Percival Prince

Prince
Royal Navy Sea Prince T.1 of 727 Squadron FAA from RNAS Brawdy operational with radar nose in September 1956
Role Transport aircraft
Manufacturer Percival Aircraft Limited
First flight 13 May 1948
Number built 75 of all variants[1]
Developed from Percival Merganser
Variants Percival Pembroke

The Percival Prince was a British light transport of the early postwar period. It was a twin-engine, high-wing, cantilever monoplane of all-metal stressed-skin construction; the undercarriage was of retractable, tricycle type.

Development

The design of the Prince continued from the solitary Merganser. Further development of the type led to the Survey Prince survey aircraft and the Sea Prince. An improved version of the Prince 3 with an increased wingspan and engine and undercarriage modifications was developed for the Royal Air Force as the Percival Pembroke.

Operational history

Percival Prince 3E executive aircraft of Standard Motor Co. at Croydon Airport in April 1954

The Prince was produced in six versions for the civil market. Several examples were operated as executive aircraft including by Standard Motors and Shell Oil. Three aircraft were used by the UK Ministry of Civil Aviation as airport facilities checking aircraft.

The Sea Prince operated in two roles: in T.Mk.1 form it served as a navigation and anti-submarine trainer; the C.Mks. 1 and 2 were flown in the transport role. However, these were landplanes and not COD (carrier on-board delivery) aircraft. Sea Princes operated in both roles from 1954 to 1972 and as a navigation trainer until 1978, when it was replaced by the Handley Page Jetstream

Variants

[1]

  • P.50 Prince 1 – prototype based on Merganser with modified fin and undercarriage and two 520 hp Alvis Leonides 501/4 engine, one built.
  • P.50 Prince 2 – As Prince 1 with sloping windscreen, stronger main spar, five built.
  • P.50 Prince 3 – As Prince 2 with Alvis Leonides 502/4 engine and lengthened nose on some aircraft, 12 built.
  • P.50 Prince 4 – Conversions to Alvis Leonides 503 engines, ten converted.
  • P.50 Prince 5 – original designation of the Percival President.
  • P.50 Prince 6 – Conversions to Alvis Leonides 504 engines.
  • P.54 Survey Prince – Prince 2 with lengthened transparent nose and camera hatches, six built.
Sea Prince T.1 preserved at the Gatwick Aviation Museum in 2008
  • P.57 Sea Prince C1 – Prince 2 for Royal Navy use, three built.
  • P.57 Sea Prince T1 – Prince 3 with long nose housing radar, twin wheeled main undercarriage and lengthened engine nacelles for navigation and anti-submarine training, 41 built.
  • P.57 Sea Prince C2 – Transport version of Sea Prince T1, four built.

Operators

Civil operators

 Australia
 Brunei
  • Brunei Shell Petroleum Company
 Brazil
 France
 Kenya
 New Zealand
 Singapore
  Switzerland
 Tanganyika
 South Africa
 United Kingdom
 United States
 Venezuela

Military operators

 Australia
 Thailand
 United Kingdom

Survivors

  • On display, Prince, T1-1/98 (cn P.50/41), at Royal Thai Air Force Museum, Don Muang AFB
  • On display, Prince 3E, G-AMLZ (cn P50/46), at Speke Aerodrome Heritage Group, Merseyside, England
  • Reserve Collection, Sea Prince T.1 WP313 at the Fleet Air Arm Museum, Somerset, England. [2]
  • On display, Sea Prince T.1 WF128 at the Flixton Aviation Museum, Suffolk, England
  • On display, Sea Prince T.1 WP309 at the Solway Aviation Museum, Carlisle Airport, England.[3]
  • On display, Sea Prince T.1 WF118 (569) G-DACA at the Gatwick Aviation Museum, Surrey, England
  • On display, Sea Prince T.1 WF122 (575)CU (c/n PAC/57/18), Now under restoration Ulster Aviation Society[4] formerly at Aeroventure,Doncaster,Sth Yorks. Formally of 750 Sqdrn Fleet Air Arm.

Specifications (Sea Prince T.1)

Data from British Naval Aircraft since 1912[5]

General characteristics

  • Crew: two
  • Capacity: three students
  • Length: 46 ft 4 in (14.13 m)
  • Wingspan: 56 ft 0 in (17.07 m)
  • Height: 16 ft 1 in (4.90 m)
  • Wing area: 365 ft² (33.9 m²)
  • Empty weight: 8,850 lb (4,023 kg)
  • Loaded weight: 11,850 lb (5,386 kg)
  • Powerplant: 2 × Alvis Leonides 125 radial, 550 hp (411 kW) each

Performance

Armament
none

See also

Related development

References

Notes
  1. 1 2 3 "PER50 PRINCE PEMBROKE". Archived from the original on 14 March 2007.
  2. ↑ http://www.fleetairarm.com/exhibit/percival-sea-prince-t1-wp313/6-30-84.aspx
  3. ↑ http://www.solway-aviation-museum.co.uk/?page_id=105 Solway Aviation Museum page retrieved 27 May 2013.
  4. ↑ "Ulster Aviation Society's Heritage Collection of Aircraft". ulsteraviationsociety.org.
  5. ↑ Thetford 1978, p.251.
Bibliography
  • Jackson, A.J. British Civil Aircraft 1919–1972: Volume III. London:Putnam, 1988. ISBN 0-85177-818-6.
  • Thetford, Owen, British Naval Aircraft since 1912. London:Putnam, 1978. ISBN 0-370-30021-1.
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