HH-RPL landed in Providenciales on Friday 18th September making it my first sighting of a Britten-Norman Trislander. Being myself, I grabbed my camera and headed to the apron for a close up view. Here are some of my photos and the specification which I further looked up following my photo shoot.
HH-RPL landed in Providenciales on Friday 18th September making it my first sighting of a Britten-Norman Trislander. Being myself, I grabbed my camera and headed to the apron for a close up view. Here are some of my photos and the specification which I further looked up following my photo shoot.
The Trislander was designed by by John Britten and Desmond Norman as the larger carrying capacity version of the better known Islander. In comparison with the Islander, the Trislander has a stretched fuselage, strengthened, fixed tricycle landing gear and a third engine on the fuselage centre line atop the fin.
The prototype of the Trislander first flew on 11 September 1970. 73 Trislanders were ordered and initial production ceased in 1982.
General characteristics
Crew: 1 (2 with co-pilot)
Capacity: 15 passengers
Length: 49 ft 3 in (15.01 m)
Wingspan: 53 ft 0 in (16.15 m)
Height: 14 ft 2 in (4.32 m)
Wing area: 337 ft² (31.31 m²)
Empty weight: 5,843 lb (2,650 kg)
Gross weight: 10,000 lb (4,536 kg)
Powerplant: 3 × Avco Lycoming O-540-E4C5 horizontally-opposed piston engine, 260 hp (194 kW) each
Performance
Maximum speed: 167 mph (267 km/h)
Range: 1,000 miles (1,609 km)
Service ceiling: 13,150 ft (4,010 m)
6 Responses
I have never seen or heard about a Trislander and so this was a definate ‘adder’ to my general knowledge.
Thanks much Wayne
HH-RPL was recently visiting Miami’s Opa Locka Airport. It looks like the engines were taken off for some maintenance and a new airline logo was painted for Vision Air Haiti. The airplane was here for about two months. Interesting bird!
You can see a photo here:
http://coolairplanes.net/photodetails.php?photourl=120
Thanks,
Ivan (coolairplanes.net)
Britain gave St. Vincent and the Grenadines an Islander as a parting Independence gift in 1979. I am still looking for this X Trilander as I was there as a little 11 year old watching the plastic on the seats on the Tarmac. Quite much for an Island of only 90 000 people @ that time.
Thanks for the trivia Dwight. I shall certainly do some research into this gift of a Trislander and report my findings back here.
Funny enough i was just researching this Trilander haven’t found it online yet or if i will ever. I remember this aircraft being in yellow. I too was a little boy when it did its daily flights in Vigie Airport. Would love to find some info of this aircraft
Hi Bob, looks like you have to go to Haiti to photograph this aircraft yourself.