Wet Jets: Sanders Roe SR A/1 and Convair Sea Dart

[MrLesweston]

The SR A1 is beautiful. Saunders-Roe built so many wonderful creations that never got into service, it's a shame really. Along with Shorts they'll go down in history as the manufacturors that were forgotten by the MoD and general Government. Shame :/

[RJWAbrams]

Thanks Bomberguy, the SR A/1 has fascinated me since I saw the survivor at Southampton last year. I spent over half an hour mesmerised by the sheer quality of construction of the airframe and hull. It was an extraordinary era of innovation and experimentation, combined with a highly skilled and practical workforce who could translate drawings into engineering reality.

I'd not been aware of the Convair Sea Dart. That was also a mighty impressive effort by a very innovative planemaker.

[MissDaProach]

Not a big deal, but at 2:00 he says the wing tip floats rotated 180 degrees. I think he meant 90 degrees.

[sablatnic]

@MissDaProach

The struts rotate 90 and the floats rotate 180 degrees. It is done to put the draggy underside of the floats inside the wing.

[nealshireman]

5 stars

[Sqdrn1]

Actually - According to Jap research the British are responsible for more significant inventions in than any other nation. ( Japanese study I think) , True though that the Brits having invented the jet -failed to build an effective jetfighter until the last days of WW2 - I note you kinda skipped the computer!

The only real German operational jet (262) was a bit crap as without available Chromium the bearings on the BMW engine failed constantly - but point taken.

[GerbilEssences]

The Scots are actually responsible for a very large chunk of British inventions: TV, Telephones, Radar etc.

[jacktheripped]

@GerbilEssences Philo T. Farnsworth, An Idaho native, invented the television.

Now, as to weither he was of Scottish desent I don't know :)

[GerbilEssences]

@jacktheripped Yes you are correct, I forgot about him, as did most of the history books ;) Apparently the telephone was invented independantly (and accidentally) by an Italian living in the US, before Mr. Bell decided to put his invention to commercial use.

[G777GUN]

@Sqdrn1

Do you think a similar idea can be somwat added to the Tornado jet? Sea Tornado or Vortex. Sounds crazy but i believe it would work.

[Sqdrn1]

Is it just me or did British 'mad genius inventors' win the war by inventing lots of sensible things like the programmable computer and the jet engine - but in the 50s, frightfully bored with all that sort of thing - decided to really focus on the 'mad' bit?

[dogsfoot455]

No..its you. The germans flew fighter jets past spitfires over the english channel. The british however invented bad dental hygiene and sloppy food.

[Sqdrn1]

The reputation for British dental hygiene stems from the PoWs with no brushes/paste =rotten teeth. Would have applied to US also - had their war been as long!

And British food? The world's top celebrated chefs - are British. Sloppy? I'd say if anything we err too much to the opposite - separate items on a plate. US obesity and a belief that an oversized McDonald's, jack cheese and chicken fried steak with a sugar saturated large coke is haute cuisine - fares rather worse!

[dogsfoot455]

No i does not stem from any fairy tail...ive been to the Uk several times in the past 10 years & most peoples mouths resemble a broken gearbox, the WHO should start a programme to supply tooth bushes to you all. As for the food ? whilst i agree that septic food is disgusting but the british invented slop, ramsey just sold it back to you all at a higher price.

[Sqdrn1]

Grow up or get an education: -

I LIVED in the US not merely 'visited' US does spend more on cosmetic straightening its childrens crooked teeth- but that purely cosmetic not hygiene.

It was not uncommon in the states to hear remark of any British visitor of some months standing on how well and fast they had picked up erm - 'ENGLISH' ??? I kid you not.

Europeans prioritiseeducation over cosmetic make over. ( As does MIT but not your average US Walmart candidate. END! Back to 'planes!

[bigkitten]

Seems to me, that there was a bit of 'geniussing' going on in the SR camp!

