Short Brothers S.7 Mussel

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Short Brothers began in 1925 the design of a Cirrus-engined two-seat twin-float monoplane, using the familiar duraluminum monocoque fuselage construction already proved on the Cockle, Satellite and Springbok. This design (index No. S.7) was named the Mussel after the club-house near Short Brothers' first aeroplane factory on Sheppey in 1909.
While the primary purpose of the Mussel was always to contribute to current research-it owed its existence as a light touring seaplane to Eustace Short's latter-day enthusiasm for flying. When the prospect arose of building a light seaplane in succession to the Cockle he had insisted that it should be a two-seater on which he might learn to fly, and no effort was spared to make the Mussel a really delightful machine to handle. John Parker gave him his first dual instruction in July 1926 and lessons continued concurrently with experimental flying until he went solo on 19 October, 1927. Thereafter he flew with great regularity, both with Parker and solo, quite regardless of rough weather, which he seemed to enjoy even more than fine. On one occasion, while exploring a coastal landmark, each pilot thought the other was flying the Mussel, and it was some 10 minutes before they both realised that it had been flying itself in a series of gentle dives and climbing turns round the object of their interest.
On 24 August, 1928, Eustace was coming in after a solo flight when he touched one wing-tip on the mast of a barge in the Medway, and the Mussel cart-wheeled into the water. Short Brothers' boatman, George Wadhams, was quickly on the spot, and Eustace was rescued unhurt, but the seaplane had both wings torn off and the tail and chassis buckled. It was stripped for inspection in the works and condemned as uneconomical for repair, its C. of A. being cancelled in January 1929.
Eustace Short's solo flying time on G-EBMJ totalled 23 hours 44 minutes. It had been decided to build an improved Mussel because of its great experimental usefulness and to allow Eustace Short to continue flying, since he had little enthusiasm for landplanes but wanted to spend his time between wind and water.
The Mussel lI was generally similar to the first in its final form, but it had an all-metal wing structure of NACA M.12 section and the fuselage was flat-sided at the wing-roots, so no fillets were needed; it had a 90 hp Cirrus III driving a Short patent metal airscrew, also water rudders to make taxying easier. It was launched for its first flight by Parker on 17 May, 1929, being flown to Felixstowe in June for airworthiness trials as G-AAFZ. Eustace Short enjoyed flying it as an amphibian, and in fact John Parker at last persuaded him to apply for his 'A' licence (after accumulating more than 200 hours) which was granted on 22 February, 1931.
On 29 August the spare Gipsy II engine, complete with standard Moth cowling, was installed in the Mussel II, which Eustace Short continued to fly almost daily after its main development programme was finished. On 8 April, 1932, he returned from a brief flight and made a downwind but otherwise perfect landing on the Medway, but was seen to continue taxying until the seaplane grounded on the mud on the Cuxton side. George Wadhams went across at once, but Eustace was found to have died of a heart attack just after touching down, without time to cut the ignition. He evidently had some premonition of the event, for on his way out that day he had looked into Parker's office and said, 'One day I shan't switch off'; Parker called back, 'Are you all right but got no reply. Incidentally, Eustace Short never learned that ignition switches worked the opposite way to domestic ones and Dick Rowett, who usually started his engine for him, always had to call 'Switch on' before sucking in and 'Switch off' instead of 'Contact' before starting.
On 12 August, 1933, G-AAFZ was raced by Parker against a Chriscraft speed-boat driven by Arthur Bray in the Rochester Regatta, repeating this performance at Sheerness on 6 September; G-AAFZ appears to have flown for the last time on 15 September, 1933, with Dennis Kemp as passenger, and was scrapped in January 1934.

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@deltavee2 11 жыл бұрын

Eustace - what a way to go...out in a heartbeat, doing something you love. We should all be so lucky. Bomberguy - Thank you is not enough for all this work you have put up here, but it is sincere. Thanks.