Scottish Aviation Twin Pioneer

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Twin Pioneer
Twin Pioneer Prototype at Farnborough 1954.jpg
Twin Pioneer prototype bearing Scottish Airlines markings at the 1955 Farnborough SBAC Show
General information
TypeTransport
Manufacturer Scottish Aviation
Primary users Royal Air Force
Number built87
History
Introduction date1956
First flight25 June 1955
Retired1972 [1] [ citation needed ]
Developed from Scottish Aviation Pioneer

The Scottish Aviation Twin Pioneer was a British STOL transport aircraft built by Scottish Aviation Limited at Prestwick Airport, Scotland, during the 1950s. It was designed for both civil and military operators. It was conceived as a twin-engined version of the Pioneer light transport. Both aircraft required "an area only 30m (99ft) by 275m (902ft) in which to operate." [2]

Contents

Design and development

Powered by two Alvis Leonides radial engines, the Twin Pioneer was a high-wing cabin monoplane with a triple fin and rudder assembly and fixed tailwheel undercarriage. [3] The prototype Twin Pioneer, registered G-ANTP, first flew at Prestwick Airport on 25 June 1955. [4] Flight trials demonstrated that the aircraft had a very short landing run and the aircraft was displayed at the September 1955 Society of British Aircraft Constructors Show at Farnborough. [5] [6]

Three pre-production aircraft were built for trials, and sales and demonstrations. [4]

In 1958, the 33rd aircraft was used as a prototype for the Series 2 with Pratt & Whitney Wasp R-1340 radial engines of which 5 had been ordered by Philippine Air Lines. In 1959, a Series 3 version was developed to use the improved Alvis Leonides 531 radial engine. [7]

Early in its operational life in 1957 the Twin Pioneer suffered two fatal accidents due to fatigue failure which caused the outer panel of the wing to detach from the aircraft in flight. [8] [9] This issue required significant re-design of the structure and adversely impacted sales. [10]

Operational history

Scottish Aviation Twin Pioneer at Labuan Labuan-Twin-Pin.JPG
Scottish Aviation Twin Pioneer at Labuan
RAF Twin Pioneer CC.1 wearing sand camouflage in service in 1968 SAL Twin Pioneer XL993 ABIN 15.06.68 edited-2.jpg
RAF Twin Pioneer CC.1 wearing sand camouflage in service in 1968

The military version could carry external stores such as bombs under the stub wings. One aircraft became the first aircraft for the newly formed Royal Malaysian Air Force when it was delivered on 16 January 1962; the type served with the air force for 12 years.

The Royal Air Force ordered 39 aircraft, which were built between 1958 and 1959, deployed in Aden and the Far East. [10] It was used extensively by British forces in the Malayan Emergency and the later confrontation in Borneo. In August 1959, No. 78 Squadron RAF at Khormaksar received some Twin Pioneers to supplement its single engine Pioneers. [11] The Twin Pioneers were employed in moving troops and supplies around the wilderness and on occasions lending support to the Sultan of Oman. A series of double engine failures caused problems with the squadron losing two aircraft on the same day. Unsuitable soft and hard landing strips were also causes of failures during landings.

Other squadrons that operated the Twin Pioneers were No. 152 Squadron RAF based at Muharraq in Bahrain and No. 21 Squadron RAF, [11] which reformed with the type at Benson in May 1959. The squadron then moved to Kenya and in June 1965 to Aden. No. 152 operated around the Persian Gulf and in 1959, No. 209 Squadron RAF based at Seletar began to receive Twin Pioneers. These operated in Borneo and Malaya. The SRCU (Short Range Conversion Unit) at RAF Odiham also flew three Twin Pioneers for aircrew training. RAF No. 230 Squadron in the UK was the last military operator of the Twin Pioneer. The squadron operated the type in an interesting sand-colour camouflage scheme.

Although mainly used in military operations, the Twin Pioneer was also successful as a commercial transport for operation in areas without proper airfields, where unprepared surfaces were often the norm. Twin Pioneers were sold as survey aircraft to oil exploration companies with some of the first sales to Rio Tinto Finance and Exploration Limited, and the Austrian and Swiss government survey departments. Three were used by the 'Kroonduif' in Dutch New Guinea.

One Twin Pioneer served as a STOL training aircraft with the Empire Test Pilot School (ETPS) at RAE Farnborough for many years.

Variants

Many Series 1 aircraft were subsequently converted to Series 3 standard, including the prototype and all the remaining RAF CC.Mk 1 aircraft. [11]

Operators

Civil operators

Scottish Aviation Twin Pioneer Srs3, VH-AIS Scottish Aviation Twin Pioneer Srs3, VH-AIS.JPG
Scottish Aviation Twin Pioneer Srs3, VH-AIS
Twin Pioneer of Air Atlantique at Exeter in 1998 Twin Pioneer of Air Atlantique.jpg
Twin Pioneer of Air Atlantique at Exeter in 1998

Flag of Australia (converted).svg Australia

Flag of Austria.svg Austria

Flag of Canada (Pantone).svg Canada

An Atlantic Air Transport Scottish Aviation Twin Pioneer Srs3 Scottish Aviation Twin Pioneer Srs3, Atlantic Air Transport AN0242347.jpg
An Atlantic Air Transport Scottish Aviation Twin Pioneer Srs3
A Scottish Aviation Twin Pioneer of JF Airlines Scottish Aviation Twin Pioneer.jpg
A Scottish Aviation Twin Pioneer of JF Airlines

