Flight, September 1933

A NEW SHORT TRANSPORT MONOPLANE

   THIS twin-engined machine has been designed as a low-powered transport aeroplane suitable for small aircraft operators and for special charter work. It is a high-wing full-cantilever monoplane powered with two Pobjoy engines mounted under the main plane. The pilot is situated in the nose of the fuselage in a covered-in cockpit from which position he has an excellent view for take-off and landing. The cabin is arranged to accommodate five passengers with ample seating space for each passenger.
   The aircraft is of very sturdy construction, the fuselage being built of welded-steel tubes and the wing spars of a built-up framed structure giving extreme stiffness and torsional rigidity. All control surfaces are balanced, being very light in operation and well harmonised.
   Preliminary flight tests have been carried out, the results of which have been extremely satisfactory. With an all-up weight of 2,700 lb., the aircraft takes-off in 10 sec, and has an initial rate of climb of 700 ft. per min. The landing speed is approximately 45 m.p.h., and the machine cruises at 93 m.p.h., throttled to 90 per cent, of normal engine revolutions.
   Tankage is provided for a range of 350 miles at cruising speed. The aircraft has strength factors for an all-up weight of 3,000 lb., which will give a pay load plus crew of over 1,000 lb.
   After the completion of the exhaustive tests now in hand, further machines will be put in hand which will be ready for delivery in the spring of 1934.

Flight, February 1934

SHORTS' "SCION"

   WE have already had the pleasure, in our issue for September 21, 1933, of describing briefly the new small monoplane of Short Bros. This twin, Pobjoy engined, monoplane has now been called the "Scion," and we have recently had an opportunity of trying it out for ourselves. With five passengers and a pilot, on two 85 h.p. engines, it will be seen that the machine represents a very economical proposition for feeder line or similar passenger transport. In point of fact, the design is the outcome of an extensive survey carried out by Short Bros, to determine whether there was a demand for a machine with a very high payload which it would be economical to use for short distance transport. They came to the conclusion that there were many places in Great Britain, and of course still more abroad, where stretches of water intervene between two important towns, or other geographical features make a cruising speed of 100 m.p.h. more than sufficient. Since our last description, the maximum permissible weight has been increased to 3,000 lb., at which the take-off in no wind is only 12 sec. With the new Pobjoy "Niagara" engine, which will be fitted as standard, the take-off should be only 10 sec. or even better. In the air, from the pilot's point of view, the machine is admirable. It is easy, straightforward and normal to fly, and the outlook is, of course, excellent. In the passenger cabin each passenger has ample room, with a good view through the deep side windows. On the ground a full depth door in the port side of the fuselage allows the passengers to get in and out of the cabin easily. The design has now received its C. of A. after passing through Martlesham with flying colours, and is going into production at Rochester, the first batch being laid down right away. This first model is shortly making a tour of the country for demonstration.

Flight, February 1935

THE IMPROVED SHORT "SCION"
Performance Figures for the New Model: A Comfortable Feeder-line or Ferry Machine

   WHEN the Short “Scion” first came out of the Rochester factory last year it created considerable interest because of its excellent performance and its unusually large cabin space. This, the latest improved mode; (a photograph of which appeared in Flight last week), should find even greater favour with those who require ample room for their passengers with economy of running cost. The cleaning-up process to which this new model has been subjected has resulted in a considerably increased performance, and makes the "Scion" an aeroplane which will not only be of great value for feeder lines and ferry air services, but also for the private owner who likes the security offered by two engines.
   It will be seen that the two Pobjoy "Niagara" engines have been raised right up to the leading edge of the wings and have been very cleanly faired in. The shape of the nose of the machine has also been modified, not only so that the pilot has an improved outlook, but also to give a better entry for the fuselage and thus lower the total drag of the machine.
   Everyone who has flown the "Scion" agrees that the controls are admirably co-ordinated and that, taken as a whole, the machine is excellent to handle both in the air and on the ground.

