1.
Isle of Man Airport
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Isle of Man Airport, is the main civilian airport on the Isle of Man. It is located in the south of the island at Ronaldsway near Castletown,6 nautical miles southwest of Douglas, along with the Isle of Man Sea Terminal, it is one of the two main gateways to the island. The airport has scheduled services to the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland as well as routes to Switzerland. Ronaldsway was first used as an airfield in 1928 with passenger services to the UK starting in 1933, operated by Blackpool, further services were established by Aer Lingus and Railway Air Services from 1934. From 1937 RAS operations from Ronaldsway to the mainland UK were transferred to Isle of Man Air Services, in a 1936 expansion of the Ronaldsway Airport, workers discovered a mass grave believed to hold the remains of soldiers who died during the Battle of Ronaldsway in 1275. The airfield came under Royal Air Force control at the outbreak of the Second World War, known as RAF Ronaldsway, it was one of the few airfields that continued operating civilian flights throughout the wartime period. The airfield was used by №1 GDGS operating Westland Wallace aircraft, an expansion of the airport during the War led to the discovery of the archaeological remains of a Neolithic settlement belonging to what is now called the Ronaldsway culture, in honour of this site. RAF operations continued until 1943 when the airfield was handed over to the Admiralty for further development as a Fleet Air Arm training station. Now a naval air station, RNAS Ronaldsway, the airport was out of commission in 1943 for almost twelve months of extensive development undertaken by John Laing & Son. Commissioned as HMS Urley by the Admiralty on 21 June 1944, with accounts handled by HMS Valkyrie, the airfields main role was that of a torpedo working-up station. No.1 OTU consisted of 710,713 and 747 Squadrons, the base was paid off on 14 January 1946, and transferred to Care and Maintenance under HMS Blackcap. The nominal depot ship from 21 June 1944 was a 32 cutter named XXII, several Manx-based airlines were formed in the early postwar years to operate scheduled and charter services to the UK mainland. When Manx Airlines existed, its office was on the airport property. Citywing had its office in Hangar 9 at the airport. The Manx Military and Aviation Museum is situated next to the airport and has exhibits, a project by Ellis Brown Architects began in November 1998 to extend the airport and improve the facilities available to passengers. In March 2000 the new extension was opened, providing a new landside catering outlet, arrivals area, baggage hall, the existing part of the airport was refurbished during this time to provide improved check-in facilities and offices, linked to the extension with a new airport entrance. During the extension and renovation period the iconic Three Legs of Man sculpture adorning the airports façade was also refurbished, in March 2006 funding for a further extension was granted by Tynwald to increase the number of departure gates, with work due for completion in summer 2007. In April 2008 Tynwald granted a major extension and resurfacing project at the airport
2.
Ballasalla
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Ballasalla is a village in the parish of Malew in the south-east of the Isle of Man, close to the airport and the town of Castletown. The village was mostly from the ruins of the nearby Rushen Abbey. The lowest-level local authority is Malew Parish Commissioners who are based in Ballasalla, the day-to-day activities of the authority are run by the clerk, Mr Barry Powell. The commissioners offices are located on the road of the village close to the Whitestone Inn. The village has a residents association, Ballasalla and District Residents Association. The HQ of Citywing, the Isle of Man airline, is at Hangar 9 at Isle of Man Airport near Ballasalla, the former Manx Airlines also had its head office at the Airport. The village has its own school, Ballasalla School. Malew football club play their games at the Malew Football Ground, Clagh Vane. Both clubs compete in the Isle of Man Football League, there are 3 buses an hour to Onchan, Douglas, Castletown, Port St Mary and Port Erin operated by the nationalised Bus Vannin. There are also infrequent buses to Peel and Foxdale, Ballasalla railway station on the Isle of Man Railway is at the eastern side of the village and the railway operates between March and November. The A5 Douglas to Port Erin road runs through the village, the Isle of Man Airport is at Ronaldsway just south of the village and also has a small request stop on the railway, a short distance from the terminal. Arriving air passengers sometimes catch trains for the novelty value of travelling by steam train, St Marks Church is in St Marks Road, some distance from the village. The foundation stone was laid in 1771 and it was consecrated in 1772 by the then Bishop of Sodor and Man and it was intended to serve as a chapel of ease and a parish school more conveniently located for those from the outlying hill district than Kirk Malew Church. There was an ancient church near the site which is said to have dedicated to St Mark. The church was consecrated in 1896 and remains in use today. Both churches are Church of England in the Diocese of Sodor, Ballasalla has had three Methodist chapels in the past. The original Ballafesson Wesleyan Methodist Chapel dates from about 1798 and it was restructured in 1846, although the original roof slate is still intact. Ballasalla Primitive Methodist Chapel was built in 1833 and it closed as a chapel in 1949, but continued to be used as a Sunday school until 1975
3.
