Page 31 - Aviation News (February 2020)

GB Airways based a leased Trislander in Previously with Octavia Air, G-OCTA Yogi Bair The plan was for IAC to initially build 12
Gibraltar for two years between May 1989 was with GB Airways when photographed Trislanders from kits, but in the event 11
and June 1991, on what was the world’s at Gibraltar in 1989. Last used by Aurigny kits were supplied to it in August 1982.
shortest international air service between as G-RLON, it is destined for display in One aircraft, c/n 1161, remained
Southampton. Bob O’Brien Collection
Gibraltar and Tangier, Morocco. with PB-N, before being sold to Taiwan
Bembridge for fi nal preparation and Aviation Corporation in Taipei. But PB-N
QUICK CHANGE certifi cation prior to delivery. was unaware at the time that IAC was in
The design simplicity of the Trislander On August 3, 1977, the Bembridge di culties, and another company, the
was such that it could easily be arm of Britten-Norman Ltd was put into similarly named International Aircraft
converted to carry cargo, the seats being receivership and subsequently bought by Corporation, was formed on November
quick and easy to remove, thus allowing Swiss-based Oerlikon-Bührle, the parent 10, 1983.
for a payload of approximately 3,307lb company of aircraft manufacturer Pilatus. Ownership of the kits was eventually
(1,500kg). Following the takeover, it was renamed transferred to the new company in
Questor Inc, a survey company based once more in 1978, this time becoming March 1984. The scheme fl oundered
in Canada, adapted three examples for Pilatus Britten-Norman (PB-N). Trislander after the partial assembly of the fi rst
aerial survey purposes which saw service production in Belgium came to an end three aircraft began, following which the
worldwide. The aircraft were fi tted with in April 1981, after 73 had been delivered airframe kits were left sitting in a hangar
geophysical survey equipment on both but with several aircraft remaining unsold. and ownership of them was eventually
the nose and the tail. The only military In the early 1990s consideration was returned to PB-N.
examples were two aircraft operated given by PB-N to opening production Another project which was considered
the Botswana Defence Force, but later in China as a possible joint-venture was that of shipping Trislanders in kit
transferred to civilian use. deal with the Shenzhen General Aircraft form for re-assembly in Australia, in 1990,
During succeeding years, the Company, however, the project was not PB-N believed it had found an alternative
company passed through several taken forward. customer in Australian aircraft trader
di erent hands, having been bought Lancelot Henry ‘Lance’ Watson, of New
by the Fairey Group in September AMERICAN FALSE South Wales, who would acquire and
1972, which renamed it Fairey Britten- START assemble the kits.
Norman and amalgamated it with a sister The one area of the world where the The intention was for PB-N to hold
company in Belgium. Trislander had not seen many sales the manufacturing rights for the design,
It was at this point that Trislander was in the USA and following the PB-N but Lance Watson had other ideas. He
production was transferred to the acquisition; a manufacturing licence believed that, as a result of assembling
Fairey-owned plant at Gosselies, next agreement was drawn up with the and selling the initial kits, he would obtain
to Charleroi airport. The aircraft were International Aviation Corporation (IAC) of manufacturing rights for the aircraft. He
completed there and then fl own to Homestead, Florida. also planned a modifi ed version of the

XP Express Parcel S ystems was set up in the Netherlands in 1971. In the 1980s, it operated Trislander G-BDOS on night freight runs
from Luton, delivering Royal Mail packages and newspapers, complementing a Fokker F.27 and later a BAe 146. Key Collection

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