Farnborough Airshow in 1958 and 1960; it also appeared at the Paris Air Show in 1961, at which it performed a demonstration flight. On 2 October 1963, the second test aircraft crashed in Belfast, killing the pilot, J.R. Green; the cause was later determined to have been a control malfunction. Following the accident, the aircraft was rebuilt and returned to flight for further testing, both continued flying until 1967. By 1965, a total of different 14 pilots had flown the type. As a result of ground suitability tests, it was determined that conventional runway concrete, pavement, and even grass strips would be adequate for vertical takeoff and landing of the SC.1; however, debris that may be forced out from imperfect surfaces would pose a risk to personnel but not to the aircraft itself. The test programme also allowed experience upon the maintenance and serviceability of a VTOL aircraft to be acquired, even though these were not primary objectives of the design nor the research effort; throughout the programme, an overall average of 2.6 flights were performed per week. While numerous errors with the auto-stabiliser were reported during flights, no fault ever occurred that endangered the aircraft or had any effect upon its control. Testing found significant difficulty in measuring actual engine thrust, leading to further tests using improved intakes and instrumentation. Ultimately, the engines proved to be far less problematic than might have been expected considering the experimental nature of the aircraft and its power-plants; and when faults occurred in the triplex auto-stabiliser they were easy to locate, in part due to the system's self-checking nature. According to a Ministry of Aviation report, the SC.1 was determined to have been an effective research vehicle when operated within the limits imposed by its small size and restricted capacity; however it was found that a larger aircraft would be necessary for more extensive tests of the instruments and guidance equipment. The SC.1 flew for over ten years, during which it provided a great deal of data that served to influence later design concepts such as the "puffer jet" controls on the Hawker Siddeley P.1127, the precursor of the Hawker Siddeley Harrier. The flight testing work relating to vertical takeoff and landing techniques and technologies also proved to be invaluable, and helped further Britain's lead in the field. The Short SC.1 was ultimately rendered obsolete by the emerging Harrier which, amongst other things,