Бриттен Норман Trislander: үш қозғалтқышты ұшақ тарихы

Three engined piston airliner of the Britten Norman BN 2 family 1970

The Britten Norman Trislander (more formally designated the BN 2A Mk III Trislander) is a three engined piston powered utility aircraft designed and produced by the British aircraft manufacturer Britten Norman. The Trislander was designed in the late 1960s as an expanded derivative of the company's Islander, a twin engined commercial aircraft that had proved to be a commercial success. In comparison to its predecessor, it had a larger carrying capacity, being capable of seating up to 18 passengers, and could also perform STOL operations when required. On 11 September 1970, the prototype Trislander performed its maiden flight; the type entered revenue service less than a year later. Being marketed primarily as a feederliner and mostly sold to civilian operators, the Trislander was primarily manufactured at the company's facility on the Isle of Wight between 1970 and 1982. Later on, the Trislander was also produced in Romania, and delivered via Belgium to Britain for certification. Several different commuter airlines have operated the Trislander in scheduled passenger services, the largest being the Guernsey based operator Aurigny, which flew the type for over 40 years. Despite plans to produce the Trislander at the American manufacturer International Aviation Corporation (IAC) as the Tri Commutair, these did not come to fruition.

During the 1960s, the British aircraft manufacturer Britten Norman, founded by John Britten and Desmond Norman, had designed and commenced production of the Islander, a twin engined commercial aircraft that quickly proved itself to be a commercial success. Being keen to capitalise on the Islander, the company's management opted to pursue development of a larger aircraft that would be derived from its predecessor as to benefit from commonalities and to lower development costs. In 1968, the company flew a stretched variant of the aircraft, known as the BN 2E Islander Super, however, this model was never pursued through to certification in favour of a more radical alternative design the Trislander. Confidence in the type was such that it appeared at the Farnborough Air Show that same day. Aurigny would be the largest operator of the type, operating 16 Trislanders at its peak. the type having been replaced by newer Dornier 228s. One of the ex Aurigny Trislanders has been preserved and placed on display at the Imperial War Museum Duxford in the UK while another aircraft is displayed at Oaty & Joey's play barn at Oatlands Village in Guernsey. Following the acquisition of Britten Norman by the Fairey Aviation Group in August 1972 and the formation of the Fairey Britten Norman company; the majority of manufacturing activity for both the Islander and Trislander was transferred to its Avions Fairey factory in Gosselies, Belgium. All production activity of the type in Britain ceased in 1982, by which point 73 Trilanders had been delivered while a further seven aircraft were complete but unsold; that same year, Pilatus Britten Norman sold a manufacturing license to the American manufacturer International Aviation Corporation (IAC). IAC had planned to produce an initial batch of 12 Trislanders (which were to be marketed under the name Tri Commutairs) from parts kits supplied by Britten Norman before undertaking full production, however, these plans ultimately came to nothing. Into the 2020s, companies have continued to operate the Trislander; a number have been made available for private entities to hire.

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. 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.

On 8 October 1977, ZS JYF, operated by Southern Aviation, impacted the ground while attempting a stall turn during an air display at Lanseria in South Africa. Despite sustaining severe damage (it was damaged beyond repair) the aircraft performed an emergency landing and neither occupant was injured. On 15 December 2008, a Trislander operated by LAP in Puerto Rico crashed into the sea somewhere near the Turks and Caicos, 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 5 July 2009, a Trislander belonging to Great Barrier Airlines (now Barrier Air) lost its starboard side prop six minutes into a flight from Great Barrier Island, New Zealand, to Auckland. 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.