past pictures
of the week
03:02:13 - 03:09:13
03:02:13 -- PICTURES OF THE WEEK: The Saunders-Roe SR.45 Princess Flying Boat, which first flew in August, 1952. Saunders-Roe had been asked by the British Ministry of Supply in 1945 to bid for a long range civil flying boat for British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC)for transatlantic passenger services. The bid was successful, and it received an order for three aircraft in May 1946. The "Princess" was powered by ten Bristol Proteus turboprop engines, powering six propellers. The four inner propellers were double, contra-rotating propellers driven by a twin version of the Proteus, the Bristol Coupled Proteus; each engine drove one of the propellers. The two outer propellers were single and powered by single engines. The rounded, bulbous, "double-bubble" pressurized fuselage contained two passenger decks, with room for 105 passengers. At 55 feet high, 148 feet long, and with a wingspan of 219 feet, the "Princess" was in the top ranks of the world's largest aircraft. Its cruising speed of 360 mph, service ceiling of 39,000 feet, and non-stop range of 5,720 nautical miles seemed to Saunders-Roe to make it a world-class contender for transatlantic and other long-range hauls, and the company envisioned a future jet-powered version (bottom picture) with the jet engines placed in the tail section. In addition, Saunders-Roe envisioned and publicized future flying-boat aerodromes around the world. Unfortunately, in 1951 BOAC determined it had no need for the "Princess", and it was announced that construction of the three initial aircraft would continue as transport aircraft for the Royal Air Force. Eventually only one of the three ever took to the air (pictures above, before and after painting) and all three aircraft were "cocooned". Various offers were explored over the next decade, including the potential of using them as transports for the U.S. Saturn rocket, as well as a U.S. Navy plan to possibly convert the boat planes to nuclear power. In 1967, badly deteriorated by corrosion, all three planes were scrapped. An in-depth history of Saunders-Roe and the story of the "Princess" is available as a 215-page PDF here.
03:09:13 -- PICTURES OF THE WEEK: From 1952, the technological romance of delta wing aircraft. Top, a 1952 Convair aircraft advertisement in Collier's Magazine. Below that, the October, 1952 cover of Space Stories. Third, June 1952 cover of Model Airplane News. Fourth, a 1952 illustration released by the U.S. Air Force to newswires. Fifth, a 1952 illustration of a Gloster Javelin from The Illustrated London News. Bottom two pictures, the real thing in action.
return to... past pictures of the week
|
|
Whether you need some serious styling for your walls at home or work or are on the lookout to give someone a special gift they'll treasure, you support the work of Saturday Night Uforia whenever you shop for great posters from AllPosters.com from any link at this site -- any, each, and every time you start your shopping from here. You still get the same great deal as your friends and family, but a little will come our way as a thanks from AllPosters.com. And you'll have the extra satisfaction of directly supporting the work of Saturday Night Uforia while treating yourself or friends to something special... like these great images celebrating the history of space exploration (you can even have them mounted, laminated, or framed). Just click on the pic for a larger version...
|
