Saunders-Roe Princess
| Saunders-Roe Princess | |
|---|---|
|
|
| Type: | Passenger flying boat |
| Design country: | |
| Manufacturer: |
Saunders-Roe |
| First flight: |
22nd August 1952 |
| Number of pieces: |
3 |
The Saunders-Roe (Saro) SR.45 Princess was a large flying boat .
Saunders-Roe started developing it immediately after World War II . The first flight was delayed until August 1952 because problems arose with the engines that could not be resolved until the project was discontinued. In order to be able to accommodate the ten engines required in the wings, the middle eight were coupled with two each, i.e. two engines each drive a pair of propellers rotating in opposite directions, similar to the Bristol Brabazon .
BOAC lost all interest in the project due to the budget overshooting from three to eleven million pounds, other technical difficulties such as issues with speed-sensitive servo controls, and the fact that the future of civil aviation would belong to land-based jet-propelled passenger aircraft .
A total of three copies were built, of which the first prototype ( aircraft registration G-ALUN) had completed a total of 47 test and demonstration flights with a total duration of about 97 hours by June 1954. The other two machines completed in 1953 (G-ALUO, G-ALUP) were mothballed immediately after construction and scrapped in 1967.
In 1957 there were plans to convert the three machines into troop transports or freight machines. For this purpose, the ten protein engines were to be replaced by six individual Rolls-Royce Tyne R.Ty.11. However, the plans were not implemented.
Technical specifications
| Parameter | Data |
|---|---|
| length | 42.10 m |
| span | 66.90 m |
| drive | ten Bristol Proteus 600 turboprop engines , each with 3245 WPS |
| Top speed | 611 km / h at 11,000 m |
| Cruising speed | 579 km / h at 10,000 m |
| Flight mass | 156,492 kg |
| capacity | 105 passengers |
See also
literature
- Bill Gunston: The Princess Saga . In: Airplane Monthly April 1974, pp. 596-505
