The 330 Super Commuter

Today the airlines fly wide-bodied jets coast to coast and the only thing that the pilots have in common with their passengers is that most notched up their first flight in the DC3.

From the fifties on there were numerous attempts to replace the DC3. A number of aircraft in the same size/weight/performance regime were built but all went into operation costing many times per seat mile what the old Dakotas did. In the end, the DC3 was largely replaced by the F27 Friendship which just happened to fit into a market niche uncovered by the solid growth in commercial air traffic of the period.

What has all this got to do with the Shorts 330?

Well, if you peruse the figure work for both aircraft you suddenly realise the obvious similarities between the two. Each is of two engines in the 1200 horsepower class, each carries a similar number of passengers, each operates at similar speeds over similar route distances and most impor­antly each aircraft opts to perform the same role.

Just as in the forties and fifties there existed a large number of airlines, particularly in North America, flying passengers from small towns to the larger cities in DC3s, in the eighties the Shorts 330 will be set to emerge as the prin­cipal commuter aircraft hopefully, for Shorts, emulating the Douglas aeroplane and its popular appeal to passengers and aircrew alike.

No doubt the modern day 330 would have had the postdepression Douglas Commercial Transport design team drooling if they could have inspected an example of what the advanced 30-seater would look like four and a half decades later.

A walk around the aircraft is quite fascinating. The overall square effect of the slab fuselage sides and underbelly in ad­dition to the extremely high aspect ratio wings and the square tail make this a very functional aeroplane. Cabin access is via a short-step airstair and the aircraft is engineered totally as an independent unit. In fact the aircraft is so independent of outside support equipment that one US commuter operator, Henson Air, operates a schedule which covers one landing every 20 minutes, turnarounds are booked for 15 minutes (20 when refuelling) but have been accomplished in as little as six minutes.

This is what commuter flying is all about and is an environment that the Shorts fills perfectly.

Inside the cabin one is impressed with the overall feeling of spaciousness. The passenger environment was designed by the same independent team which consulted for Boeing and in­ deed led cabin development on the 747 project. The central aisle is totally unlike most commuter aircraft in that even a six footer can stand erect with several inches between him and the ceiling panels. Seating is comfortable and again every inch of space is utilised to offer similar leg room to that of the larger jets. Large windows further add to the feeling of spaciousness which is a point of considerable importance in this type of aircraft due to the fact that a lot of non-flyers will be flying the commuter line in preference to coach, car or train travel. A lot of potential commuter passengers are “scared” off by the small size of these aircraft, the Shorts will be a positive step forward in psychologically encouraging these non-flying people that there are alternatives to sitting in a train for six hours when travelling to the city.

The aircraft comes fully equipped, complete with a beverage galley and toilet – again services rarely found on existing commuter airliners. Hand baggage is safely stowed away in spacious overhead lockers and the cabin is air­ conditioned throughout. Noise levels inside the aircraft are very low owing to the slow-rotation Hartzell five-blade prop. In fact one of the biggest assets is that the 330 is not only geared for SEMI-STOL operations but it is extremely quiet in both landing and take-off modes.

Power for the Shorts is supplied by the reliable Pratt & Whitney PT6A-45 turboprop. Each engine produces 1120shp for take-off and 1020shp for maximum continuous cruise. Power augmentation by water-methanol injection is available to maintain the rated take-off power in hot or high con­ditions. Time Between Overhauls (TBO) is currently booked at 3000hrs and will extend as time passes, while some of the less powerful PT6 units are certified right out to 8000hrs TBO. This, of course, represents a tremendous saving on costly maintenance and aircraft downtime.

The real asset of the 330 is that it can operate fully loaded from a 3600 ft field which of course means access to airstrips that normally would be open to aircraft no larger than, say, Twin Otters. At full payload the 330, using long range cruise power settings will cover 740nm which also includes reserves for a 100nm diversion and a 45 minute hold. Performance of this calibre is matched by an economical cruise speed of 184mph and a high speed cruise of 221mph. The 330 is primarily designed for short haul commuter operations and to this end Shorts have stressed the airframe to withstand not less than 40,000 flights over an average stage length of 100nm. Coupled with the low-maintenance engines and systems a fatigue life of this magnitude not only greatly reduces short­ term operating costs but also serves to enhance the aircraft’s saleability on the used airliner market in years to come.

