Flying Boats

by Charles Woodley

  Sandringham F-OBIP. Musée de l’Air et de l’Espace store, Dugny, Paris, in 2002. This aircraft is under long-term rebuild and can only be viewed at the annual museum store and workshops open day. (Paul Middleton)

  After more than a year’s work the Sandringham was relaunched, and successful taxiing trials took place, but the US authorities were still adamant that they would not allow it to fly, apart from a one-off ferry flight to a foreign territory. For the next four months Excalibur VIII was moored in various non-US harbours while its new owners tried to find an airworthiness authority willing to permit it to fly in their country, and at the same time tried to recruit a suitably qualified crew for it. Eventually they decided that its best prospects lay in the UK or another European country, and Captain Bryan Monkton (formerly the founder of Trans-Oceanic Airways) was hired to undertake the transatlantic ferry flight.

  Solent ZK-AMO. Museum of Transport and Technology, Auckland, New Zealand, 1995. (Paul Middleton)

  As part of the preparations long-range fuel tanks were installed, and on 27 March 1981 the flying boat departed St Croix on the six-and-a-half-hour first leg to Bermuda. During that flight certain problems came to light that delayed the onward journey for many weeks, and it was not until 16 May that the aircraft was able to continue. The northerly routeing across the Atlantic via Gander, Newfoundland was selected, and on the morning of 18 May the Sandringham alighted safely on Lough Derg on the River Shannon in Ireland. On 21 May it flew onwards to the former RAF flying boat base at Calshot in southern England, also the base at that time of N158C, the other Sandringham formerly operated by Antilles Air Boats, and for the first time in almost thirty years two four-engined flying boats could be seen together at this historic location. This was to last for only a few days, however, as N158J soon departed for a new base at Marignane, near Marseilles in France. This location had been chosen as it still retained flying boat facilities, being used by locally based Canadair ‘water bombers’ for fighting forest fires, as well as being conveniently close to Edward Hulton’s home in Monte Carlo. Once the Sandringham’s support equipment had arrived the aircraft was brought ashore and spent more than a year in Aerospatiale’s large hangar at Marignane undergoing corrosion treatment and repainting, which included the application of her former name Islander.

  While this work was being carried out the decision was taken to take the aircraft to England and obtain a UK Certificate of Airworthiness. To this end, ownership of the Sandringham was transferred to a UK company called Sunderland Ltd. The UK registration G-BJHS was allocated to the aircraft, which was henceforth officially described as a converted Sunderland as the Sandringham conversion carried out in Australia had been non-standard. Arrangements for the flying boat to spend some time moored on the River Thames in the heart of London were negotiated, and Islander’s former pilot Ron Gillies was brought over to command the aircraft on her flight to London. Islander departed Marseilles on 6 August 1982, the first time she had flown in over a year. In advance of her arrival it had been announced that the aircraft would be open for the public to inspect internally as well as externally to raise money for charities, but little thought had been given as to how the public would be transported from the riverbank to her mooring point. Eventually, a small boat was made available for this duty, but many people had to be disappointed, due to the great demand.

  A search was carried out to find a suitable location where the aircraft could be brought ashore and maintained during the winter, and this resulted in the flying boat being flown to Calshot and brought up the slipway there. The UK Civil Aviation Authority had indicated that there should be no problem over the issuance of a Private Category Certificate of Airworthiness, permitting the carriage of non-fare-paying passengers, appearances at airshows, and the use of the aircraft for advertising and corporate hospitality purposes, once certain specified modifications had been carried out. Work was still under way on these in October 1984 when the local authority covering the Calshot area announced that the site was to be redeveloped and the flying boat would have to be moved. Luckily, an alternative base became available at Chatham in Kent. Part of the former naval dockyard had been earmarked for a maritime museum, and covered accommodation could be used there for the time being. The requirement for a locally based commander for the Sunderland led to Edward Hulton establishing contact with former British Airways and BOAC pilot Ken Emmett, who had flown RAF Catalina flying boats during the Second World War, and BOAC Solents and Sandringhams post-war, and was probably the only pilot in the UK still licensed to fly civilian flying boats. His agreement to captain the Sunderland was the beginning of a ten-year association with the machine.

