now THIS is a big plane..

They've actually just retired the last one from firebombing service.

The penultimate one has been repainted in its original Navy colors and is supposed at some point to be ferried to Pensacola to be displayed in the Naval Aviation Museum.

The last one will probably be sold to a party yet to be determined, AFAIK.

Henry Tenby has done three DVDs about Coulson's Mars; they are well worth getting. http://www.henrytenby.com/dvd.html

 

The Mars is so big I could still see it clearly for about about 5 minutes after they did a touch & go in Coal Harbor Vancouver (about 5 years ago on the way to Cali).
Happy I got to see it closely and in flight. Probably seldom be airborne again.

 

Great plane...! Almost epic.

 

impressive and here is another moose

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=flDgvOA7k9o]Blohm & Voss BV238 Flying Boat - YouTube[/ame]

The whole flying boat era is fascinating to me. The 1930's clipper ships and the exotic places they went to and how they did it were a unique period. They had an amazing amount of space inside and it would be interesting to read a book about the type of people who were doing such travel back then.

Look into the Dornier's and the clipper ships.

 

Agreed, always like the Short Sunderland,
pics here:

https://www.google.com.ph/search?q=short+sunderland&client=firefox-a&hs=8uw&rls=org.mozilla:en-USfficial&channel=sb&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ei=3c8ZU_zrBImLrQfN-IHoBw&ved=0CAkQ_AUoAQ&biw=1193&bih=585

 

majestic;
http://famgus.se/Postcards/Aviation/PanAm%20Clipper%20Ships/PanAmSeaPlanes-Logo.jpg

livin large - https://www.fireflybooks.com/bookdetail&ean=9781554078943
http://galleryplus.ebayimg.com/ws/web/310713061479_1_0_1/1000x1000.jpg

 

The town hall here in Coral Gables is an old Sea Plane port. Very cool inside.

 

Here are some good magbooks (or bookazines, if you prefer) about the British contribution:

http://pocketmags.com/viewmagazine.aspx?catid=1030&category=Aviation+%26+Transport&subcatid=188&subcategory=Aviation&title=Aeroplane+Collector%27s+Archive&titleid=1679&issueid=56531&issuename=Golden+Age+of+Flying+boats

http://pocketmags.com/viewmagazine.aspx?catid=1030&category=Aviation+%26+Transport&subcatid=188&subcategory=Aviation&title=Aeroplane+Collector%27s+Archive&titleid=1679&issueid=56533&issuename=Great+British+Flying+Boats

 

couple of pics, not mine, the Mars in Osoyoos and skimming lake elisnore
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Does that helicopter pilot know he's being followed?

If he looks back he's in for the shock of his life.




JK

I saw a story about this in TV.

She's a big one alright. And people pay for her because she can get 'r done.

The chopper is used to set the drop IIRC.

 

Yeah good links they led me to this, I guess these would have to separate in air and I still don't get the point;

http://i851.photobucket.com/albums/ab74/tacit911/ShortMayo_zps664f4adc.jpg

 

Hmmmm, sequential "N" numbers...

Not sure I see the point, either.

If the big plane runs out of fuel, the small plane can carry it????

 

The small plane was designed to carry mail; I think the idea was to fly the duo a certain distance out over the Atlantic, release the small plane to continue on across while the larger plane returned to base. I don't think that it was ever really used as intended.

 

I thought the small plane was too heavy to take off when loaded with fuel and mail, so it was hauled/helped aloft by the big plane.

 

Lifeboat...

 

cool pics

http://www.everythingpanam.com/images/R%201940s%20B314%20pax%20boarding%20in%20SFO.jpg
http://www.everythingpanam.com/images/R%201939%20B314%20under%20construction%20SEA.jpg
http://www.everythingpanam.com/images/R%201940s%20B314%20in%20Military%20Camouflage%20most%20likely%20LGA.jpg

 

In essence, that was the idea, and here is the plan as described in Wikipedia:

"It was known that aircraft could maintain flight with a greater load than is possible to take off with; Major Robert H. Mayo, Technical General Manager at Imperial Airways proposed mounting a small, long-range seaplane on top of a larger carrier aircraft, using the combined power of both to bring the smaller aircraft to operational height, at which time the two aircraft would separate, the carrier aircraft returning to base while the other flew on to its destination."

The combination was commonly known as the "Mayo composite" after its creator. It actually was used for a time before WW II, and was capable of non-stop east-to-west flights across the Atlantic before that was commonly feasible.