Short S.47 Triple Tractor
Short Brothers · United Kingdom · first flew 1912 · light aircraft
The Short S.47 Triple Tractor was one of a series of experimental twin-engined aircraft built by Short Brothers in 1912, named because its two engines drove three tractor propellers.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | Mid-mounted, straight |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 2 × piston, nose-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | Unequal-span two-bay biplane with the fuselage between the upper and lower wings |
| T — Tail | Conventional |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- Two Gnome rotary engines mounted in tandem in the extended nose
- One propeller at the front plus a pair of tractor propellers mounted at mid-gap between the wings, driven by chains
- Unequal-span two-bay biplane with the fuselage between the upper and lower wings
A two-bay biplane with a square-section fuselage between the wings and three propellers, one at the nose and a pair in the gap between the wings.
Specifications
- The Short S.47 Triple Tractor has a length of 12.5 m (41 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 14.63 m (48 ft).
- Its maximum speed is 97 km/h (60 mph).
- Typical crew: 2.
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
It followed the Tandem Twin and Triple Twin, the aim of fitting two engines being an aircraft that could keep flying if one engine failed. It had a rectangular rudder on the sternpost and a rectangular horizontal stabiliser with split elevator mounted on top of the fuselage.
Variants
Its two 50 hp Gnome Double Omega engines were mounted in tandem, the front one driving a single propeller and the rear one driving the pair of propellers by chains.
Where you'll see it
Frank McClean first flew it on 24 July 1912, and after a formal acceptance flight by Lt C. L'Estrange-Malone it was bought by the Admiralty as T.4 at the Eastchurch Naval School. It performed well, but the heat it generated earned it the nickname The Field Kitchen.
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