The Britten-Norman Trislander (more formally designated the BN-2A Mk III Trislander) is an 18-seat
three-engined piston
A piston is a component of reciprocating engines, reciprocating pumps, gas compressors, hydraulic cylinders and pneumatic cylinders, among other similar mechanisms. It is the moving component that is contained by a cylinder and is made gas-tig ...
-powered civilian utility
aircraft
An aircraft is a vehicle that is able to fly by gaining support from the air. It counters the force of gravity by using either static lift or by using the dynamic lift of an airfoil, or in a few cases the downward thrust from jet engines ...
produced in the 1970s and early 1980s by
Britten-Norman of Britain. These
STOL
A short takeoff and landing (STOL) aircraft is a conventional fixed-wing aircraft that has short runway requirements for takeoff and landing. Many STOL-designed aircraft also feature various arrangements for use on airstrips with harsh conditio ...
capable aircraft were produced on the
Isle of Wight
The Isle of Wight ( ) is a county in the English Channel, off the coast of Hampshire, from which it is separated by the Solent. It is the largest and second-most populous island of England. Referred to as 'The Island' by residents, the Isle of ...
. They were also produced in Romania, and delivered via Belgium to Britain for their certification. A number of commuter airlines operated the Trislander in scheduled passenger services.
Design and development
Designed by John Britten and
Desmond Norman
Nigel Desmond Norman, (13 August 1929 – 13 November 2002) was an aircraft designer and aviation pioneer. Norman co-founded Britten-Norman in 1954, was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1970, and served as chairman a ...
, the Trislander is a further development of Britten-Norman's better-known
Islander
Islander, Islanders, or The Islanders may refer to:
People
* Islander, referring to Jersey people
* Islander, New Zealand-English term usually meaning Pacific Islander
Arts, entertainment, and media Literature
* ''The Islander'' (Rylant novel), ...
aircraft in order to give it a larger carrying capacity. In comparison with the Islander, the Trislander has a stretched fuselage, strengthened, fixed tricycle landing gear and a third engine on the fuselage centre line atop the
fin
A fin is a thin component or appendage attached to a larger body or structure. Fins typically function as foils that produce lift or thrust, or provide the ability to steer or stabilize motion while traveling in water, air, or other fluids. Fin ...
. The Trislander has exceptional low speed handling characteristics, extended endurance, increased payload, low noise signature and economical operating costs. Capable of taking off from a long landing strip, the Trislander can readily operate from unprepared surfaces.
Operational history
The prototype of the Trislander, which was constructed from the original second Islander prototype, first flew on 11 September 1970.
[ Taylor, John W. R. ''Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1976–77''. London: Jane's Yearbooks, 1976. , pp. 176-177.] The type entered service with the
Guernsey
Guernsey (; Guernésiais: ''Guernési''; french: Guernesey) is an island in the English Channel off the coast of Normandy that is part of the Bailiwick of Guernsey, a British Crown Dependency.
It is the second largest of the Channel Islands ...
-based
Aurigny
Aurigny Air Services Limited (pronounced ), commonly known as Aurigny, is the flag carrier airline of the Bailiwick of Guernsey with its head office next to Guernsey Airport in the Channel Islands, and wholly owned by the States of Guernse ...
in July 1971.
[Cunliffe, Charles. "Trislander Sunset". '']Air International
''AIR International'' is a British aviation magazine covering current defence aerospace and civil aviation topics. It has been in publication since 1971 and is currently published by Key Publishing Ltd.
History and profile
The magazine was fir ...
''. October 2015, Vol. 89, No. 4. , p. 123. Initial production ceased in 1982 after 73 had been sold and delivered, with a further seven Trislanders unsold, when Pilatus Britten Norman sold a manufacturing license to the
International Aviation Corporation (IAC) of Florida. It was planned for IAC to build 12 Trislanders (to be known as Tri-Commutairs) from parts kits supplied by Britten-Norman before undertaking full production,
[Taylor, John W. R. ''Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1982–83''. London: Jane's Yearbooks, 1982. , pp. 268, 392.] but these plans came to nothing.
