The Greatest Flying Boat That Never Was - Saunders-Roe SR.45 Princess (Reworked)

[Music] bearing the crown of the largest all metal flying boat ever constructed the Saunders row sr45 princess carried the hopes of luy transatlantic travel in the postwar era though in the end this ill-fated giant was predicated on a perception of the aviation industry that had died at the start of World War II and was simply a carryover of a bygone period that had no place in The Airliner world of the 1950s regardless of its size or technological facets the roots of the SR 45's undoing begin prior to World War II where even before the conflict's outbreak the once major manufacturers of flying boats including Blackburn Saunders row often abbreviated to Saro and supermarine had stopped building commercial flying boats while the short Brothers continued to meet the remaining Demand with military flying boats such as a short Sunderland successor being discussed back and forth by various Builders attempting to accommodate the everchanging views on potential new service machines the manufacturers continued drafting paper flying boats with sar's projects including military studies but also as the war progressed commercial types with September 1943 seeing Sir Arthur G formerly Short's chief designer joined Saunders row as Vice chairman with gu being an Ardent advocate of the flying boat breed and thus teamed up with sar's chief designer Henry Nola to establish a unique Center of expertise that same year the company published a document called the case for the flying boat arguing its advantages over land Plaines though even as wartime concrete runways proliferated worldwide Saro continued believing in the flying boat while the Brazen committees omission of future flying boat models was ignored although investigations into turboprop technology which promised improved performance over piston powerered equivalents encouraged the company to consider ever larger types by 1944 a study had emerged for a 187,000 commercial model powered by six Bristol Centaurus piston engines for a London to New York service with options for eight Centaurus engines in four pairs that allowed weight to increase to 250,000 while a £260,000 option employed six Rolls-Royce Eagle engines that would later be replaced by turbo props August 1945 seeing Saro draft a 266,000 type with six turbo prop Rolls-Royce Clyde engines which the company tended to the ministry of Supply detailed talk subsequently began with the ministry and the orup weight eventually increased to £345,000 culminating in the sr45 princess which would be developed and built at sar's East cows facility on the ale of white while in May 1946 the ministry issued an instruction to proceed with three examples of the sr45 to draft specification c146 at a contract price of £ 2.8 million The Machine's passenger accommodation would comprise two decks in a wasted form later known as a double bubble section while the wingspan would be 220 ft and the typical operating altitude would be 39,000 ft over a range of 3,300 Mi the mighty aircraft being able to accommodate more than 100 passengers in spacious comfort and promis to be more luxurious than its pre-war commercial counterparts minister of supply George Strauss who also set aside brain's conclusions felt the sr45 would play an important role with Britain's National carrier the British overseas Airways Corporation or boac operating between London and New York with boac showing interest in the project but not applying any commitment by January 1947 Rolls-Royce Tweed engines had replaced the cides and the SR 45's Wing design was further Advanced when it became clear that the Tweed wouldn't enter production the Saro considered multiple substitutes including Armstrong sidley's cobra and python power plants before Bristol's new Proteus turbo prop was chosen that would be arranged as four coupled Pairs and two outboard Singletons adopting the reverse flow Proteus meant a substantial Wing design and new propellers were required while other changes revealed the following year included a larger Fin and a higher mounted tail plane while the SR 45's nose at first roughly hemispherical and with the cockpit set back was modified to extend the flight deck forward to improve the view among the vast machine's Advanced aspects were Hull pressurization air conditioning and power operated irreversible flying controls the pressurization and air conditioning utilizing a two-stage centrifugal compressor driven by each inboard power installation while air for the heater came from the tailpipe shrouds and for the cooler was drawn from the engine intakes the powered control system used three power units two in the stern servicing the rudder and elevator and one in the upper hole center section for the aerons with each unit including two torque converters with their Motors geared down to hydraulic variable delivery pump motor units the motors ran constantly but the pump action was mostly zero the hydraulic aspect remaining dormant until a maneuver was called for while when required the pump was actuated driving the hydraulic motor at a speed