Haven't done one of these for a long time. This photo was taken today. Name the aircraft I'm sitting in.

Boeing 307 Stratoliner

Hi Doug...

Interesting shot...

It would not be a Short Sandringham Flying Boat would it?

Not sure if that is the same as an Empire Flying Boat, would have to do some reading.

The design of the front windscreen is what makes me think it is a four engine Short Flying Boat of some sort....

Mictheslik wrote on Jan 10^th, 2012 at 9:07pm:

Well done chaps! That was easier than I expected. It is the Short Sandringham IV at the Solent Sky Museum (previously known as the Southampton Hall of Aviation).



The Sandringham was the civil version of the Sunderland. This one, named Beachcomber, was converted from a Sunderland Mk III in 1946. http://www.spitfireonline.co.uk/popup/exhibit9.html

Hi Doug. I've been on board a Sunderland before but this was my first look inside a Sandringham. What surprised me was the comparatively cramped seating arrangements. Nothing like the luxury & space I expected. Five crew & 30 passengers doesn't seem very economical to me for such a large aircraft.

Unfortunately I didn't take any photos of the passenger cabin but this will give you some idea.
http://www.aussieairliners.org/shortfb/vh-brc/2545.485.html

http://www.aussieairliners.org/shortfb/vh-brc/2545.475.html

Flying Trucker wrote on Jan 11^th, 2012 at 12:02pm:

Here's the link to the main page. A complete history of the Sandringham at the museum. http://www.aussieairliners.org/shortfb/vh-brc/vhbrc.html

Quote:

Although smoking on board aircraft has been banned for several years the seats on modern airliners still have individual ashtrays fitted.

Wonderful Link Doug...

For those interested there are some interesting cockpit shots showing the Sperry Autopilot in the above Link Doug supplied...

YIP- that Du-Flunky is a genuine GRUMMAN Albatross ,, amphibiean plane .  OK- now what do I WIN ?? a free trip to hawaii ,,, or all expense paid trip to the duxford air museum - a date with jennifer annistion ,,,, ????? the Jetranger !

Steve M wrote on Jan 11^th, 2012 at 7:50pm:

That would be perfectly normal for an aircraft of this vintage. Each end of the chain would be attached to a cable or push rods.

I found a photo of a Sunderland yoke (called a spectacle or control wheel on this side of the pond) showing the sprocket.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/ahistoryoftheworld/objects/nudpp4Y_SP29P0T7YcCVbQ

Hagar wrote on Jan 11^th, 2012 at 7:58pm:


And younger aircraft too!

Steve M wrote on Jan 12^th, 2012 at 8:25pm:

I suspect that was more for dramatic effect than realism. Unfortunately I was not allowed to touch the controls on the Sandringham for obvious reasons.

The history & development of aircraft control systems is an interesting subject in its own right. Flying large aircraft like the Sunderland* fitted with purely mechanical control systems could obviously involve more physical strength & effort than with servo-assisted or powered systems but that would depend on the individual design & the way it was set up. Some aircraft are better than others in this respect. All sorts of devices are used to reduce the control forces for the pilot, including bell-cranks, gears, levers, sprockets & chains, cables, push rods, pulleys, springs, balance weights, servo tabs etc. etc. This Wikipedia article explains the basics. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aircraft_flight_control_system#Flight_control_syste...

*The large rudder on some marks of the Sunderland was fitted with two trim tabs, the upper one acting as a servo tab (moving in the opposite direction to the control surface) to reduce control forces in the cockpit. This would obviously only be effective when the aircraft was in flight.

Steve M wrote on Jan 12^th, 2012 at 8:25pm:


Of course the hilarity is that when certain types of flying controls were introduced, certainly those operating remote servo type controls (be if cable or more modern FBW), they then had to introduce an artificial "heaviness" to control systems!

Steve M wrote on Jan 13^th, 2012 at 6:46pm:


On "a previous type", which had one of these systems (well, two of them in fact for redundancy), there was a manual remedy available if the system failed - a large metal strut (enclosing a large spring!) that was fixed to the cockpit floor and the control column to stop the accidental application of large elevator inputs and subsequent overstress...