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Aviation History
1948
1948 - 0267.PDF
FEBRUARY 26, 1948 Transports Today nd Tomorrow PART^W0: LARGE FLYING BOATS by H. F. KING, M.B.E THE recent description and discussion in Flight of theSR/45 transoceanic flying boat has stimulated aninterest in this class of aircraft, which has survived formidable and often derisive attacks by landplane pro- tagonists. Here in Great Britain, this interest—which, as remarked in the first article of this series, has in post-war years been largely academic—is sustained by a deep- rooted conviction born of long operational experience, though to some small extent it might be traced to an insular sentiment embracing all things having a hull. Britain's partiality is shared by the French, who, in iw-eparation for the construction of flying boats comparable with the SR/45, are already gaining experience with machines appreciably larger than British types in current use. In America, the Glenn Martin Company, far from renouncing the flying boat, has lately reaffirmed a belief in its commercial future— a belief, be it said, which does not appear to be shared by any established operating concern. Before British, French and American designs are examined, a dispassionate statement of the qualities and shortcomings of the flying boat must be attempted. For more controversial reading, the Correspondence pages of Flight for the last weeks of 1947 are recommended. Whether the " sentiment" factor is discounted or allowed, a more substantial explanation must be sought for the peculiar popularity of the flying boat among passengers, and it will probably be found that comfort and convenience, a sense of safety on over-water flights, and the sensation and interest of taking off from, and alighting on, water can be quoted in that order of importance. The tradition of comfort and convenience may be accounted for not only by the relatively spacious interiors of past and present flying boats (the provision of two decks is no novelty), but by the downward field of vision allowed by the inherent high-set wing. The only major drawback in the passengers estimation seems, in fact, to be the relatively low cruisingspeed and the lack of pressurisation which characterise present types in use. On the operational side more serious handicaps becomeapparent, though even these are claimed by exponents of the flying boat to be far less intractable than those attendingthe landplane. Formidable docking and handling problems, demanding costly and elaborate facilities on shelteredstretches of water, are unavoidable, though in recent years these difficulties have been mitigated by such innovationsas the Saunders-Roe mooring and docking scheme. Servicing and maintenance, in face of salt-water corrosion, threatento remain expensive items, despite new structural methods and materials, for not only is the earning capacity of theflying boat greatly reduced by periodic beachings or dry- dockings, but heavy demands are imposed on staff andequipment. Water Runways Though essentially true, the familiar assertion that the flying boat can operate from a ready-made airfield is in need of qualification, in that take-off and alighting areas must constantly be kept free of submerged obstructions and driftwood. It must be considered, moreover, that the freezing-up of harbours may necessitate diversion of services during some months of the year : thus the SR/45 would be unable to maintain the North Atlantic services to New York and Montreal in the winter and might have to be diverted further south, possibly to Baltimore. Devotees of the large flying boat are already visualising artificial "water run- ways," rather than the accepted type of "alighting areas," in which the prevention of ice formation would be feasible and which might offer, in return for a heavy initial outlay and upkeep costs, other important advantages.
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