proportional to the handling of the controls with the output shafts having powered linkages to the control Sur surfaces that were split into three parts to the rudder two to each elevator and four to each aleron with each split section being separately driven a hydraulic field generator was installed in the Dual control flight deck while thought was given to a form of future artificial Q F Arrangement wherein Dynamic pressure provides resistance to the control movement system with plans being made to reduce power unit size and weight by using aerodynamically balanced surfaces and even an early form of flyby wire was explored in November 1948 Saro would Christen The Airliner Princess and the first flight was scheduled for late 1949 but due to the complexity of the program project slippage was inevitable and while Saro claimed four months later that the project remained on course it also indicated that completion would be late the following year followed by serious engine delivery delays that pushed back flight trials to the summer of 1951 and later early 195 to once it was clear the engines would still not arrive on time meanwhile the three aircraft were partially assembled within sar's main hanger at East cows on the a of white and in October 1951 the first unit minus engines outer Wings Wing floats and upper tail was moved outside to the adjacent newly reinforced apron for final assembly as the hanger was too small to finish the work the princess was an enormous technical achievement and at the time was was the heaviest all metal passenger transport ever built the Behemoth also being the biggest metal flying boat and at an all up weight of 345,000 the heaviest aircraft employing gas turbine power units its hole being 148 ft long with a beam of 16' 7 in and a draft of 8 ft the double bubble waist marked the division between the upper and lower decks while a chined planing bottom was attached to the hole that was unpressurized and contained numerous water types compartments the underside employing a single vestigial step tapering to a knife edge beneath the fin Leading Edge on the flight deck the pilot and co-pilot were positioned in the extreme bow while afon to starboard were two flight engineers and to Port the Navigator and radio operator with a planned cabin layouts including a 105 passenger scheme in tourist and first classes created through working alongside boac with a dining room cocktail bar powder room and bunk the princess's huge Wing form meanwhile was a two Spar structure arranged in five sections while the span with floats retracted was 219 6 in the wings accommodating fuel tanks with a total capacity of 14,000 Gall with single slotted flaps being employed that were divided into three sections per side apart from the split Rudder tail surfaces were conventional the tail plane possessing a marked 12° dihedral while the wing tip floats flat tops when retracted aligned with the wings end ribs the drivetrain from the single engines being Orthodox but that from the coupled pairs utilized unifying and reduction gear boxes ahead of the engines turning Contra rotating propellers on coaxial shafts with the engine tail pipes emerging near the wing trailing edges with the surfaces tailored around them such a technological feat came at a hugely increased price and by March 1951 the original contract had soared to £1.8 million while the engine price 2 had climbed from £47,000 in 1946 to £ 4.9 million even though the Proteus was already being funded under the Bristol braeson's budget though it wasn't possible to accurately predict the development bill for a new form of engine aside from adaptation for the princess hence Bristol's Cost Plus contract however the Proteus 2's power output was disappointingly low at 2,500 shaft horsepower while its coupled unit gearbox proved Troublesome with future commercial work for the princess ultimately requiring the more powerful Proteus 3 with an estimated 3,500 shaft horsepower but only the earlier version was available at the time the three produced units were registered as golf alpha lima uniform November golf alpha lima uniform Oscar and golf alpha lima uniform Papa and on August 22nd 1952 following engine runs and taxiing assessment golf alpha lima uniform November made its first flight at the hands of sar's Chief test pilot Jeffrey Tyson who had not scheduled to undertake an actual flight on that day but was so satisfied with the weather conditions that he took it upon himself to draw the princess Skyward Tyson flew the airlin around a 35-minute circuit around the a of white reaching 280 mph and reporting that water and air handling was satisfactory though the air screw translation bearing temperature gauges began giving false readings thus necessitating Tyson's return to the home Factory at cows the aircraft made three more flights before appearing at farber's espac show on September 2nd of the same year where Saro stand emphasized the Flying Boat theme golf alpha lima uniform November's demonstration including a steep Bank past the stands where the spectators were unaware that the power control field units were causing Tyson's some