Isle of Man
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The Isle of Man, also known simply as Mann, is a self-governing crown dependency in the Irish Sea between England and Northern Ireland. The head of state is Queen Elizabeth II, who holds the title of Lord of Mann, the Lord of Mann is represented by a Lieutenant Governor. Foreign relations and defence are the responsibility of the British Government, the island has been inhabited since before 6500 BC. Gaelic cultural influence began in the 5th century and the Manx language, in 627, Edwin of Northumbria conquered the Isle of Man along with most of Mercia. In the 9th century, Norsemen established the Kingdom of the Isles, magnus III, King of Norway, was also known as King of Mann and the Isles between 1099 and 1103. In 1266, the became part of Scotland under the Treaty of Perth. After a period of alternating rule by the kings of Scotland and England, the short form often used in English, Mann, is derived from the Manx Mannin, though sometimes the name is written as Man. The earliest recorded Manx form of the name is Manu or Mana, the Old Irish form of the name is Manau or Mano. Old Welsh records named it as Manaw, also reflected in Manaw Gododdin, the name for an ancient district in north Britain along the lower Firth of Forth. The oldest known reference to the calls it Mona, in Latin, in the 1st century CE, Pliny the Elder records it as Monapia or Monabia. Later Latin references have Mevania or Mænavia, and Eubonia or Eumonia by Irish writers and it is found in the Sagas of Icelanders as Mön. The name is cognate with the Welsh name of the island of Anglesey, Ynys Môn, usually derived from a Celtic word for mountain. The name was at least secondarily associated with that of Manannán mac Lir in Irish mythology, later, a Manannán is recorded as the first king of Mann in a Manx poem. The island was cut off from the islands around 8000 BC. The first residents were hunter gatherers and fishermen, examples of their tools are kept at the Manx Museum. There were also the local Ronaldsway and Bann cultures, during the Bronze Age, burial mounds became smaller. Bodies were put in stone-lined graves with ornamental containers, the Bronze Age burial mounds created long-lasting markers around the countryside. The ancient Romans knew of the island and called it Insula Manavia although it is whether they conquered the island
4.
