Short Springbok

Short Brothers · United Kingdom · first flew 1923 · reconnaissance aircraft

The Short Springbok was a two-seat, all-metal reconnaissance biplane produced for the British Air Ministry in the 1920s. Six aircraft of the Springbok design were built but none entered service with the armed forces.

Recognition (WEFT)

W — Wings	Mid-mounted, straight
E — Engines	1 × piston, nose-mounted
F — Fuselage	Streamlined monocoque fuselage mounted on the lower wing, almost filling the gap between the wings
T — Tail	Conventional

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Spot it by:

Single-bay biplane with wings of unequal span and chord
Streamlined monocoque fuselage mounted on the lower wing, almost filling the gap between the wings
Cut-out in the upper wing for the pilot's head, with the observer behind the pilot just behind the upper wing

An all-metal tandem two-seat biplane with a cross-axle undercarriage under the nose and a tailskid.

Specifications

The Short Springbok has a length of 8.2 m (27 ft).
It has a wingspan of 12.8 m (42 ft).
Its maximum speed is 195 km/h (121 mph).
Typical crew: 2.

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

History

It traces its history to the all-metal Short Silver Streak shown at the 1920 Olympia Aero Show. In response to Air Ministry Specification 19/21 for a Bristol Fighter replacement, Short Brothers contracted to deliver two S.3 Springbok I, the first of which flew on 19 April 1923.

Variants

The S.3a Springbok II first flew on 25 March 1925. The S.3b Chamois, first flown on 14 March 1927, had fabric covering in place of the aluminium covering of the S.3 and S.3a.

Where you'll see it

None entered service with the armed forces. Ailerons were on the upper wing only and the engine was a 425 hp Bristol Jupiter IV radial.

Related aircraft

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