  After several test flights G-BJHS, now renamed Sir Arthur Fouge after the designer of the Sunderland, departed Calshot at 1115hrs on 20 November 1984 for her new base at Chatham. Work on the modifications recommenced, but was dogged by technical problems and bad luck. On two successive test flights during 1985 and 1986 the aircraft suffered engine failures. In October 1987 she was wheeled outside for engine runs, only to be caught in a violent storm. Hurricane-strength gusts blew her onto one wingtip, causing severe damage. By mid 1989 the Sunderland was airworthy and ready to fly once more.

  Talks had been taking place with the fledgling Irish airline Ryanair over joint operation of the flying boat, which was intended to become the centrepiece of a new flying boat museum at Foynes in Ireland while still remaining in airworthy condition for promotional appearances. Ryanair was anxious to get the Sunderland over to Ireland in time to feature at the opening of the museum, and sent engineers and materials across to England to speed up the work. Ryanair titles and logos were applied to the fuselage, and yet another new name, The Spirit of Foynes, appeared on the nose. The Sunderland was launched and made a test flight on 6 July 1989, but further engine problems delayed the issue of its Certificate of Airworthiness and meant that it did not arrive in Ireland in time for the opening of the museum. The aircraft was initially based on Lough Derg in Ireland, but it had only been there for a week or so when its crew took a telephone call from England advising them that ‘Sunderland Ltd and Ryanair have been unable to reach agreement ... return at once to Calshot’. The Sunderland was flown back the next day and brought ashore at Calshot, where, fortunately, the redevelopment plans had fallen through. The Ryanair markings were removed, and the name Islander once more applied to the nose. For the remainder of that summer the flying boat was kept busy on promotional work, participating in the West Malling Air Display on 28 August and overflying the start of the Whitbread Round the World Yacht Race on 2 September. In October 1989, thanks to the generous assistance of Westland Aerospace, the historic machine was taken from the water to spend the winter ashore at the former Saunders-Roe facilities at Calshot.

  In December 1989 Edward Hulton put the Sunderland up for auction at Christies, but failed to find a buyer. It was maintained in airworthy condition, and flew again at Coningsby on 16 June 1990 and on demonstration to potential buyers in September 1991. Another attempt at a sale by auction conducted by Sotheby’s failed to reach the reserve price of £300,000, and the aircraft slowly deteriorated at Calshot until the end of 1992, when US aircraft collector Kermit Weeks purchased it for US$500,000. He had plans to put it on display at his Fantasy of Flight museum at Polk City in Florida, and specified that he was to be part of the crew on its ferry flight to the USA. To prepare him for this he received training on the type from Ken Emmett, and in July 1993 test flights resulted in the awarding of a new UK Certificate of Airworthiness to the aircraft. On 20 July 1993 the Sunderland departed Southampton Water on its way to the USA, with Ken Emmett as pilot-in-charge and Kermit Weeks as co-pilot. The flying boat routed via Ireland, Iceland and Canada to Oshkosh, Wisconsin, where it took part in that airfield’s famous fly-in. It was to remain at Oshkosh for a year or so while a seaplane ramp was constructed and other preparations made at the museum, eventually arriving there in August 1994. On 4 July 1996 the aircraft played its part in the
build-up to the Summer Olympic Games in Atlanta, transporting the Olympic torch between Sarasota and Miami. In mid July 2017 the Sunderland was still in store at the museum but was not on public display.