De Havilland Dragon Rapide
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The de Havilland DH.89 Dragon Rapide was a 1930s British short-haul biplane airliner for 6–8 passengers. It proved an economical and durable craft, despite its relatively primitive plywood construction, in late 1933, the Dragon Rapide was designed at the de Havilland company as a faster and more comfortable successor to the DH.84 Dragon. It was in effect a twin-engined, scaled-down version of the four-engined DH.86 Express and it shared many common features with the DH. On 17 April 1934, the aircraft first flew at Hatfield and 205 aircraft were built for airlines and other owners all around the world. Originally called the Dragon Six it was first marketed as Dragon Rapide, from 1936, with the fitting of improved trailing edge flaps, they were redesignated DH. 89As. In the summer of 1934, the entered service with UK-based airlines. From August 1934, Railway Air Services operated a fleet of Dragon Rapides on routes linking London, the RAS DH. 89s were named after places on the network, for example Star of Lancashire. Isle of Man Air Services operated a fleet of Rapides on scheduled services from Ronaldsway Airport near Castletown to airports in north-west England including Blackpool, Liverpool, some of its aircraft had been transferred to it after operation by Railway Air Services. Edward, Prince of Wales, owned a Dragon Rapide, which he used for royal duties and he flew this aircraft to London on his accession as king in 1936, being the first British monarch to fly. It is on display in the Museo del Aire, Madrid, at the start of World War II, many Rapides were impressed by the British armed forces and served under the name de Havilland Dominie, for passenger and communications duties. Over 500 more were built for use, powered by improved Gipsy Queen engines. The Dominies were mainly used by the Royal Air Force and Royal Navy for radio, postwar they were used as communications aircraft by Royal Naval air station flights. Other civilian Dragon Rapides continued to fly for UK airlines as part of the Associated Airways Joint Committee, the AAJC co-ordinated the UKs wartime scheduled services which were entirely operated on over-water routes. After the war, many ex-RAF survivors entered commercial service, in 1958,81 examples were flying on the British register. Dominie production was by de Havilland and Brush Coachworks Ltd, the making the greater proportion. The DH.89 proved an economical and durable aircraft, despite its relatively primitive plywood construction, several Dragon Rapides are operational in the UK and several operators including Classic Wings and Plane Heritage offer pleasure flights in them. After the Second World War de Havilland introduced a Dragon Rapide replacement, D. H. 89A Improved version, fitted with a landing light in the nose, modified wing tips and cabin heating. D. H. 89A Series 4 D. H. 89A aircraft converted to two de Havilland Gipsy Queen 2 piston engines, fitted with constant speed propellers
5.
Douglas C-47 Skytrain
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The Douglas C-47 Skytrain or Dakota is a military transport aircraft developed from the civilian Douglas DC-3 airliner. It was used extensively by the Allies during World War II, the specialized C-53 Skytrooper troop transport started production in October 1941 at Douglas Aircrafts Santa Monica, California plant. It lacked the cargo door, hoist attachment and reinforced floor of the C-47, only a total of 380 aircraft were produced in all because the C-47 was found to be more versatile. During World War II, the forces of many countries used the C-47 and modified DC-3s for the transport of troops, cargo. The U. S. Naval designation was R4D, more than 10,000 aircraft were produced in Long Beach and Santa Monica, California and Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Between March 1943 and August 1945 the Oklahoma City plant produced 5,354 C-47s, additionally, C-47s were used to airlift supplies to the embattled American forces during the Battle of Bastogne. Possibly its most influential role in aviation, however, was flying The Hump from India into China. The expertise gained flying The Hump was later be used in the Berlin Airlift, in which the C-47 played a major role, until the aircraft were replaced by Douglas C-54 Skymasters. A C-47 flown by the China National Airways Corporation pilot Moon Chin, Moon Chin was tasked with flying from Chungking to Myitkyina, a military base in Burma. His aircraft was jumped by Japanese fighters and, after landing at a small airstrip to wait for his pursuers to give up the game. When Chins DC-3 arrived at Myitkyina, he found that the base had, indeed, been severely bombed by the Japanese, eventually, Chin would carry sixty-eight passengers and a crew of four on the final leg to India. After arriving in India, the tattered American approached Captain Chin, believe me, Chin, he began, if I had had any idea that you were going to jam that many people into this old crate I would have gone home the way I came. Chin inquired as to how that might have been and the American replied I flew in, the short, balding, bedraggled American was none other than Lt Col Jimmy Doolittle returning from the historic raid on Tokyo. In Europe, the C-47 and a specialised paratroop variant, the C-53 Skytrooper, were used in vast numbers in the stages of the war, particularly to tow gliders. During the invasion of Sicily in July 1943, C-47s dropped 4,381 Allied paratroops, more than 50,000 paratroops were dropped by C-47s during the first few days of the invasion of Normandy, France, in June 1944. In the Pacific War, with use of the island landing strips of the Pacific Ocean. About 2,000 C-47s in British and Commonwealth service took the name Dakota, the C-47 also earned the informal nickname gooney bird in the European theatre of operations. The United States Air Forces Strategic Air Command had Skytrains in service from 1946 through 1967, the US Air Forces 6th Special Operations Squadron was flying the C-47 until 2008
6.
