Someone needs to find good reason to bring massive flying boats back as a thing. Apparently, 'Because they're fantastic, look at it!' isn't a strategic or tactical justification. The missus's dad used to be Calshot Sunderland ballast, and Hendon's blew me away as a kid. (Models of that & a Stranraer instantly bought, then badly built, but I suppose the airgun didn't care). Merely a thread for general flying boatage. 1949: https://www.bbc.co.uk/archive/new-boac-flying-boat-lands-on-the-thames/zf3gpg8 The best camper van ever:
A Tweeter points me towards a current Japanese model. ShinMaywa US-2 - Wikipedia I like it. Apparently some Chinese & Russian gear to be found as well.
Thought at first that was an ekranoplan, but no - 30k-ish feet. It's magnificent, but I don't seem to feel the same about jet power on these things. Think for my taste they have to have props to be proper flying boats. Wiki reckons this to be the first seaplane actually built: Kress Drachenflieger - Wikipedia MFN Metal Finishing News Stylish.
We have this thread on the forum in regards two Sunderlands that were used to evacuate casualties on Chindit 2: "Gert and Daisy" - the Sunderlands in Burma
Hang on a bleedin' minute. WTAF!? 'Tried to take off' ... The Caproni Ca.60 Transaereo: pushing the dream a little further - Italian Ways
I've always been partial to this BV138 picture as it looks like it's leaping from the sea into the air.
I just love flying boats, especially military/naval ones. The Sunderland ranks side-by-side to the Liberator as one of my favorite WWII aircraft. I can't help regretting that the Shetland, the super-Sunderland planned as a successor, never got into service. I have an idea for a story where a rich and mad heiress gets hold of a Shetland with full war equipment and uses it as her personal aircraft. She has lots of fun strafing and bombing things.
Highly recommend Night Over Water. If Follet isn't the best around he's pretty close https://www.amazon.com/Night-Over-Water-Ken-Follett/dp/0451173139
Well, in that case, I have the pleasure of introducing this most elegant beauty to you: The Dornier 26....winged aesthetics in a stylish aluminium dress
No,no,...that's not a real flying boat! That's....that's..don't know what that is - the bastard offspring of a hovercraft and a racing catamaran ?