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| Short S.27 | |
|---|---|
| Name | Short S.27 |
| Role | Experimental biplane |
| Manufacturer | Short Brothers |
| First flight | 1909 |
| Primary user | Short Brothers |
Short S.27
The Short S.27 was an early British tandem biplane developed by Short Brothers in the 1900s for pioneering aviators including Frank McClean and Eustace L. C. Chappell. It served as a platform for experiments connected to Royal Aero Club, Aviation Week (1909), and flights near Eastchurch, carrying pilots associated with J.T.C. Moore-Brabazon, Charles Rolls, and Austro-Hungarian Empire visitors. The design influenced later types used by Royal Naval Air Service, Royal Flying Corps, and manufacturers such as Vickers and Sopwith.
The S.27 was produced by Short Brothers at Rochester, Kent under the direction of Horace Short and Eustace Short, drawing on experience from earlier work with Wright Brothers patents, Octave Chanute concepts, and contemporary efforts by Louis Blériot. Its biplane configuration featured unequal-span wings, a forward elevator, and a rear-mounted rudder similar to layouts by Farman, Voisin, and Bleriot XI derivatives. Powerplants ranged from Green engines to Gnome engine rotary units adapted to contemporary propeller design influenced by A. V. Roe and Henri Rougier. The undercarriage incorporated skids and wheels inspired by trials at Brooklands and modifications used by Samuel Cody and Percival Spencer. Construction used marine-grade techniques linked to Shorts' shipbuilding experience and materials like ash wood and linen dating to methods promoted by Percival Lowell and Isambard Kingdom Brunel advocates.
The S.27 entered service with private aviators at Eastchurch and was demonstrated at events organized by Royal Aero Club, Aviation Meeting (1909), and shows attended by dignitaries from Adelaide, South Australia delegations and observers from Imperial German Navy. Pilots including J.T.C. Moore-Brabazon, Charles Rolls, C. H. Rolls, and Horace Short conducted record flights, cross-country attempts, and flights judged under rules from Daily Mail aviation prizes and Reims Aviation Meeting standards. The S.27 was used for training by crews later commissioned into Royal Naval Air Service and Royal Flying Corps during the prelude to First World War, influencing tactics later seen at Battle of the Somme and in patrols over the English Channel. Demonstrations for industrial figures like William Beardmore and politicians such as Winston Churchill contributed to military adoption conversations alongside procurement by firms like Sopwith Aviation Company and Vickers Limited.
Several adaptations of the S.27 were produced, incorporating different engines and structural changes paralleling work by Gnome et Rhône, Jaques Schneider competitors, and Avro designers. Notable variants included two-seat trainers reconfigured for dual controls reflecting practices by Maurice Farman trainers and modified examples fitted with dual Gnome rotaries following trends set by S.E. Saunders and Handley Page. Short-built floatplane conversions for operations at RNAS Calshot mirrored advances by Curtiss and Glenn Curtiss in naval aviation. Further experimental versions tested by Royal Aircraft Factory staff adopted control surface changes akin to those used on BE2 designs.
Civilian operators included members of the Royal Aero Club, flying clubs around Isle of Sheppey, and private owners such as Frank McClean and J.T.C. Moore-Brabazon. Military use involved early service with elements of the Royal Naval Air Service and the Royal Flying Corps for pilot training and reconnaissance development. International demonstrations reached delegations from France, Germany, Italy, and Australasia who liaised with firms like Short Brothers and Vickers concerning procurement and licensing.
No original S.27 airframes are known to survive intact in major collections such as the Science Museum, London, Imperial War Museum, or Museo del Aire (Madrid), though replicas and reproductions have been constructed by museums and enthusiasts inspired by archival material from Short Brothers and period photographs preserved in the National Archives (United Kingdom). Recreated examples have been displayed at venues including Brooklands Museum, Royal Air Force Museum, and private collections tied to restoration specialists like The Shuttleworth Collection and Brooklands Trust.
General characteristics - Crew: two (pilot and passenger/instructor) - Length: approximately similar to contemporaries by Farman and Blériot - Wingspan: comparable to early Short Brothers biplanes exhibited at Reims - Powerplant: variety of Green engine inline or Gnome rotary engines Performance - Role: experimental, training, reconnaissance precursor to WWI aircraft designs - Notable features: forward elevator, biplane unequal-span wings, skid-and-wheel undercarriage
Category:Short Brothers aircraft