British Midland International
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British Midland Airways Limited was an airline with its head office in Donington Hall in Castle Donington, close to East Midlands Airport, in the United Kingdom. BMI was a member of Star Alliance from 1 July 2000 until 20 April 2012, BMI was acquired from Lufthansa by International Airlines Group on 20 April 2012, and was integrated into British Airways by 27 October 2012. BMIs subsidiaries Bmibaby and BMI Regional were also purchased, although IAG did not wish to retain either, BMI Regional was sold to Sector Aviation Holdings in May 2012 and continues to operate, whereas Bmibaby closed down in September 2012. British Midland Airways Limited held a Civil Aviation Authority Type A Operating Licence, permitting it to passengers, cargo. The airline dates back to 1938, when Captain Roy Harben established Air Schools Limited as a school for training pilots of the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve. Captain Harben had been approached by the Derby Corporation to run a new aerodrome under construction near Burnaston, Sir Kingsley Wood, the Secretary of State for Air, officially opened the aerodrome as Derby Municipal Airport on 17 June 1939. Military flying training continued at the airport throughout the war, Air Schools Limited formed a parent company, Derby Aviation Limited, in 1946, and Harben died the following year of a heart attack. His wife remained the controlling shareholder of the business and asked E. W. Phillips, in 1953, Derby Aviation ceased flying training, following the award of a licence to operate scheduled flights from Burnaston and Wolverhampton to Jersey. Flights in each direction were required to land at Elmdon Airport in Birmingham to allow passengers to clear customs, the first flight was made on 18 July 1953, using a Dragon Rapide. The following year, Wolverhampton Aviation was merged into Derby Aviation, and, in 1955, the company purchased its first Douglas DC-3, International services to Ostend commenced in 1956, and flights carrying holidaymakers from the UK to mainland Europe began as well. The company was contracted by Rolls-Royce to transport aero engines to customers all over the world. In 1959, Derby Aviation formed Derby Airways as its airline business, domestic scheduled flights within the United Kingdom began the same year. The corporate colours of blue and white were adopted at that time, along with the first turboprop aircraft, from this point, Bishop drove the company forward, with domestic and European expansion continuing apace. As a first step, in November 1969, BMA took over Autairs Heathrow–Teesside route, in 1970, BMA entered the jet age with the introduction of three new BAC One-Eleven 500s, followed by an ex-Pan Am Boeing 707–321 in 1971. The former had been intended to be used on European inclusive tour charters while the latter was to be mainly used on transatlantic affinity group charters. All of these were leased to other operators, with none operating for BMA on scheduled or charter services until 1981, on 1 November 1974, BMA began operating between London Gatwick and Belfast, where it replaced the service previously operated by British Caledonian. London–Belfast was BMAs first UK domestic trunk route and the first all-year round route it served in competition with British Airways. BMAs Gatwick debut also made it the only airline at the time to operate scheduled services from all five contemporary London airports – Gatwick, Heathrow, Luton, Southend and Stansted
7.
