Shorts Long Strides: 360 Airliner Flies Ahead of Schedule

Short Brothers, the Belfast‐based aerospace manufacturer, announce that their new 360 wide‐body commuter airliner made its first flight in June—some six months ahead of the original target date set when the project was announced at press conferences in London and Washington nine months ago. At that time the Company planned to fly the first 360 in December 1981, but excellent progress with the design phase and some major re‐scheduling has resulted in a very rapid manufacturing cycle of the first prototype aircraft which is now complete. This revised schedule means that Shorts has reduced by almost one‐third the time originally allocated to build the number one prototype.