Variants
;BN-2A Mk III-1: First production version, with short nose.
;BN-2A Mk III-2: Lengthened nose and higher operating weight.
;BN-2A Mk III-3: Variant certified for operation in the
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
.
;BN-2A Mk III-4: III-2 fitted with rocket-assisted takeoff equipment.
;BN-2A Mk III-5: III-2 with sound-proofed cabin, modernised cockpit/interior and new engines (proposed, unbuilt as yet).
;Trislander M : Proposed military version, not built.
Operators
Future operators
;
*
Air Alderney
Air Alderney Limited is an airline that has, for some years, been projected to serve the island of Alderney, part of the Bailiwick of Guernsey in the Channel Islands. Air Alderney was founded on 31 January 2017, and faced numerous delays in comm ...
Current operators
;
*Anguilla Air Services
;
*
Roraima Airways
Roraima Airways is a regional airline of Guyana with its main hub at the Eugene F. Correira International Airport. Roraima Airways was founded in 1992.
History
Roraima Airways was founded in 1992 to serve tourists to get them around Guyana ...
;
*
Air Flamenco
Air Flamenco is a commuter airline operated by Air Charter, Inc., based in Puerto Rico.
History
Air Flamenco traces its history to Flamenco Airways, which was founded in 1976 by Mr. Rubén Torres. The first aircraft used was the Piper Cherokee 6 ...
*
Vieques Air Link
Vieques Air Link (VAL, IATA code:V4) is a small Puerto Rico-based airline that links Vieques with Culebra and mainland Puerto Rico.
History
Operations began during 1965, with owner Osvaldo "Val" Gonzalez-Duriex piloting a plane with three ...
Former operators
![Great Barrier Aircraft-2219](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/94/Great_Barrier_Aircraft-2219.jpg)
;
*
LIAT
LIAT (1974) Ltd, also known as Leeward Islands Air Transport Services and operating as LIAT, is a regional airline headquartered in Antigua and Barbuda that operated high-frequency inter-island scheduled services to 15 destinations in the Caribb ...
;
* Aerodata
*
Air Queensland
;
* Lucaya Air
;
* Burrard Air Ltd.
* Questor Surveys Ltd.
;
*
Tavina
;
*Travel Air
;
*
Botswana Defence Force Air Wing
The Botswana Defence Force Air Arm is the air force of the Botswana Defence Force of Botswana in southern Africa.
Chiefs of the Defence Staff Air Wing
The former heads of the Botswana Armed Forces Air Wing were referred to while in office as ...
;
*
Cayman Airways
Cayman Airways is the flag carrier airline of the British Overseas Territory of the Cayman Islands. With its head office in Grand Cayman, it operates mainly as an international and domestic scheduled passenger carrier, with cargo services avai ...
;
*
Air Pacific
Fiji Airways (trading as and formerly known as Air Pacific) is the flag carrier airline of Fiji and operates international services from its hubs in Fiji to 13 countries and 26 cities including, Australia, New Zealand, Samoa, Tonga, Tuvalu, K ...
*
Air Fiji
Air Fiji was an airline based in Nausori, Fiji. It operated inter-island services to destinations within the Fijian Islands. Its main base was Nausori International Airport, Suva, with a base at Nadi International Airport.Flight International 27 ...
;
*
Aurigny
Aurigny Air Services Limited (pronounced ), commonly known as Aurigny, is the flag carrier airline of the Bailiwick of Guernsey with its head office next to Guernsey Airport in the Channel Islands, and wholly owned by the States of Guernse ...
At its peak, Aurigny operated 16 Trislanders, the largest operator of the type.