Embraer EMB 110 Bandeirante
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The Embraer EMB110 Bandeirante is a general purpose 15–21 passenger twin-turboprop light transport aircraft suitable for military and civil duties. It was manufactured by the Brazilian corporation Embraer, the EMB110 was designed by the French engineer Max Holste following the specifications of the IPD-6504 program set by the Brazilian Ministry of Aeronautics in 1965. The goal was to create a general purpose aircraft, suitable for civilian and military roles with a low operational cost and high reliability. On this measure, the EMB110 has succeeded, the first prototype, with the military designation YC-95, was flown on 26 October 1968. and two other prototypes were built, known as EMB100. By 1969 an order was placed for 80 production aircraft, by now known as EMB110 Bandeirante, the Bandeirante received its Brazilian airworthiness certificate at the end of 1972. and on 9 February 1973 was made the first delivery to FAB. Further development of the EMB110 was halted by the manufacturer in order to focus to the larger, faster. On Dec 15,2010, the Brazilian Air Force first flew an upgraded EMB110 equipped with modern avionics equipment, designated as the C/P-95, the aircraft has had several new systems installed by Israeli firm Elbit Systems Brazilian subsidiary, Aeroeletronica. The Brazilian Air Force has a fleet of 96 EMB-110s. Deliveries started to the Brazilian Air Force in February 1973, the passenger model first flew on 9 August 1972 and entered commercial service on 16 April 1973 with the now defunct Brazilian airline company Transbrasil. Over the next 21 years Embraer built 494 aircraft in numerous configurations for a variety of roles, production was halted in 1990, as the EMB110 had been superseded by the Embraer EMB120 Brasilia. YC-95 or EMB100 - Prototype, powered by two 550 shp Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-20 turboprop engines, EMB110 Initial production version, powered by 680 shp PT6A-27 engines - Twelve seat military transport for the Brazilian Air Force, who designate it the C-95. EMB 110A - Radio calibration version for the Brazilian Air Force, eC-95B - Calibration version for the Brazilian Air Force. EMB 110B - Aerial survey, aerial photography version, seven built, six as R-95 for the Brazilian Air Force. EMB 110C - The first commercial model, similar to C-95, EMB 110C - Three navalised EMB 110Cs sold to the Chilean Navy. EMB 110E Executive version of EMB 110C, Six to eight seats. EMB 110E Modified version of EMB 110E. EMB 110P Dedicated commuter version of EMB 110C for Brazilian airlines, EMB 110P1 - Quick change civil cargo/passenger transport version based on EMB 110K1, with same rear cargo door. EMB 110P2 - Dedicated civil passenger version of EMB 110P1, without cargo door, EMB 111A - Maritime patrol version for the Brazilian Air Force. The aircraft also has the Brazilian Air Force designation P-95 Bandeirulha, two were leased to the Argentine Navy during the Falklands War due to the retirement of their last SP-2H Neptune and until the introduction of modified L-188 Electras
8.
Glasgow
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Glasgow is the largest city in Scotland, and third largest in the United Kingdom. Historically part of Lanarkshire, it is now one of the 32 council areas of Scotland and it is situated on the River Clyde in the countrys West Central Lowlands. Inhabitants of the city are referred to as Glaswegians, Glasgow grew from a small rural settlement on the River Clyde to become the largest seaport in Britain. From the 18th century the city grew as one of Great Britains main hubs of transatlantic trade with North America. Glasgow was the Second City of the British Empire for much of the Victorian era and Edwardian period, in the late 19th and early 20th centuries Glasgow grew in population, reaching a peak of 1,128,473 in 1939. The entire region surrounding the conurbation covers about 2.3 million people, at the 2011 census, Glasgow had a population density of 8, 790/sq mi, the highest of any Scottish city. Glasgow hosted the 2014 Commonwealth Games and is well known in the sporting world for the football rivalry of the Old Firm between Celtic and Rangers. Glasgow is also known for Glasgow patter, a dialect that is noted for being difficult to understand by those from outside the city. Glasgow is the form of the ancient Cumbric name Glas Cau. Possibly referring to the area of Molendinar Burn where Glasgow Cathedral now stands, the later Gaelic name Baile Glas Chu, town of the grey dog, is purely a folk-etymology. The present site of Glasgow has been settled since prehistoric times, it is for settlement, being the furthest downstream fording point of the River Clyde, the origins of Glasgow as an established city derive ultimately from its medieval position as Scotlands second largest bishopric. Glasgow increased in importance during the 10th and 11th centuries as the site of this bishopric, reorganised by King David I of Scotland and John, there had been an earlier religious site established by Saint Mungo in the 6th century. The bishopric became one of the largest and wealthiest in the Kingdom of Scotland, bringing wealth, sometime between 1189 and 1195 this status was supplemented by an annual fair, which survives as the Glasgow Fair. Glasgow grew over the following centuries, the first bridge over the River Clyde at Glasgow was recorded from around 1285, giving its name to the Briggait area of the city, forming the main North-South route over the river via Glasgow Cross. The founding of the University of Glasgow in 1451 and elevation of the bishopric to become the Archdiocese of Glasgow in 1492 increased the towns religious and educational status and landed wealth. Its early trade was in agriculture, brewing and fishing, with cured salmon and herring being exported to Europe, Glasgow was subsequently raised to the status of Royal Burgh in 1611. The citys Tobacco Lords created a water port at Port Glasgow on the Firth of Clyde. By the late 18th century more than half of the British tobacco trade was concentrated on Glasgows River Clyde, at the time, Glasgow held a commercial importance as the city participated in the trade of sugar, tobacco and later cotton
9.
