Short Mussel

The Short S.7 Mussel was a single-engined two-seat monoplane built by Short Brothers to test the performance of their duralumin monocoque floats, and two were built. After the Short Cockle showed the watertightness and corrosion resistance of duralumin monocoque hulls, Shorts became leaders in the design of metal floats for seaplanes, including those of the Supermarine S.4 and Gloster III Schneider Cup seaplanes. They had a hydrodynamic testing canal at Rochester, and built the low-winged Mussel, with a duralumin monocoque fuselage and tandem open cockpits, to try the floats in flight. Its first flight, piloted by John Lankester Parker on 6 April 1926, was disappointing until wing-root interference was traced. The first aircraft was damaged beyond economic repair in August 1928, and the Mussel II first flew on 17 May 1929.