Short S.4 Satellite

Short Brothers · United Kingdom · first flew 1924 · light aircraft

The Short S.4 Satellite was a small British two-seater sporting monoplane produced in 1924 for the Air Ministry Two-Seater Light Aeroplane competition. Only one was built.

Recognition (WEFT)

W — Wings	Mid-mounted, straight
E — Engines	1 × piston, nose-mounted
F — Fuselage	Fabric-covered wings, tail and fuselage on a monocoque fuselage
T — Tail	Conventional

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Spot it by:

Small two-seat mid-wing monoplane with cantilever wings
Fabric-covered wings, tail and fuselage on a monocoque fuselage
Single small Bristol Cherub engine at the nose

A small monoplane with cantilever fabric-covered wings of 10.3 m span. After wing flutter at 90 mph the span was reduced by 2 ft, and the aircraft was nicknamed Parker's Tin Kettle.

Specifications

The Short S.4 Satellite has a length of 7.24 m (24 ft).
It has a wingspan of 10.3 m (34 ft).
Its maximum speed is 116 km/h (72 mph).
Typical crew: 1.

Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.

History

Design began in July 1924 with only weeks available before the competition, so the monocoque fuselage was of conventional design, with wooden box spars and duralumin ribs, tailplane, elevators, fin and rudder. It first flew on 10 September 1924, powered by an ungeared 33 hp Bristol Cherub.

Variants

Only one aircraft was built, and it was re-engined during its life. It was fitted with a tuned Cherub, then a geared Cherub II and later an ABC Motors Scorpion Mk. II.

Where you'll see it

Flown by company chief test pilot J. Lankester Parker, it lacked the power to fly with a passenger at the Lympne competition in 1924. It took part in the Grosvenor Cup race on 4 October and finished seventh.

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