Name: What Happened To Giant Flying Boats? Saunders-Roe Princess Story
Uploaded: 2021-05-31T13:27:37.000Z
Duration: 11 min 12 s
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In 1952, the first jet airliner began carrying passengers, ushering in a new era.

But it was also the same year this took to the skies.

Both of these planes were trying to predict the future of air travel.

And one company was convinced that its flying boat would win out in the end.

Because it would be a more comfortable way to fly, where passengers could relax in a

lounge, dine in a restaurant, even sleep in their own private suites.

Flying boats were already the giants of the skies.

And there seemed to be no limit to how big and luxurious they could get.

The world just needed to be convinced that flying boats really did have a future.

By the 1930s, two distinct kinds of airplanes had emerged land planes and seaplanes.

The obvious difference was one landed on water, and the other on a runway.

But in the 1930s, that was an important distinction.

Because many cities didn't even have airports.

And runways were often little more than dirt or grass fields.

On the other hand, the world is covered in water.

So flying boats could land just about anywhere.

Onto the Hudson River at New York came a mighty German Dornier flying boat on its first transatlantic

Another milestone in the rapid advance of commercial aviation.

While the development of land planes was constrained by a lack of suitable runways, flying boats

could grow larger, heavier, and more capable.

And because they could reach parts of the world inaccessible to other planes, flying

boats opened up air travel to far flung exotic destinations.

For the lucky few who could afford it, flying boats became the preferred way to travel earning

Because over the middle of the ocean, the ability to land in case something went wrong,

was a reason why many thought flying boats were superior.

And it helped calm the nerves of uneasy passengers.

The rapid development of flying boats lled many to believe that they were the future

And in 1943, one iconic British Aircraft builder began designing the next generation of

An enormous plane that would redefine air travel.

1943 was the middle of the Second World War.

But after the War, air travel would certainly boom again.

And Saunders-Roe was going to be ready with an all-new flying boat that would put them

The largest, most advanced flying boat airliner ever built.

They called it the the Princess, a fitting name for an airliner with a luxurious two-level

cabin featuring lounges, an actual restaurant, sleeper cabins, even a promenade for its 100

The Princess was an odd looking bird, but it's unique shape helped reduce drag.

Also aiding with efficiency was a new innovation.

And this plane was packed with them, eight turboprops driving contra-rotating propellers

through a gearbox and another two powering single propellers.

But it meant the princess could reach speeds of over 600 kilometres per hour, climb to

39,000 feet, and travel over 9,000 kilometres.

Practically doubling the performance of earlier flying boats.

With the Princess, Saunders-Roe brought flying boats into a new era.

Just in time for the 1950s boom in air travel.

And the company was already designing the next generation to follow the Princess.

A sleek flying boat with swept wings and turbojets.

And for Saunders-Roe, it was flying boats all the way down.

They were even developing the world's first flying boat fighter jet.

But while the company seemed confident in the future of flying boats, the rest of the

In 1952, the Princess took its maiden flight.

And the enormous plane was a main attraction at the Farnborough airshow.

Because a lot had changed during the Second World War.

For starters, the War hadn't been fought with flying boats, but enormous land-based

Proving the long-range capabilities of land planes.

And over the course of the War, thousands of new airports were constructed around the

After the War, many of these new airports and military aircraft using them were converted

By 1950, all of the world's major airlines had abandoned their flying boats, switching

To land on water, flying boats need stronger, bulkier fuselages, so they were naturally

heavier, less aerodynamic, and difficult to pressurize.

And flying boats were more challenging to fly, requiring additional training for pilots.

And the plane's exposure to corrosive salt water meant more maintenance.

All factors which made flying boats, less profitable for airlines.

Still, Saunders-Roe remained committed to flying boats.

Convinced that their advantage in size, safety, and their ability to operate on natural stretches

of water without much infrastructure, would soon spark their resurgence..All they had

So the company went on an all-out marketing offensive, asserting that flying boats could

still match the performance of land planes.

And boasting that the Princess would mark the beginning of a resurgence in flying boat

But desperation also seemed to be creeping in, as the company tried to argue that the

switch to land-based aircraft had been driven by false assumptions, outdated figures, or

even plain prejudice against flying boats.

But the marketing seemed to fall on deaf ears.

even BOAC, Britain's leading airline had no interest in the Princess.

Instead they made a bet on the world's first jet-powered airliner.

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What Happened To Giant Flying Boats? Saunders-Roe Princess Story

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