  Sandringham VH-BRC ‘Beachcomber’. Solent Sky, Southampton, 1998. (Paul Middleton)

  Although none of the four-engined Sikorsky S-42s survive, several examples of its smaller twin-engined sibling the S-43 ‘Baby Clipper’ are preserved in the USA. NC16934, seen in 2012, has been restored in false US Marine Corps markings as a JRS-1 at the Pima Air and Space Museum, Tucson, USA. (Paul Middleton)

  Short Sandringham 4. Construction number SH55C

  After operating the final flying boat service of Ansett Flying boat Services, its Sandringham VH-BRC was sold to Antilles Air Boats in the US Virgin Islands on 10 September 1974. After a repaint, during which it acquired the temporary US registration N158C and the name Southern Cross, it departed Rose Bay, Sydney, on 28 November that year for its long ferry flight to St Croix via Pago Pago, Honolulu, San Francisco, Fort Worth and Boston, arriving at its new home on 9 December. Here it was re-registered as VP-LVE and used on occasional flights in the area until on 6 July 1976 it set off across the Atlantic, bound for Ireland and a stay on Lough Derg, where the actress Maureen O’Hara, wife of the Antilles Air Boats owner Charles Blair, had a summer residence at nearby Bantry Bay. On 19 August 1976 the Sandringham paid a visit to Belfast and four days later it landed at Poole in Dorset. The harbour authorities there refused permission for it to operate pleasure flights from there as intended, and so it was moved to Studland Bay, Dorset, where it carried out nine passenger flights before setting off back to St Croix on 28 August.

  In September 1977 the flying boat was back at Lough Derg, from where it operated charter flights under charter to the Irish airline Aer Arann. It then crossed the Irish Sea to the former flying boat base at Calshot. Here its operator again encountered difficulties. The use of Southampton Water for pleasure flights was denied, and so these were carried out from the mouth of the River Beaulieu, seventeen such flights being operated before the aircraft once more returned home to St Croix.

  In September 1978 Charles Blair was killed in a flying accident, and shortly afterwards Antilles Air Boats went out of business. Southern Cross was put into storage at Grande, Puerto Rico, where its condition slowly deteriorated. Eventually, its sale to the Science Museum in England was provisionally agreed and it was restored to airworthy condition for its delivery flight under the temporary registration N158C once again. On 9 October 1980 the Sandringham departed Puerto Rico and after stops at St Croix, Boston, Port Washington (New York), Oyster Bay, Sydney (Nova Scotia), and Gander it landed at Killaloe in Ireland. Here it spent three months awaiting approval to enter the UK, finally arriving at Calshot on 2 February 1981. After two months riding at anchor there it was brought ashore in April so that restoration work could commence. However, after protracted negotiations a new temporary base at RNAS Lee-on-Solent was agreed upon, and in July 1981 the flying boat was relaunched onto the water and taxied on two engines for the 5-mile journey there. It was then towed up the slipway and put into storage again for eighteen months.

  In 1982 the purchase of the Sandringham was finally formally completed, with the Science Museum contributing £40,000 and a further £45,000 coming from the National Heritage Memorial Trust. The original plan was for it to be stored at the Science Museum’s reserve collection at Wroughton in Wiltshire until a permanent home could be adapted to house it and put it on display. This measure was not adopted, however. Both Rochester Council in Kent and Southampton City Council submitted plans for a permanent display site, and the Southampton proposal was chosen. The elderly flying boat’s next move came about on 1 March 1983 when it was transported by the Army to Berth 28 at Southampton Old Docks on a self-propelled barge. Once at Southampton it was partially dismantled and stored in a secure compound while a new £403,000 museum, initially called the R.J. Mitchell Museum, was erected to house the Sandringham and other historic aircraft with a local connection. While this work was taking place the flying boat was repainted back into its Ansett Flying boat Services livery as VH-BRC Beachcomber. The new museum, now known as the Southampton Hall of Aviation, was completed during 1983 and the Sandringham was installed inside on 27–28 August. Once the other exhibits had joined it and the displays had been set up the facility opened its doors to the public on 26 May 1984 and was renamed the Solent Sky Museum in 2005. The Sandringham forms the centrepiece of the many historic exhibits and is open for inspection inside and out. In late 2017, after a £64,800 grant from the Heritage Lottery Fund for the purpose, work was in progress on the museum’s recreation of the interior of an Empire flying boat. This was to include a flight-deck modelled on that of the museum’s Short Sandringham.