difficulty in returning to level flight with amendments being identified and administered accordingly although the princess had flown successfully its commercial future remained far from certain with no Resolute government effort being made to attract a buyer the Assumption simply being that the princess would ultimately end up in the hands of boac on its Empire and transatlantic routes the company having created in October 1950 the princess unit under Captain hwc aler a prominent flying boat pilot to examine the resources needed to run life large flying boats however bac's interest was never dependable and the following month the company ended its existing flying boat services while at the same time the national carrier was forming plans for the introduction of davin's breakthrough jet powerered commercial land plane the pioneering Comet of 1949 which eventually entered service in May 1952 even before the princess flew though in February 1951 it was reported the third aircraft would be scrapped as an economy while at the same time rumors circulated that British South American Airways or bsaa would buy all three units or that the RAF would use them fitted out for up to 230 troops though all these possibilities came to nothing during December the princess Air transport Company Limited was formed mainly by Saro to study the factors affecting the operation of The Princess and to be in a position to Tender for their operation should the opportunity arise and in spite of bac's indecision regarding the airliner aler was sued to princess Air transport in August 1952 boac chairman sir miles Thomas declared that his airline was very interested in the princess and during the following month the corporation considered forming a new Marine development flight prior to the airlines chairman rejecting this proposal with Thomas feeling that the aircraft was technically outdated but suggested its future might be improved by adopting Bristol's B25 propeller turbine later dubed the Orion which would Supply the power necessary for commercial operation however Orion development was far from complete while major Wing modifications would be needed to accommodate it and thus Saro decided to wait for the Proteus 3 that was already in the works though amid ongoing uncertainty the ministry of Supply eventually canceled work on golf alpha lima uniform Oscar and golf alpha lima uniform Papa instructing the still Eng less airframes to be cocooned in protective plasticized Coatings pending a buyer in February 1953 golf alpha Lemma uniform Oscar was towed across the solent to calshot spit near Southampton and beached followed by golf alpha Lemma uni Papa in April of the same year while the new minister of Supply Duncan Sans remained Loof regarding future developments for the princess project this being counted by golf alpha lima uniform November's second appearance at the farra air show in September 1953 this time wearing a blue yellow and white Airlines Cy however boac was edging ever further away from the project and the following month the ministry invited independent operators to bid for the princess with Owen mecki chairman of British flying boat operator ailia Airways offering well over1 1 million each for the aircraft though Sans declined this proposal by the summer of 1954 zaro's Main Princess program had ended with golf alpha lima uniform November having clocked up just 96 hours and 50 minutes of flying time during only 47 flights while amid such doubts zaro's paper project p131 for a 74 seat swept wi 130,000 flying boat also stalled this project dubbed The Duchess proposing the employment of six rollsroyce aen or six davand ghost jet engines and would have been capable of an estimated 500 50 mph which was unprecedented in a commercial flying boat despite this setback at the behest of the P shipping line in 1956 project p192 was revealed this proposing a truly gigantic 1.5 million pound 3113 ft wingspan flying boat airliner carrying 1,000 passengers with no fewer than 24 Rolls-Royce Conway engines though this much like The Duchess project came to nothing the Marine aircraft experimental establishment's evaluation of the princess had praised the giant considering it to be stable during takeoff and a lighting while in the air the only real criticism concerned its simulated feeli characteristics and control to surface ratios which it was recommended should be modified to improve the feel of positive stability while even under asymmetric power the princess was adequately controllable down to the stall however still with no customers golf alpha lima from November was also cocooned like its sisters while rumors continue to persist over possible purchases with Saro continuing to examine the princess's working requirements operational sites transport to and from the shore docking and maintenance needs with some of this work receiving Government funding while unaccountably at times boac also took part even root planning was made with potential destinations including Cape Town Hong Kong Jamaica New York San Francisco Sydney Vancouver and Wellington while in 1956 seeking to diversify the princess Saro