Dude, Skyvans are just cool. Here's what they are and where they came from.
If you've been watching our latest episodes, you may have seen one of our latest epic creations - Josh's Skyvan. Built initially to carry one of Alex's DriveOn crawlers, this mighty machine is a cargo plane that means buisness. But what is the 'Skyvan' featured in the 'Operation RC Car Drop' video? Well, you came to the right article.
A Short History of the Skyvan
The Short SC.7 Skyvan is a small twin-turboprop cargo and passenger plane built in Northern Ireland. They've been used in all sorts of roles, including geographical survey missions and research.
It was initially designed in the 1950s following a number of similar designs from other aviation companies, such as the H.D.M.106 Caravan.
Like the other designs, the Skyvan intended to make use of a high aspect ratio wing. A high ratio means that the wing is long and thin.
For simplicity and utility, the fuselage was designed to be square. Despite appearances, this actually helped when operating as a cargo plane; its boxcar like shape allowed it to carry all sorts of goods without wasting space.
In all, 149 Skyvans were produced before production ceased in 1986.
Videos
If you want to check out the videos currently featuring our giant Skyvan, here they are. The first includes the initial Skyvan build.
The second drop test involves modifying the Skyvan for melon dropping duties.
Have you got a giant build in mind? Start an FT Forum thread about your project!
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Article by James Whomsley
Editor of FliteTest.com
Contact: james@flitetest.com
YouTube Channel: www.youtube.com/projectairaviation
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