As of 2018 all Trislander aircraft have been retired from service. One of the Aurigny Trislander aircraft is on static display at the
Imperial War Museum Duxford
Imperial War Museum Duxford is a branch of the Imperial War Museum near Duxford in Cambridgeshire, England. Britain's largest aviation museum, Duxford houses the museum's large exhibits, including nearly 200 aircraft, military vehicles, artill ...
in the UK and one of them is displayed at Oaty & Joey's play barn at
Oatlands in
Guernsey
Guernsey (; Guernésiais: ''Guernési''; french: Guernesey) is an island in the English Channel off the coast of Normandy that is part of the Bailiwick of Guernsey, a British Crown Dependency.
It is the second largest of the Channel Islands ...
.
;
*
Manx Airlines
Manx Airlines was an English-owned, Isle of Man-based airline that existed between 1982 and 2002. Its head office was located on the grounds of Isle of Man Airport in Ballasalla, Malew. An airline of the same name existed between 1947 and 1958. ...
;
*
Trans-Jamaican Airlines
;
*
Blue Islands
Blue Islands Limited is a British regional airline of the Channel Islands. Its head office is in Saint Peter, Jersey, and its registered office is in Saint Anne, Alderney. It operates scheduled services from and within the Channel Islands to ...
;
*
Air Liberia
;
*
Barrier Air
Barrier Air is a New Zealand airline that was established in 1983 by Jim Bergman as Great Barrier Airlines. The head office is located at the Domestic Terminal at Auckland Airport in Mangere, with additional offices in the terminal buildings ...
;
*
Sierra Leone Airways
Sierra Leone Airways was the national airline of Sierra Leone. It was based at the Lungi International Airport, in Lungi, Sierra Leone. It operated scheduled domestic, regional and international services.
History
Sierra Leone Airways was founde ...
;
*
Taiwan Airways
;
* Turks & Caicos Airways
;
*
Air Ecosse
Air Ecosse was a Scottish commuter airline based in Aberdeen operating in the late 1970s to mid-1980s. They flew between Aberdeen and cities in northern England, such as Liverpool and Carlisle as well as to Edinburgh and Glasgow. They also ca ...
* Air Sarnia
*
Emerald Airways
Emerald Airways was an airline based in Liverpool, United Kingdom. It operated contract and ad hoc freight services throughout the UK and Europe for postal, newspaper and freight companies and passenger services to Ireland under the brand FlyJ ...
*
Lydd Air
*
Loganair
Loganair is a Scottish regional airline based at Glasgow Airport near Paisley, Scotland. It is the largest regional airline in the UK by passenger numbers and fleet size.
In addition to its main base at Glasgow, it has hubs at Aberdeen, Edinb ...
* National Airways
* Rockhopper Aero
* Sky Trek
* Willow Air
* XP - Express Parcel Systems
;
*
Air Flamenco
Air Flamenco is a commuter airline operated by Air Charter, Inc., based in Puerto Rico.
History
Air Flamenco traces its history to Flamenco Airways, which was founded in 1976 by Mr. Rubén Torres. The first aircraft used was the Piper Cherokee 6 ...
*
Air St. Thomas
*Air South
*Cen-Tex Airlines
*Channel Islands Aviation (based at the
Oxnard Airport
Oxnard Airport is a county-owned, public airport a mile west of downtown Oxnard, in Ventura County, California. The airport has not had scheduled passenger service since June 8, 2010, when United Express (operated via a code sharing agreement ...
)
* Slocum Airlines
*
Stol Air Commuter (renamed
WestAir Commuter Airlines
WestAir Commuter Airlines (IATA:OE, VB/ICAO WCA, SDU), was a U.S.-based regional airline formed when Stol Air Commuter changed its name in 1978 to WestAir Airlines; it was renamed WestAir Commuter Airlines in 1986. One of the founders was Maur ...
)
* Tri Air
*
Wings Airways
;
*
Vanair
Vanair was a domestic airline based in Vanuatu. The airline flew to 29 destinations on 18 of Vanuatu's 83 islands, and was wholly owned by the Vanuatu government.
History
The airline commenced operations as Air Melanesiæ in 1965 as a joint ...
