Saunders-Roe Princess Flying Boats

Britains other white elephant the Princess Flying Boat, another remarkable achievement with no economic use. Collected in newsreels from the 40's and 50's

Category:

Entertainment

Tags:

• Princess
• Flying
• Boat
• Saunders-Roe
• aviation
• history
• aircraft
• airplanes

[bubblebruce]

I think it was a great idea that these planes were built to take off from the sea, obviously to save building an airport and causing outrage from hippies! It should of carried on this way!

[InfiniteMushroom]

Another outrageous example of Britain destroying its great legacy for the sake of its corrupt financial architecture. These magnificent flying boats should have been purchased by the Royal Navy or bartered to former Crown colonies like Canada or Australia for valuable commodities. It is a moral crime to scrap the labors of skilled workers and destroy a national legacy of industrial expertise to satisfy the petty dictates of the Exchequer.

[DH82TigerGuy]

Bomberguy, I noticed that the Saro A1, described as the world's first jet flying boat fighter, is mentioned in this clip. Have you any footage of it?

[JBofBrisbane]

@drmartyn - Just try landing one of these at Alice Springs or Mount Isa.

[McLarenMercedes]

Since airstrips made for heavy bombers were getting increasingly common in WW2 and paved runways made with comparatively little effort, I don't see how they thought the glory days of the flying boats in the 30's would still be true by the 1950's, especially considering the dawning of the jet airliner.

The operating costs (less fuel efficient) and service on those flying boats negated any benefit of skipping the need for paved runways and land based airports.

[frpetermark]

A parishoner of ours, the late Robert Herd AO, former RAN Chief Naval Architect, worked on the S&R Princess project, his wife, Dulcie, too, as a technical draftsman. Another deceased friend, HH the late Prince Michael Andreevitch Romanov, worked as an engineer at Ansett ANA's flying boat depot at Rose Bay, Sydney, Australia. He had been seconded to the RAAF during WWII, and so liked it here, he stayed.

[crankbv1]

Before people ridicule the flyingboats,think about this. lf someone hadn't had the guts to design,build and fly these leviathans all those years ago,where do you think the aviation industry would be today. Planes like Dornier DoX, Mars, Princess were a natural part of the developement of the aircraft we fly in today that goes far beyond commercial viability. They were the test beds for the giant air frames of today.So,next time your up there,think about that and thank god someone built them.

[peepeevagi]

And it was pushed out BY PEOPLE?! Wow.

[apache1234657]

lol handles like a jet fighter

[TheFunkadelicFan]

@MrBEB123 You are a stupid fucking spastic. Just thought you should know.

[drmartyn]

We have the oceans, all these rivers, lakes and loughs - why not return to Flying Boats again? No maintenance needed for tarmac means less airport-tax. Just a thought....