A Short 330 of Time Air, the launch customer.
The Short 330 is a twin-engined regional airliner for up to 30 passengers and utility aircraft produced by the British manufacturer Short Brothers plc. The Short 330 was developed by Short Brothers of Belfast from Short's earlier Short Skyvan STOL utility transport. The 330 had a longer wingspan and fuselage than the Skyvan, while retaining the Skyvan's square-shaped fuselage cross section, allowing it to carry up to 30 passengers while retaining good short field characteristics.
The first prototype of the 330 flew on August 22nd, 1974. The Short 330 entered service with Time Air (a Canadian airline) in 1976. Despite its somewhat portly looks (one regional airline affectionately dubbed it the "Shed"), it soon proved to be an inexpensive and reliable 30-seat airliner.
Production ended in 1992 with a total of approximately 136 being built (including freighter and military versions).
Variants[]
- Short 330-100: Initial production version, 30 passengers powered by two 1,200 shp Rolls-Royce RNa.6A-45R Nimbus or 1,020shp Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-45A or 45B
- Short 330-100F: Cargo version of the Short 330-100
- Short 330-200: Improved version, 30 passengers powered by two 1,200 shp Rolls-Royce RNa.6A-45R Nimbus or 1,198shp Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-45R
- Short 330-200F: Cargo version of the Short 330-200