HIGH HULLS FLYING BOATS OF THE 1930S AND 1940S
AN AFFECTIONATE CELEBRATION OF SOME OF AVIATION’S MOST ECCENTRIC CREATIONS
Author: Charles R. G. Bain Publisher: Fonthill Price: £40.00
The allure of the flying boat is easy to understand. These hybrids – often exotic, sometimes downright strange – are so distinctive they cannot fail to catch the eye. Charles Bain dives into a quirky world with gusto in this book, which charts the lives of nearly 40 flying boats from around the world in the 1930s and 1940s.
Not all of the planes considered had military applications, but many served in various roles, with varying levels of armament (and varying levels of success). Although lining these planes up according to date would give the reader a better idea of the development of the aircraft type as a whole, Bain has arranged them in alphabetical order – grouping them by manufacturer makes it easy to see how the designs of individual companies evolved. The most famous aircraft considered include the Boeing 314 Clipper and the Consolidated PBY Catalina, but the infamous Spruce Goose, Howard Hughes’s gargantuan folly, will be the most familiar to many readers. Despite only one ever having been built, and despite the fact it may have never actually flown (the matter is debated) it remains the most recognisable flying boat ever designed.
In each case great detail is given on the development, production and (where relevant) military experiences of the flying boats in question. Bain writes well and the result is a fascinating study. Whether they looked like boats with a plane stuck on them (like the Sikorsky S-38C), or sleek Flash Gordon-style spaceships (like the Saunders-roe Princess), they are all strangely attractive. Perhaps, as Bain himself states “there is, simply, something about them”.