*
Unity-Airlines
;
* Chapi Air
*
Sol America
Accidents and incidents
On 5 July 2009, a Trislander belonging to
Great Barrier Airlines
Great may refer to: Descriptions or measurements
* Great, a relative measurement in physical space, see Size
* Greatness, being divine, majestic, superior, majestic, or transcendent
People
* List of people known as "the Great"
*Artel Great (born ...
(now Barrier Air) lost its starboard side prop six minutes into a flight from
Great Barrier Island
Great Barrier Island ( mi, Aotea) lies in the outer Hauraki Gulf, New Zealand, north-east of central Auckland. With an area of it is the sixth-largest island of New Zealand and fourth-largest in the main chain. Its highest point, Mount Hobson ...
,
New Zealand
New Zealand ( mi, Aotearoa ) is an island country in the southwestern Pacific Ocean. It consists of two main landmasses—the North Island () and the South Island ()—and over 700 smaller islands. It is the sixth-largest island count ...
, to
Auckland
Auckland (pronounced ) ( mi, Tāmaki Makaurau) is a large metropolitan city in the North Island of New Zealand. The List of New Zealand urban areas by population, most populous urban area in the country and the List of cities in Oceania by po ...
. The prop sheared off and impacted the fuselage, prompting a successful emergency landing. While there were injuries, no deaths were reported. The accident was caused by undetected corrosion of the propeller flange which led to its eventual failure.
On 15 December 2008, a Trislander operated by
LAP
A lap is a surface (usually horizontal) created between the knee and hips of a biped when it is in a seated or lying down position. The lap of a parent or loved one is seen as a physically and psychologically comfortable place for a child to ...
in
Puerto Rico
Puerto Rico (; abbreviated PR; tnq, Boriken, ''Borinquen''), officially the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico ( es, link=yes, Estado Libre Asociado de Puerto Rico, lit=Free Associated State of Puerto Rico), is a Caribbean island and Unincorporated ...
crashed into the sea somewhere near the
Turks and Caicos
The Turks and Caicos Islands (abbreviated TCI; and ) are a British Overseas Territory consisting of the larger Caicos Islands and smaller Turks Islands, two groups of tropical islands in the Lucayan Archipelago of the Atlantic Ocean and n ...
, shortly after a distress call. A spokesman for the Asociación Nacional de Pilotos reported that the pilot had his licence suspended in October 2006.
On 8 October 1977, ZS-JYF, operated by Southern Aviation, impacted the ground while attempting a stall turn during an air display at
Lanseria
Lanseria International Airport is a privately owned international airport that is situated north of Randburg and Sandton to the northwest of Johannesburg, South Africa. The airport can handle aircraft up to the size of a Boeing 757-300 and th ...
in
South Africa
South Africa, officially the Republic of South Africa (RSA), is the southernmost country in Africa. It is bounded to the south by of coastline that stretch along the South Atlantic and Indian Oceans; to the north by the neighbouring countri ...
. Despite sustaining severe damage (it was damaged beyond repair) the aircraft performed an emergency landing and neither occupant was injured.
Specifications (BN-2A Mk III-2)
See also
References
Further reading
*
* ''The Illustrated Encyclopedia of Aircraft (Part Work 1982–1985)''. London: Orbis Publishing, 1985.
* Stroud, John. "Post War Propliners: Islander and Trislander". ''
Aeroplane Monthly
''Aeroplane'' (formerly ''Aeroplane Monthly'') is a British magazine devoted to aviation, with a focus on aviation history and preservation.
__TOC__
''The Aeroplane''
The weekly ''The Aeroplane'' launched in June 1911 under founding edito ...
''. Vol. 22, No. 8. August 1994. pp. 44–49. .
*
*
{{Authority control
1970s British civil utility aircraft
Trislander
Trimotors
High-wing aircraft
Cruciform tail aircraft
Aircraft first flown in 1970
1970s British airliners