Percival Prince

Percival 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

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]

Sea Prince T.1 preserved at the Gatwick Aviation Museum in 2008

Operators

Civil Operators

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

Military Operators

 Australia
 Thailand
 United Kingdom

Survivors

Specifications (Sea Prince T.1)

Data from British Naval Aircraft since 1912[3]

General characteristics

Performance

Armament

none

See also

Related development


References

Notes
  1. 1 2 3 "PER50 PRINCE PEMBROKE".
  2. http://www.solway-aviation-museum.co.uk/?page_id=105 Solway Aviation Museum page retrieved 27 May 2013.
  3. Thetford 1978, p.251.
Bibliography

External links

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