Short 360
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The Short 360 is a commuter aircraft that was built by British manufacturer Short Brothers during the 1980s. The Short 360 seats up to 39 passengers and was introduced into service in November 1982 and it is a larger version of the Short 330. It is also known in aviation circles as The Shed. During the 1970s the worlds commuter airline market began to evolve from the 20-seat class to larger, Short Brothers of Northern Ireland had created the Skyvan in 1962, followed by the related but larger Short 330 in 1974. The Short 360 is a 36-seat derivative of the 30–33 seat Short 330, in high density configuration,39 passengers could be carried. The two Short airliners have a degree of commonality and are very close in overall dimensions. The later 360 is easily identified by a larger, swept tail unit mounted on a rear fuselage. The 360 has a 30 fuselage plug which gave sufficient additional length for two more rows, while the extra length smoothed out the aerodynamic profile and reduced drag. Seating is arranged with two seats on the side of the cabin and one seat on the port side. The 360s power is supplied by two Pratt & Whitney PT6A-65Rs, the development was announced in 1980, with the prototypes first flight on 1 June 1981 and type certification awarded on 3 September 1981. After initiating production with the model, Short marketed a number of 360 developments. First was the 360 Advanced, in late 1985, with 1,424 shp PT6A-65-AR engines, the 360/300 was also built in 360/300F freighter configuration. The first production Short 360 had its flight on 19 August 1982. The PT6A turboprops are fully ICAO Stage 3 noise-compliant, making the 360 one of the quietest turboprop aircraft operating today, production of the 360 ceased in 1991 after 165 deliveries. In 1998, approximately 110 360s were in service, in 2009 a retired Emerald Airlines 360 was bought by Kingsland Primary School in Stoke-on-Trent, for use as a mobile classroom. 360-100 - the first production model with Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-65R turboprop engines,360 Advanced - with PT6A-65AR engines rated at 1,424 shp each. The aircraft was later redesignated 360-200, 360-300 - with more powerful PT6A-67R engines with six-blade propellers. Higher cruise speed and improved performance, 360-300F - the freighter version of the -300, with capacity for five LD3 cargo containers
10.
Vickers Viscount
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The Vickers Viscount was a British medium-range turboprop airliner first flown in 1948 by Vickers-Armstrongs, the first such aircraft to enter service in the world. A product of the Brabazon Committee, it used a new form of propulsion, the Viscount was well received by the public for its cabin conditions, which included pressurisation, reductions in vibration and noise, and panoramic windows. It became one of the most successful and profitable of the first post-war transport aircraft,445 Viscounts were built for a range of international customers, during discussions between the committee and Vickers chief designer, Rex Pierson, Vickers advocated turboprop power. British European Airways was involved in the design and asked that the aircraft carry 32 passengers instead, the first design in June 1945 was based on the Viking with four turboprop engines and 24 seats and designated the VC-2 or Type 453. Later a double-bubble fuselage was proposed to give extra underfloor cargo space, neither was pressurised but it was soon realised that for economical operation an altitude above 20,000 ft was needed. The decision for pressurisation resulted in the double-bubble and elliptical fuselage designs being abandoned, a circular cross-section variant was offered at the beginning of 1946. The resulting 28-seat VC-2 was financed by the Ministry of Supply with an order for two prototypes, but, before the contract was signed, the government asked for the capacity to be increased to 32. This stretched the fuselage increase from 65 ft 5 in to 74 ft 6 in, the contract for the aircraft to Air Ministry specification C. 16/46 was signed on 9 March 1946 and Vickers allocated the designation Type 609 and the name Viceroy. While the Dart progressed better in development, the government asked in August 1947 for the prototype to be Dart-powered. The second prototype was designated the 630 and was named