Country of origin:

United Kingdom

Description:

Long-range heavy transport

Power Plant:

Four 4,275 kw (5,730 ehp) Rolls Royce Tyne Mk 101 turboprops

Specifications:

History:

The Short Belfast C Mk 1 was a heavy-lift tactical transport built for the Royal Air Force and powered by four Rolls Royce Tyne R.Ty 12 turboprops driving four four-blade aluminium propellers 4.88 m (16 ft) in diameter.  Initially the RAF required more than the ten ultimately built but financial limitations by the British Government restricted the production run.  A number of variants were proposed for civil use, including a model fitted with turbofan engines; and BOAC at one stage contemplated an order for five for freight work.

In its primary role the Belfast could carry a payload of 11,340 kg (25,000 lb) a distance of 8,368 km (5,200 miles) without refuelling but for short range operations it could carry 36,287 kg (80,000 lb) 1,368 km (850 miles) at 547 km/h (340 mph).  The cargo hold had a capacity of 311.5 m³ (11,000 cub ft), and the hold was 19.2 m (63 ft) long.  If built in the civil role it would have carried 250 passengers on two decks with full pressurisation and air conditioning.

Ten examples were built (serials XR362 to XR371 – c/ns SH.1816 to SH.1825). There being no prototype, the first production aircraft  (G-ASKE – c/n SH1816 – later RAF serial XR362 – Samson) made its first flight on 5 January 1964 and underwent tropical trials in Spain.

Deliveries to the RAF began on 20 January 1966 to No 53 Squadron at Brize Norton in Oxfordshire and during the next eight years they flew some 42.6 million kilometres (26 million miles) without major incident.  In 1969 a No 53 Squadron RAF Air Support Command aircraft (XR366 – c/n SH.1820 – Atlas) made a route-proving flight from the United Kingdom to New Zealand and return.  The aircraft covered 43,451 km (27,000 miles) at an average speed of 499 km/h (310 mph) covered in a time of 88 hours.  The crew was two pilots, navigator, engineer and quartermaster. On 14 September 1976 as part of the British Government’s defence cuts the fleet was withdrawn from service and put up for sale, No 53 Squadron being disbanded.

The Belfast was very successful in RAF service, one aircraft breaking a RAF record for freight lifted on a single flight when, in 1968, it transported 32,061 kg (70,682 lb) of medical supplies to Saigon in Vietnam.  On another occasion, whilst withdrawing forces from Libya, an aircraft, with minimum fuel, lifted 35,381 kg (78,000 lb) of equipment to the RAF base at Akrotiri in Cyprus.  A typical load for the British Army was 200 troops, or three Alvis Saladin armoured cars, four Westland Whirlwind helicopters, two Polaris IRBMs, Bloodhound missiles etc.

In October 1977  TAC Heavylift was formed to operate the Belfast in the civil freight role, and three were obtained for operations, two to be used for spares, four were broken-up at Hucknall, and a fifth (XR371 – c/n SH.1825 – Enceladus) was donated to the RAF Museum and placed on display at the Aerospace Museum at Cosford.  The civil aircraft became G-BEPE (ex-XR362 – Samson), G-BEPS (ex-XR3368 – Theseus), and G-BFYU (ex-XR367 – Heracles).  The two spare airframes were allotted registrations G-OHCA (ex-XR363 – Goliath) and G-HLFT (ex-XR365 – Hector) and were eventually to be broken up for spares but in the event G-HLFT ended up being the only airworthy example.  The three civil examples used by TAC HeavyLift for some time were used to supply British forces on Ascension Island during and after the Falklands War.  One operated by Heavylift visited Perth, WA in mid 1981 when engaged in the delivery of equipment from Singapore.

On 21 September 2003 Belfast 9L-LDQ (ex-G-HLFT, XR365 – c/n SH.1819), the last airworthy example of the type, arrived in Brisbane, QLD from Prestwick, Scotland and took up duties with Heavylift Cargo, commencing services initially on charter work for the Australian Defence Force, particularly in relation to operations in East Timor.  In early 2007 its registration was changed to RP-C8020.  It operated on heavy-lift work, visiting most Australian capital cities.

In mid-2004, due to the amount of work available for this aircraft, and other heavy-lift transports, the owners commenced the overhaul to airworthiness of a second Belfast in the United Kingdom, this being G-BEPS, with a view to it entering service and being based in Australia from late 2007, both aircraft to be employed on heavy-cargo work in the Pacific region.  However, the restoration of the aircraft to airworthiness was abandoned and the aircraft, which was to become RP-C8021, was scrapped at Southend in the United Kingdom between 23 and 25 October 2008, parts being removed and stored for spares for the surviving airworthy example.

However, eventually the cost of keeping the aircraft airworthy caused it to be parked at Cairns Airport, QLD for some years, the Company logos being removed from the aircraft. It was not expected to fly again.  Stocks of spare parts for the aircraft were held in Sydney, NSW.  At one stage it was thought it would be made airworthy and exported to South Africa but in early 2016 it was still parked to the side of the airport at Cairns.

In September 2016 papers were lodged with the Supreme Court of Queensland re the Belfast. The Airport Authority stated there was a dispute with the owners over outstanding fees for parking the machine at Cairns airport.  The aircraft, nicknamed Hector around Cairns airport, at the time was said to be owned by Flying Tiger Oversize Cargo, a Sydney based company.  CASA at the time stated the aircraft was unregistered, uncertified and unairworthy.

In February 2018 work commenced on restoring the aircraft to airworthiness including engine running. In early 2020 the aircraft remained parked at Cairns airport.