Flying Boat's First Flight
During World War II, the Saunders-Roe aviation company came up with a plan to get better use out of flying boats. The British company slapped a jet engine on one, hoping it would compensate for the bulky floatation gear. The SR.A/1 took its first flight on this day, July 16, in 1947, to some success, but by this time the war-time need for it had passed. Three were built, and one even made some waves during the 1948 Farnborough air show, but in the end it was a warplane without a war, and none flew after 1951.
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Comments (1)
Sorry to the long-gone designers, but it's also one of the ugliest jet airplanes ever to leave the ground... er... water. Whatever.
Posted by Michael Evans-Layng on July 16,2012 | 08:02 PM