proposed Twin Stallion 19-seater which was vying for the Army's love against the Skyvan and the Twotter.  In the end they went with the latter.

[attachment deleted by admin]

[smudge]

How the system works...

In 1965 the British Antarctic Survey requested the purchase of a ski-equipped Skyvan, total cost £160,000.  However the Treasury ruled that this was much too expensive and instead bought a Pilatus Turbo Porter ( cn 619, VP-FAN ) for £30,000.

In 1967 they bought a refurbished Norwegian Otter ( cn 395, VP-FAM ), cost unstated.

In 1968 they bought a new Twin Otter for £150,000 under a new policy of multi-engined aircraft for the BAS.


So probably about £200,000 spent in three years because £160,000 was too expensive.  Such is the logic of govermment.

Oh and of course that all came out of foreign-currency reserves, instead of Sterling into the local economy.