Short S23 C Class Empire Flying Boat

Last crawled date: 1 year, 7 months ago

Ordered in 1935 from a visionary spec written by Major R.H. Mayo of Imperial Airways, even before it was designed. Short's Designer, Arthur Gouge, did a marvellous job, and created a beauty within 18 months. An incredible feat considering the complexity of the aircraft. G-ADHL 'Canopus' was the first built, and first flew 4th July 1936, and entered service in December. It was the Golden Age of Aviation, and Canopus and her 27 sisters were rarely out of the news, as they flew the routes in grand style to British Territories all over the globe. Passenger accommodation was luxurious, although maybe a bit noisy by today's standards, with the four Bristol Pegasus engines thundering away. There were even separate Ladies and Gentlemen's toilets. The model has loads of dynamic parts, including Arthur Gouge's patent flaps developed for the S23's. Maybe not his best idea, but I've done the conical geometry accurately. As a tribute to a bold experiment in aviation, I've made the Imperial Airways flag hoist on the telescopic mast above the cockpit, if you and click it. Flying boats had to observe marine lights and flag conventions when on the water. If you like it, please rate it. #aircraft #airliner #airplane #airways #boat #Bristol #British #Dynamic #Empire #Engine #flying #Imperial #Pegasus #QANTAS #Radial #seaplane #Short #Sunderland