Flight, April 1936

MODERN LIGHT AIRCRAFT REVIEW

SHORT SCION

   PRIMARILY designed and in use as a feeder-line and charter machine, the Short Scion is possessed of a number of features which should make it an admirable luxury private-owner type. With the safety of two engines and with adequate space for two-way radio equipment, the Scion might be considered as an ideal for this type of owner who, nevertheless, wants to fly himself on occasion. It is easy to handle and has been described more than once as an excellent machine for graduation to the twin-engined type. The forward view is nothing less than magnificent, and the pilot is near enough to the ground to make a landing easy to anyone who is accustomed only to the normal single-engined cabin machine.
   As a transport machine the Scion has five seats in addition to that of the pilot, though another can be arranged with a corresponding reduction in range, but there is plenty of room in the cabin for any normal re-arrangement of seating for different private purposes. Controllable heating and ventilation systems are standardised, and the high-wing cantilever arrangement gives both passengers and pilot the best possible view of the ground.
   Very complete electrical equipment is installed as standard and includes a generator, battery, navigation instrument and cabin lights and a head light, in the extreme nose, for landing Electric engine starters are also regarded as standard items.
   Each of the engines has its own petrol and oil systems, but the engine pumps are interconnected so that in the event of a pump failure both engines are supplied by the remaining pump.
   The Scion is largely of metal construction, with the wing built up round a single duralumin box spar with duralumin ribs, while the fuselage is of fabric-covered welded steel tube. The 90 h.p. Pobjoy Niagara engines are enclosed in low-drag cowlings and the undercarriage fittings are designed to take a twin-float chassis if desired.
   The land undercarriage embodies low-pressure wheels with differentially controlled pneumatic brakes and friction-damped spring shock absorbers. When floats are fitted the entire undercarriage is of Short design and construction. It is highly efficient hydrodynamically and offers far less resistance than might well be supposed. Actually it decreases the top speed by only 6 m.p.h.
   Structurally the frames of the floats consist of a number of frames or bulkheads built to the required shape, to which the outer skin is riveted, the skin being stiffened between the frames by "Z" type stiffeners. The planing bottom is stiffened by a keel and side keelsons, additional stiffening being incorporated at highly stressed points. Stainless steel is employed for such items as strut attachments.
   The sole building and sales rights for the Scion are held by Pobjoy Airmotors and Aircraft, Ltd.; the Scion Senior, which may be regarded as a four-engined, sealed-up version, is, however, still a product of Short Bros.
   The specification of the Scion is as follows: Weight empty, 1,875 lb.; disposable load, 1,325 lb.; Span, 42ft.; length, 31ft, 6in.; maximum speed, 128 m.p.h.; cruising speed, 116 m.p.h.; landing speed, 50 m.p.h.; initial climb, 625 ft./min.; range, 390 miles; price, ?2,250. Makers: Pobjoy Airmotors and Aircraft, Ltd., Rochester, Kent

Flight, March 1938

British light aircraft

POBJOY-SHORT

   ALTHOUGH it has been on the market for a number of years and has put up creditable showing in the hands of various operators, the Short Scion never appears to have interested the private owner to any great extent. Possibly the fact that it is so essentially an economical ferry or feeder-line type has prevented the owner from noticing its special possibilities. Nevertheless, there would be no difficulty in removing the five seats which are normally fitted and rearranging the interior to suit any­body who requires a twin-engined machine, which, nevertheless, is as easily handled as any smaller single-engined type.
   The Scion, as a matter of fact, has shown itself to have a good performance on floats, and any revival of interest in seaplane flying may result in a reappearance of the machine in this form. The structure is all-metal, the wing being of fabric-covered duralumin and the fuselage of welded-steel tube, and long experience has shown that the machine can be very inexpensive in the matter of airframe maintenance.
   SPECIFICATION: Span. 42ft.; length, 31ft. 6in.; weight empty, 1,920 lb.; all-up weight, 3,200 lb, maximum speed, 130 m.p.h.; cruising speed, 115 m.p.h., landing speed, 50 m.p.h.; rate of climb, 625 ft. / min.; range, 400 miles. Makers: Pobjoy Air Motors and Aircraft, Ltd., Rochester Aerodrome, Kent.

Flight, October 1938

British Commercial Aircraft

POBJOY

   ORIGINALLY the makers of a well-known aero engine, the Pobjoy Company has more recently started to manufacture machines, and, incidentally, certain parts of military machines. Their start in this direction was actually made with the Short Scion, for which the manufacture was taken over from Short Brothers.
   This machine is an all-metal high-wing twin-engined monoplane designed specially for feeder-line and charter work. The normal accommodation is for five passengers, but an additional seat can be fitted. The engines are, of course, Pobjoy Niagara III radials. Economy of operation was the designer’s primary interest, and it is claimed that the Scion can be operated at a profit of 4d. per passenger-mile when flown at an average load of 60 per cent, of the full available capacity.
   Although originally produced and perhaps better known in landplane form, the machine can also be fitted with twin floats of Short design, and in seaplane form the payload is only reduced by a relatively small amount.
   Pobjoy-Short Scion data:- Span, 42ft.; length, 31ft. 6in. ; all-up weight, 3,200 lb.; weight empty, 1,920 lb.; maximum speed, 130 m.p.h.; cruising speed, 115 m.p.h.; and cruising range, 400 miles.
Makers:- Pobjoy Airmotor and Air­craft, Ltd., Rochester, Kent (Chat­ham 2277).