Bastards!....thank God successive British Governments saw you all off! Phew! Oh, but I hate it when people have 'dreams'. DON'T HAVE DREAMS!!!!! Just ACCEPT what your betters tell you . MUCH easier on you !

[Nobel200]

One of these is preserved in the Southampton museum of aviation. You can also walk round and inside a short flying boat that used to fly to australia

[pervertt]

Dopey idea. Thank goodness they didn't make any more of them. Saltwater and jet turbines don't mix.

[steveboston11]

Excellent video. With both of these I suppose the biggest drawback would be maintenance - the fight against salt water and corrosion, next would be bad weather making the 'runway' too rough plus the constant risk of damage by floating debris. They both 'live on' though by the miracle of flight sims

[InfiniteMushroom]

It could have been developed into a fast response ASW aircraft, equipped with sonar buoys and depth charges.

[burningsponge]

on thefirst flight of british's jet youll hear a boom that is when a log hit it and knocked the star board float off!!!(with a 4 foot dent) The sea darts crash was due to the hydro skis which worked well until 60mph then caused severe vibrationsand that helicopter chaseplane was a bell HSL-1 (also crashed)

[dregsfan]

Very cool! I've seen a Sea Dart at the Balboa Park aircraft museum in San Diego. I've never heard of the Saunders-Roe SR.A/1. Slick!

[jonzflicks]

My father helped build the Princess Flying Boat. I was shown over her and the mock-up when I was about 12 yrs. My ATC Squadron Leader was one of her Flight Engineers. He tells of concerns about special gear boxes on her double engines. Shortly after take off thermometers showed overheating. They solved the problem and their anxt. They removed the thermometers! Also when banking over crowd at Farnborough she was out of control. Power assisted ailerons malfunctioned. Saved by manipulating engines

[evilintel]

Would have been nice to see these two in limited production to see how they would of faired in actual combat.

[johnrcha]

I was an apprentice engineer at Saunders Roe and remember seeing it fly.Shame it never went into production as I am sure it would have been of use on jungle rivers and lakes in later conflicks.

[Mikojan88]

I once heard in "Secret Allied Aircraft of WWII" that the SRA-1 was able to shoot the first jets of the japanese down. Is this really true?

[cudaslayer]

Nope, as stated in this video, the first prototype was built after the war was over.

[Mikojan88]

Would it be able to shoot any other fighter jet down?

[cudaslayer]

It's open to debate. In the hands of a good pilot, and under conditions that might tilt the odds in its favor, such as catching the other jet low on fuel, diving out of the sun, during landing/take off, etc, anything is possible.

Heck, the Gloster Meteors had some problems shooting down V-1 bombs with their guns, but they quickly figured out how to take them out by tipping them over by using their wing tips.

So again, any thing is possible.

[leemyster2]

probally could

[Gruntol5]

Marvellous stuff! Made my day.

[DartDakota]

I remember building a (Revell, Aurora?) plastic kit of the Sea Dart when I was a kid. I reasoned that it always had to be moving on the water, if it stopped, it sank. Was I right?

[Bomberguy]

It would float, but you wouldn't want to make any waves!

[linearskater]

I seem to recall seeing a saunders roe @ Duxford once, is it still there? or am I mixing it up with something else?

[Bomberguy]

It's at the Solent Sky museum in Southhampton

[teenonator]

It's too bad there are no engines in her. Without them, she has the feel of a mockup

[denberg2]

Keep 'em coming, Bomberguy!

[smurfswacker]

When I was in high school (late 1960s) one of the Sea Darts had been sitting on display for many years at the Sand Point Naval Air Station in Seattle. Wonder what ever happened to it.

[Bomberguy]

There is one at the San Diego Air and Space museum, maybe the same one?

[mojofuel62]

@Bomberguy The one in San Diego has been there from as far back as the mid sixties. I've photos of it dating from that year in San Diego.

[fordroad]

The ideas for this plane was clearily back in the 1930's with a massive update into the then new JET age. Well done .5 stars