New local service

[Hagar]

I've spotted this Trislander flying over several times during the last few days. Haven't seen one around here for a long time so I popped into the airport to investigate. Seems we have a new regular service. Rockhopper is based at Bournemouth & operates to the Channel Islands & France. Maybe I'll book a trip to Guernsey & check it out. I could do with a nice break. I wish them luck as many have tried & failed over the years.






Soon after it left I spotted this chopper arriving.



Someone's in a hurry. This was a lucky shot as he took off & suddenly appeared out of nowhere as I pressed the button.



A nice little visitor from Germany for good measure.


Ah well. That's all the excitement over for now. Time for a spot of lunch methinks.

[Craig.]

great photos Doug:) The trislander is a little strange looking.

[Felix/FFDS]

As usual, nice photos and story.

On #4 - what's the imposing edifice in the background/right of the photo?

[Hagar]

great photos Doug:) The trislander is a little strange looking.

Thanks Craig. The Trislander is an unusual idea. I never liked it myself but it seems to do the job. It's basically the same principle as your favourite DC-10. Note the red safety prop in shots 2 & 3 to stop it tipping up on its tail when the passenger cabin door is used.

[Craig.]

Haha cool, thanks for pointing it out i hadnt noticed it before:) and thank you for the info of its use.

[Hagar]

As usual, nice photos and story.

On #4 - what's the imposing edifice in the background/right of the photo?

Thanks for the comments Felix. They're not particularly good quality shots but I thought they might be interesting. The edifice is Lancing College Chapel. It's a prominent landmark which appears in many of my shots of Shoreham Airport. Unfortunately I've never seen it in any version of FS.

The white building with the red roof at far right is the Sussex Pad Hotel. This is where the first commercial flight in the UK took off from in 1911.

[FLYING_TRUCKER]

Very Nice Doug

The Islander (I think that is the twin engine model) and the Trislander are two of my favorites.
Wonder if anyone has put them on floats?
I believe the RAF had some Trislanders did they not?
Do you know if they are still being manufactured?

Thanks for posting those shots !

Cheers...Happy Landings...Doug

[ozzy72]

Great shots Doug, I also have my doubts about the Trislander, but you can't say its not distinctive

Mark

[Hagar]

Hi Doug. I know a little of the Britten-Norman history as the company has many local connections. The Islander was originally manufactured at Bembridge on the Isle of Wight. Many of the original workforce were former employees of Beagle Aircraft at Shoreham. I believe it was inspired by the Auster which is basically what it is. A very simple no-frills aircraft with straight wings & fixed undercarriage - the main difference being that it has 2 engines. This would make it cheap to build & operate. It was very successful & the 3-engined Trislander was developed from it. This was not so successful & fewer were sold. It is popular on some routes as you can see. There is also a military version of the Islander named the Defender but I don't think it ever served with the RAF.

The company has been under different owners over the years. It was taken over by Pilatus in Switzerland at one time being known as Pilatus Britten-Norman or PBN. I'm not sure what went wrong but production was moved to Romania some years ago which is where I believe they are still built today. It is now known as the BN Group. Although the company still has a base at Bembridge this is mainly concerned with servicing BN aircraft & other types. Aircraft are no longer built there to my knowledge although they are still in production elsewhere. http://www.britten-norman.com/home.htm

As a matter of interest, my old company recently took over responsibility for spares distribution worldwide. I was aware of this & was even asked to become involved but I'm not sure of the details. http://www.britten-norman.com/spares/index.htm

[Hagar]

Here's some more info. http://www.bbc.co.uk/dna/h2g2/A430084

In 1949 John Britten and Desmond Norman, one-time apprentices at the de Havilland aeronautical engineering training school, formed a partnership with the aim of building new aircraft.
.......................

When they noticed that there were no low-maintenance, rugged aircraft capable of using short runways on the market, they decided to make one of their own. The BN-2 Islander was designed in 1963, and made its maiden flight in June 1965. A few days later it appeared at the Paris Air Show. The Islander, a twin-engined plane, with accommodation for nine passengers, soon became popular. By 1968 more than 200 had been made. These well-designed aircraft provided a reliable service in at least 27 different countries. They are still being built today, with over 900 assembled using the original design. The Islander now boasts the longest production run of any post-war British aircraft.
.....................................

On 11 September, 1970, the BN-2A Mk III made its maiden flight. It was a three-engined, 17 passenger plane, and was soon named the Trislander. 81 Trislanders were built. An American version is currently being made by the International Aviation Corporation. This plane is known as the Tri-Commutair and are the main aircraft servicing the Channel Islands. They are also popular with numerous American airlines. The Trislander was the first and, so far, the only three piston-powered passenger air transport.

Sadly, John Britten died in July 1977.

[FLYING_TRUCKER]

Thanks Doug

Now I am a little confused...all along I thought the Britten Norman Islander was manufactured in Ireland.
Never really heard of the Pilatus Britten Norman Islander.
That is what I love about this forum...you learn something new every day...sometimes two or three things LOL
Thanks for the links Doug.

Cheers...Happy Landings...Doug

[Fozzer]

Mornin' all... ;D...!
If anyone fancies a Trislander, there's a very nice one parked here...>>>

http://www.simviation.com/fs2002props40.htm

This is an example that flies to Jersey, Guernsey and Alderney...

(Some new textures for it are posted in the SimV Main page).

Cheers all... ..!
(Breakfast time...)... ...!

Paul.

[Hagar]

Thanks Doug :)

Now I am a little confused...all along I thought the Britten Norman Islander was manufactured in Ireland.
Never really heard of the Pilatus Britten Norman Islander.

You're welcome Doug. There's a history of the company from my link with dates of specific events.* It has a chequered past. B-N Group is now owned by members of the Zawawi family from the Sultanate of Oman.

The only aircraft company I know of in Ireland (Belfast, Northern Ireland) is Short Brothers. Now part of the Bombardier Aerospace group this is one of the oldest surviving aircraft companies in the world. Short Brothers has no connection with Britten-Norman.

Mornin' all... ...!
If anyone fancies a Trislander, there's a very nice one parked here...>>>

Hi Paul.
There's also an Islander for FS2002/4 here.
http://www.simviation.com/fs2004props21.htm
The Channel Islands full package includes the Rockhopper livery. At 30 Mb it's too big for me to try.

*PS. In case you missed it. http://www.britten-norman.com/links/history.htm

[atotti2000]

The Trislander is my favourite plane in the whole of the world. I mean, look at my sig thing  ::)
Ive flown on one three times and it is quite an experiance.
I know that many are owned by Aurigny based in Guernsey as i see them every year whilst on holiday there.

Maybe I'll book a trip to Guernsey & check it out. I could do with a nice break.

I think you should Hagar, Guernsey is one of the most beautifullest places in the world. If your after a beach I would recommend Port Soif. Its beautiful. Theres also a nice spot running parrallel to the runway which is nice to sit and watch the planes come in. And with the new terminal and extended runway more and more planes are coming in.  

on a side note. I viseted Oman not so long ago and did wonder how trislanders had travelled so far.  ;) Seen a spare parts Trislander at Seeb Intl. spare parts.

anyhoo, thankyou for all the info guys.

Thanks

Ant  8)