  Short Solent 3. Construction number SH1295

  After the failure of South Pacific Airlines to commence operations in 1958 the company’s Short Solent N9964F was sold to the Hughes Tool Company, owned by the eccentric Howard Hughes. It was kept in storage under armed guard at San Francisco harbour from 1959 until 1967, when it was evicted and towed to Richmond, California, for further storage. After several changes of ownership it was saved from the scrap merchants in December 1976 by Rick and Randy Grant, who purchased it for US$50,000. A restoration group called the ‘Friends of Halcyon’ renamed it Halcyon and began preparing it for a proposed flight to Honolulu in 1978. The planned flight did not take place, and the Solent was later painted up to play the part of a Pan American Airways Boeing 314 Clipper flying boat in ground scenes for the movie Indiana Jones and the Raiders of the Lost Ark. After filming was completed it was repainted in the original RAF markings it wore when delivered to No. 201 Squadron as Short Seaford 1 NJ203 in 1946. In July 1989 the non-profit organisation Flying Boat Seaflite announced plans to restore the Solent to flying condition and use it to operate passenger charter flights around the San Francisco Bay area, but nothing seems to have come of this. In 2017 the aircraft was on display at the Oakland Aviation Museum in California, and guided tours of its interior were available on specified dates.

  The forward fuselage of former Reeve Aleutian Airways S-43 N15062 was last used as a (non-flying) boat but is now preserved by the Alaska Aviation Museum at Lake Hood, Anchorage, Alaska. It is pictured in 2008. (Paul Middleton)

  Short Solent 4. Construction number SH1559

  On 15 September 1960 the Short Solent ZK-AMO Aranui operated the final revenue flying boat service of the New Zealand airline TEAL, on the Coral route from Papeete to Auckland via Aitutaki, Apia and Suva. As the last Solent 4 in existence it was earmarked for preservation and placed into open storage at Upper Waitemata Harbour in Auckland. Serious restoration work by the Museum of Transport and Technology (MOTAT) began in the early 1980s, by which time it had been badly vandalised over the years. In 2017 restoration work was continuing, and the Solent could be viewed at the MOTAT in Auckland.

  Short Sandringham 7. Construction number SH57C

  On 29 September 1970 Short Sandringham 7 F-OBIP completed its last flight for RAI, a search and rescue mission out of Papeete. It then sat moored in a lagoon near to the new Papeete land airport until its sale by Civil Aviation Papeete in 1975 to Douglas Pearson Jnr, whose father had flown the aircraft during its RAI service. His intention was to return the Sandringham to the UK and put it on display at Rochester in Kent, but this project collapsed in November 1975. He then offered to donate the aircraft to the Queensland Air Museum in Australia, who sent a party out to Tahiti to inspect the flying boat and assess the cost and difficulty of transporting it to the museum. Mr Pearson then received a communication from Civil Aviation Papeete, advising him that the Sandringham in its present location was hampering plans to extend the airport, and unless it was moved by 1 March 1976 it would be broken up and the pieces would be dumped in the lagoon. The Queensland Air Museum had inspected the aircraft and had judged that it would be impractical for it to transport it to Australia, but Mr Pearson was able
to arrange a ‘stay of execution’ to allow other preservation possibilities to be looked into. On 1 November 1977 he wrote to the Musée de l’Air et de l’Espace at Le Bourget, Paris informing them that: ‘We wish to confirm that it is our desire to see the aeroplane preserved, notwithstanding its loss to Australia. We would rather see its preservation in Paris than its deterioration and eventual destruction in Papeete.’ The museum agreed to take on the Sandringham, and in April 1979 it eventually arrived in Paris, having been transported there by the French armed services. It was restored and placed on external display at Le Bourget, but was severely damaged during a storm in February 1984. It was then moved into a hangar for repair and further restoration. In mid-2017 this process was still ongoing and the aircraft was not on public display.