Flag of Ecuador.svg Ecuador

Flag of Iceland.svg Iceland

Flag of Indonesia.svg Indonesia

Flag of Iran.svg Iran

Flag of Iraq.svg Iraq

Flag of Kuwait.svg Kuwait

Flag of Laos.svg Laos

Flag of Malaysia.svg Malaysia

Flag of Nepal.svg   Nepal

Morning Star flag.svg Netherlands New Guinea

Flag of Nigeria.svg Nigeria

Flag of North Borneo (1948-1963).svg Crown Colony of North Borneo

Flag of Norway.svg Norway

Flag of the Philippines.svg Philippines

Flag of Sierra Leone.svg Sierra Leone

Flag of Switzerland (Pantone).svg  Switzerland

Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom

Military operators

Flag of Indonesia.svg Indonesia
Flag of Malaysia.svg Malaysia
Flag of Nepal.svg   Nepal
Flag of Oman.svg Oman
Flag of the United Kingdom.svg  United Kingdom

Aircraft on display

Australia

A Mk 1 aircraft is privately owned and is in open storage on a private airfield in Queensland

Indonesia

Malaysia

Scottish Aviation Twin Pioneer of the Royal Malaysian Air Force Malacca-Twin-Pioneer-Malaysian-airforce-FM1064-Mar-2001-00.JPG
Scottish Aviation Twin Pioneer of the Royal Malaysian Air Force
On display

Twin Pioneer Mk 3 FM1001 is in the collection of the Royal Malaysian Air Force Museum, located since 2021 at RMAF Sendayan, but the museum is closed

United Kingdom

On display
Stored or under restoration

Twin Pioneer Mk 2 G-APRS (G-BCWF) was airworthy in the collection of the Classic Air Force, Coventry, England. [21] It was transported to Stirling, Scotland in July 2018 to be converted to a 'glamping' home. [22]

Incidents and accidents

Specifications (Twin Pioneer CC Mk.1)

Fixed undercarriage of Twin Pioneer CC.Mk 1 Twin Pioneer CC.Mk 1 Undercarriage.jpg
Fixed undercarriage of Twin Pioneer CC.Mk 1

Data fromJane's All the World's Aircraft 1958-59 [27]

General characteristics

520 hp (388 kW) maximum continuous

Performance

Armament

See also

Related development

Aircraft of comparable role, configuration, and era

Related lists

References

  1. Hagby: 75
  2. Royal Air Force Museum – Scottish Aviation Twin Pioneer Archived 20 February 2008 at the Wayback Machine rafmuseum.org.uk Retrieved: 11 May 2010
  3. Taylor 1961, p. 181.
  4. 1 2 Jackson 1988, p. 127.
  5. Hemming Air Enthusiast August to October 1993, p. 26.
  6. "Development of Twin Pioneer". The Glasgow Herald. 22 October 1956. Retrieved 24 November 2016.
  7. 1 2 3 4 5 Jackson 1988, pp. 128-9.
  8. 1 2 ASN Aircraft accident Scottish Aviation Twin Pioneer 1 JZ-PPX 30 Aug 1957 off Japen Island, Papua New Guinea aviation-safety.net Retrieved: 28 January 2020
  9. 1 2 ASN Aircraft accident Scottish Aviation Twin Pioneer 1 G-AOEO 7 Dec 1957 Fezzan, Libya aviation-safety.net Retrieved: 28 January 2020
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 "Our company > Heritage > Scottish Aviation Twin Pioneer". BAE Systems . Retrieved 17 August 2024.
  11. 1 2 3 Thetford 1988, p. 470.
  12. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 Stroud 1994, p. 54
  13. "Twin Pioneer : Sang Pionir Bermesin Ganda Andalan di Papua". aviahistoria.com (in Indonesian). 15 November 2017. Retrieved 10 February 2021.
  14. "Peace Research Institute". Stockholm International Peace Research Institute. 1971. Archived from the original on 29 December 2017. Retrieved 10 February 2021.
  15. Jackson 1988, p. 130.
  16. Jackson 1988, p. 554.
  17. "Lanud Manuhua Laksanakan Re-colour Monumen Pesawat — TNI Angkatan Udara on Twitter". twitter.com/_TNIAU (in Indonesian). 21 November 2016. Retrieved 10 February 2021.
  18. Ellis 2016, p. 195
  19. Ellis 2016, p. 310
  20. Ellis 2016, p. 275
  21. Ellis 2016, p. 274
  22. Twin Pioneer to be converted to Holiday Home Retrieved: 29 January 2020
  23. "Aircraft accident Scottish Aviation Twin Pioneer 1 G-ANTP 10 March 1960, Jorhat-Rowriah Airport, India". Flight Safety Foundation . Retrieved 17 August 2024.
  24. "Aircraft accident Scottish Aviation Twin Pioneer 1 9M-ANC Limbang Airport (LMN)]". Flight Safety Foundation . Retrieved 17 August 2024.
  25. "Aircraft accident Scottish Aviation Twin Pioneer PK-GTC 14 May 1963". Flight Safety Foundation . Retrieved 17 August 2024.
  26. "Aircraft accident Scottish Aviation Twin Pioneer PK-GTB 20 September 1963". Flight Safety Foundation. Retrieved 17 August 2024.
  27. Bridgman, Leonard, ed. (1958). Jane's All the World's Aircraft 1958-59. London: Jane's All the World's Aircraft Publishing Co. Ltd. pp. 98–100.
  28. Lednicer, David. "The Incomplete Guide to Airfoil Usage". m-selig.ae.illinois.edu. Retrieved 16 April 2019.

Bibliography