as the Viscount, the first prototype already under construction was converted to the Dart as a 630 as well. The resulting Vickers Type 630 design was completed at Brooklands by chief designer Rex Pierson and his staff in 1945, an order for two prototypes was placed in March 1946, and construction started in the companys Foxwarren Experimental Department. Originally Viceroy after the viceroy of India, Lord Louis Mountbatten, there was work on replacing the Darts with the Mamba, but this was dropped by the time the prototypes were reaching completion. After Piersons death in 1948, George Edwards took over as chief designer, the prototype Type 630, registered G-AHRF, made its maiden flight from the grass airfield at Wisley on 16 July 1948, piloted by Joseph Mutt Summers, Vickers chief test pilot. Retrospectively commenting on Britains aviation industry, Duncan Burn stated, Had BEA committed itself to support of the Viscount. It was quite likely that the version would have gone into production. It was in a sense BEAs lack of enthusiasm for the 630 which made possible the success and it flew scheduled flights between London and Paris, and London and Edinburgh until 23 August 1950. 29 July 1950 flight between Northolt and Paris – Le Bourget Airport with 14 paying passengers was the first scheduled flight by any turbine-powered aircraft. The second prototype Viscount, the Type 663 testbed, had two Rolls-Royce Tay turbojet engines and first flew in RAF markings as serial VX217 at Wisley on 15 March 1950
11.
Saab 340
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The Saab 340 is a Swedish twin-engine turboprop aircraft designed and initially produced by a partnership between Saab AB and Fairchild Aircraft in a 65,35 ratio. After Fairchild ceased this work, production of components was transferred to Sweden. On 25 January 1983, the Saab 340 conducted its maiden flight, during the early 1990s, an enlarged derivative of the airliner, designated as the Saab 2000, was introduced. However, sales of the type declined due to competition within the regional aircraft market. In 1998, Saab decided to terminate production of the Saab 340, during the 1970s, Swedish aircraft manufacturer Saab AB became increasingly interested in the civil aircraft market. In 1974, the decided to proceed with developing its first major civilian aircraft. During the late 1970s, internal studies had determined that a short-haul airliner should be optimised to seat around 30 passengers, as conceived, the airliner was to match the performance of jets within its short-haul role. Towards the end of the 1970s, the regional airliner venture had become the largest industrial venture in Sweden and was recognised as being too large for Saab to conduct alone. Accordingly, in January 1980, it was announced that Saab had entered into an arrangement with US manufacturer Fairchild Aircraft to develop. To match the new partnership, the received the designation of SF340. The 340 shared several manufacturing and design techniques that were used in Saabs military aircraft, one such technique was eliminating the use of rivets on the aluminium structures, using bonding instead, to reduce weight. On 25 January 1983, the first SF340 performed its maiden flight, shortly following its launch onto the market in 1984, the Saab 340 became the best selling commuter aircraft in the world. By 1987, all activity by Fairchild on the programme had ceased, a total of 159 A models were manufactured. A total of 200 aircraft were built, a total of 100 aircraft were completed, adding up to a total of 300 B models. The Saab 340 typically seated between 30 and 36 passengers, with 34 seats being the most common configuration, the last two 340s built were constructed as older configuration 36-seat aircraft for Japan Air Commuter. This optional feature carried over from the 340B was standard in the 340B Plus along with extended wingtips which was an option on the 340B and this increased total available cargo volume as the original location intruded into the cargo bin area. The system could also be retrofitted onto existing airliners, during the early 1980s, Swedens Defence Materiel Administration requested that Ericsson, a Swedish electronics company, develop a suitable radar for an airborne early warning system. The corresponding system was paired with the 340 as a platform
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