drafted project p193 an Airborne early warning version with three aaps 20e Radars in the nose dorsal Center section and tail position though no buyers would ultimately come forward in 1957 project p199 saw the early consideration of a land plane conversion for the princess project essentially an admission that the era of the flying boats was long over and that the only way to create a competitive commercial airliner was to make it landbased as per the likes of the Comet and the vica's vicount alterations to this model including the replacement of the planing bottom an all fusar mounted undercarriage and an aft loading ramp with Rolls-Royce th engines being used for power however interest once again failed to materialize while the United States Navy was reportedly interested in procuring the Three Princesses as test beds for nuclear reactor aircraft propulsion with 1958 seeing project p213 appear in the form of a nuclear powerered sr45 though talks for this scheme once again went nowhere during the same year air Vice Marshal Donald Bennett and businessman Brian Halpin submitted a proposal to buy the aircraft for commercial work but due to continued government indecision the two men waited for over a year for the state to provide a response before finally withdrawing their proposal in March 1960 project hopes were further raised in November 1960 when a new company British princess flying boats limited was established under Halpin who sought to buy all three Giants provided the government would guarantee operating rights on at least one high density route and was Keen to link Southampton with Baltimore Chicago and Detroit through flying boat services that would start by 1962 though no Assurance was forthcoming and help in once again withdrew by May 1962 the new ministry of Aviation had announced the sale of golf alpha lima uniform November to the winder Corporation of Florida but this purchase also fell through while a year later the war office acting on behalf of the ministry of Aviation requested bids for the Giants with American manufacturer Aeros space lines showing possible interest in using the princess FASA as a means of transporting satin five rocket Parts including the Poss possibility of a twin H holded flying boat with a new unifying Wing section in January 1964 the war office announced all three princesses had been bought by mecki the airliners after years in storage having depreciated to the point that they cost only £30,000 for all three his intention being to supply the aircraft to Aeros space lines while in preparation for shipment to America golf alpha lima uniform Oscar and golf alpha lima uniform Papa were de cocooned for examination to begin in July 1965 sadly after 2 months the recommissioning work stopped as while for most of their cocooned life the princesses had remained in good condition and corrosion had been minimal by 1964 their care and maintenance contract had expired the seeing mecki faced with aircraft that had started to deteriorate and based on their lack of value by the time of his purchase he instead ordered the two units scrapped in May 19 66 he attempted to recommission golf alpha lima uniform November on behalf of cargo sales limited representatives of AOS space lines but found that this too had corroded leaving him no choice but to also have the aircraft scrapped with April 12th 1967 seeing the last of the three flying boats towed from cows to a Southampton breaker during the scrapping of the final princess its forward Hull was used for a Time by the braking company with the upper deck becoming an office and the lower Decker Workshop while the wings and tail were removed and broken up though finally the remaining Hulk was parted out thus bringing an inauspicious end for a truly Mighty aircraft in reality the sr45 princess was a machine far outdated by the time of its eventual entry into production during the early 1950s as while it may have been the largest most powerful and most technologically advanced flying boat ever to see active use the market it was attempting to endear itself self to had long moved away from the concept of luxury flying boats as per the pre-war era as a testament to its obsolescence the princess undertook its first flight during the same year as the comet jet entered commercial service with boac clearly representing the Divide between the two projects with the comet looking squarely at the future of passenger air travel while the sr45 was very much stuck in the past for

Channel: Ruairidh MacVeigh

Views: 96,044

Keywords: Airbus, Boeing, Air, Aircraft, Airplane, Aeroplane, Airliner, Commercial Airliner, Airline, Airlines, Airways, International Airline, International, International Airport, Departure, Arrival, Take-off, Landing, Flight, Flying, Plane, Runway, Approach, Terminal, Saunders-Roe, SARO, SR.45, Saunders-Roe SR.45, Flying Boat, Boat, Short Shetland, Short Empire, Imperial Airways, BOAC, British Airways, Isle of Wight, Farnborough Airshow, 1940s, 1950s, UK, United Kingdom, Great Britain, De Havilland Comet, Comet, Cowes

Id: u0c7gLluW0s

Length: 22min 10sec (1330 seconds)

Published: Tue Jun 25 2024