And where does the Shorts fit into Australia?

Already there has been a lot of press coverage on the problems faced by TAA operating certain sectors of their Queensland operation with F27s. While not wishing to detract from the economics of the Friendship, it is a 36/55 seat airliner that needs a reasonable level of patronage to remain viable. Obviously, 20 passengers in a Shorts will represent a 66 per cent load factor as against 55/36 percent for the Fokker depending on which variant is flown. This is an economic fact that the Shorts 330 is well equipped to handle as it is the only modern aircraft in the 30 place category slotting in nicely between the Fokker at the high end and the Bandeirante and Metro at the low end.

From Sydney alone, both East-West and Ansett Airlines of New South Wales would enjoy higher per-flight load factors and reduced operating costs if the 330 were used on such sectors as Sydney/Taree, Sydney/Bathurst, Sydney/Orange or for that matter Sydney/Newcastle with Aero Pelican or Maslings. This equation of smallish market/short range equally applies to every Australian State and opens up true market potential offering the opportunity of frequency consolidation in current circumstances where the smaller commuters are too small or the F27 is simply too large and its services cannot be reduced any further without losing the market entirely.

Shorts are working overtime to sell the 330 to local operators, while results at the time of writing have not led to contracts being signed it is encouraging to note the overall level of acceptance has been very positive. There is a big market for this aircraft type in Australia and while it won’t appear overnight I would stick my neck out with some measure of safety and suggest that a lot of 330s will be sold and that production will continue right into the next century. Already Shorts have met with strong success in the USA, where commuter operators are booming along with every facet of aviation owing to the deregulation environment where the government is letting the airlines do what they do best – run their own airlines with a minimum of government harassment – something that could well be emulated here and to date 38 aircraft have been sold to 10 operators including several re-orders.

Shorts have estimated that the potential market for a 30-place aircraft of this type is 600/800 units from 1968 through to 1985. Half of this number is for strictly civil operations and Horts hope to catch around 25 per cent of the total market. Breakeven on the 330 project is between 100 and 120 aircraft depending upon the monthly production rate in the initial production years.

Also in the background is the SR 330 Seeker, a variant configured for offshore surveillance and maritime reconnaissance. Again falling as it does between the often “too small” Nomad/King Air type aircraft and the “too big” Fokker Maritime and BAe146 Coastguarder, the Seeker could fulfil the SR requirements of many nations requiring a reasonably sized offshore aircraft without spending large amounts on the bigger twin props. Projected assets of the Seeker would be full 360-degree radar, 9. 5hr endurance, comprehensive IFR avionics and VLF/Omega long-range navigation equipment, blister windows and a large standard front freight door from which life rafts, etc can be ejected.

Shorts are very keen to gain access to the Australian market, not only with the 330 airliner but also the Seeker, and to this end, they have made significant offers of co-production of any locally acquired aircraft. Fokker made a similar offer a quarter century ago and we, in our best “give it a go” tradi­tion refused, the result was around 100,000 man-hours lost workload and the opportunity to assemble and sub-contract on more than 100 Friendships down the proverbial drain.

Another variant under examination by Shorts is a general STOL military transport, a role well served by Shorts’ smaller Skyvan. The rear fuselage sections of the 330 are already 90 per cent there as far as fitment of a rear loading ramp isconcern­ ed, this would, with more powerful engines, give the aircraft similar capability to the Caribou. If Australia should become involved it is no secret that we could eventually be a heavy partner in both design and development of future 330 variants. When one takes into account that in the next 10 years we will be seeking a replacement for the RAAF HS-748 navigation trainers the eternal Dakotas and of course the Caribou tactical transports one sees a local market potential for upwards of 50 aircraft, without even allowing for any possible Seeker sales.

Will it occur again, who knows, except that as a manufacturing nation, we have learnt a lot in the past two decades, including perhaps that a link-up with an established aircraft manufacturer (Shorts produced the first ever airliner back in 1909) in a program which looks a good solid long-term winner would definitely be good news for Australia.