This beautiful example was built in the early 1950s flying ship projectwas designed as a successor to the glamorous merchant ships of the pre-war period.

Between Southampton, England, and New York, USA instantly The dream of serving on transatlantic routes with up to 100 passengers was a candidate to bring a new breath to the aviation world with its spacious interiors and modern design.

However, it stands out for its enormous dimensions and luxurious equipment. Princess Its rise faced an uphill battle against the proliferation of jet aircraft and declining demand for ships, and we never saw this interesting project live.

“Can the ship fly too, my dear?” Before we say this, let’s break your preconceptions.

This flying ship reflects the spirit of the times and was a reflection of the changing aviation dynamics and fascinated people. This project, called Saunders-Roe Princess, was a British aircraft developed at the Cowes facilities on the Isle of Wight. It is the largest all-metal structure ever built. It was a flying ship.

This ship was designed as a luxurious successor to the pre-war merchant ships. inside Capacity up to 100 passengers was located. In addition, there have been new developments in construction turboprop Although technology and the Bristol Proteus engine were preferred, there were some problems in the development of the engine. This is also important in the project delays made it inevitable.

Princess attracted attention with its maiden flight on August 22, 1952.

Total between 1952 and 1954 47 test flights have been made, During this period two public demonstrations were also held at the Farnborough Airshow. At the start of this project, work under the development contract was aimed at securing a contract for the aircraft from the British national airline BOAC.

However, BOAC later He concentrated on land routes and opted for the jet-powered De Havilland Comet. This choice marked the end of the era of flying ships. The contract effectively ended before the delivery of Princess.

De Havilland Comet

Cancellation of the project, Sanders-Roe It was a disaster for that. Three prototypes were produced and after that it was very difficult to find a buyer for such a project.

What were the features of this wonderful project? Let’s take a closer look at that.

• Crew: 2 pilots, 2 flight engineers, radio operator and navigator
• Capacity: 105 passengers / 62,142.2 kg available payload
• Length: 45m
• Wingspan: 66.90 m (buoys retracted), 63.86 m (buoys extended)
• Height: 16.99m
• Wing area: 466.3 m²
• Empty weight: 86,183 kg
• gross weight: 149,685 kg
• Maximum take-off weight: 156,501kg

• Fuel capacity: 53 liters in four integrated tanks in the inner wing
• power source: 4 × Bristol Coupled-Proteus 610 turboprops, each 3,700 kW + 7.38 kn at 10,000 rpm at sea level punch
• Propellers: 4-blade de Havilland constant speed propellers with high-speed duralumin springs. 5.03m diameter
• maximum speed: 610 km/h, 330 knots at 11,000 meters
• cruising speed: 580 km/h, 310 knots at 900 meters
• Range: 9,210 km, 4,970 nm
• Sustainability: 15 hours
• climbing speed: 296 km/h at sea level, 9.7 m/s at 160 kn speed

It has these unique features giant flying ship, disappeared into the dusty pages of history.

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