Short Solent

The Short Solent was a passenger flying boat produced by Short Brothers in the late 1940s. It was developed from the Short Seaford (Short Sunderland Mark IV) military flying boat design, which was too late to serve in World War II.

The first Solent flew in 1946. New Solents were used by BOAC and TEAL, production ending in 1949. Second-hand aircraft were operated briefly by a number of small airlines such as Aquila Airways.

The Solent was a high wing monoplane flying boat of aluminimum construction. Power was, initially, four Bristol Hercules engines but later some had four Bristol Centaurus sleeve-valve radial piston engines. The Mark II introduced by BOAC could carry 34 passengers and 7 crew, the final TEAL aircraft could carry 45 passengers. Both provided a great deal of space and luxury compared with contemporary or modern land-based aircraft.

One Solent, a Mk IV formerly used by TEAL on the Coral Route, connecting South Pacific Islands to New Zealand has been fully restored and preserved at the Museum of Transport and Technology in Auckland. This is often said to be the only survivor of the type but an ex-BOAC Mk III Solent, later owned by Howard Hughes, has been rescued and is in the United States at Western Aerospace Museum in Oakland, California.

Production

Production was of the Solent 2, 12 built at Rochester, and the Solent 4, 4 built at Belfast.

Operators

• Australia
  • Trans-Oceanic Airways
• New Zealand
  • Tasman Empire Airways Limited (TEAL)
• United Kingdom
  • Aquila Airways
  • British Overseas Airways Corporation
• United States
  • South Pacific Airlines

The only military use of the Solent was evaluation at the United Kingdom Marine Aircraft Experimental Establishment.

Specifications (Solent 2)

Data from British Aircraft Directory entry 26 January 2007

General characteristics

• Crew: 7
• Capacity: 34 passengers

Performance

External links

• Tasman Empire Airways Limited
• British Aircraft Directory

• Century of Flight