General History

The Sunderland was developed from the early British Empire flying boats that serviced the British Empire during the last colonial days prior to World War II.  The first Sunderland flew in 1937 and was the first British flying boat to have power-operated gun turrets.  Able to stay airborne for 16 hours, they were used for coastal patrol, cargo, air-sea rescue and convoy protection against enemy submarines.  Because of the many guns protruding from the aircraft, the Germans dubbed it the “Flying Porcupine."

Early Sunderland’s were powered with the Bristol Pegasus sleeve-valve engines.  Unbelievably, they were not equipped with feathering propellers.  The British had been flying the American PBY “Catalina” Flying Boats and were very satisfied with its Pratt & Whitney engines.  With feathering propellers and more horsepower, the decision was made to incorporate these engines on the Sunderland’s beginning with the production of the Sunderland Mk V.  Earlier aircraft were flown back to the factory the factory in Belfast, Ireland and upgraded.  The new power plants were essentially right off the PBY, cowlings and all.

During the war, many airports were constructed throughout the world to help ferry land-based aircraft to different theatres for operations.  This would prove to be the demise of the flying boat.  After the war, their days were numbered. 

Personal History

This aircraft was originally built in 1944 as a Sunderland Mk III and later converted to a Mk V with the American engines.  It flew with 3 different countries during the war starting with the British, then the Canadians, and finishing with the Norwegians.  After the war, it was later used to haul supplies into Germany during the Berlin Airlift.  It then saw service with the Royal New Zealand Air Force operating out of Fiji.  In 1964, this aircraft was purchased by Australia’s Ansett flying boats to replace one that was lost moored in a storm.  Converted to passenger use, it operated out of Sydney Harbor to Lord Howe Island, an island halfway to New Zealand.  When a runway was constructed on the island, it was put up for sale with its companion, a 4-engine Sangringham flying boat.  Famous Pan Am Flying Boat Captain Charlie Blair purchased both aircraft in the late 1960’s and flew them half way around the world for use in the Caribbean.  After Blair was killed in a seaplane accident in the mid-seventies, the boats sat in Puerto Rico until they were eventually both flown back to England.

In February of 1993, Kermit purchased the Sunderland from Edward Hulton.  This was a very interesting time for Kermit.  They were still cleaning up from Hurricane Andrew after it had devastated the Weeks Air Museum in Miami, while the first shovel of dirt was being dug here at Fantasy of Flight.  Work on the Sunderland continued in England for the next 5 months.  In July, Kermit and a crew of five flew the Sunderland across the Atlantic making stops in Ireland, Iceland and Canada.  The Sunderland was flown directly to the 1993 Oshkosh Fly-In in Wisconsin and was left there for another year while the seaplane ramp was being constructed at Fantasy of Flight.  The Sunderland arrived in Florida in August of 1994.  In 1996, the Sunderland was flown to Sarasota, where it participated in the Olympic Torch relay to Atlanta by flying the Torch from Sarasota to Miami on the 4^th of July.

The Sunderland requires a minimum crew of 4 to operate.  Legally, you are required to have a pilot, a co-pilot and flight engineer.  A bowman is also required to release and catch the mooring buoy, drop anchor, watch for boat traffic and water depths, handle and release drogue chutes and inflate the rubber boat that is carried.   You are looking at the last 4-engine passenger flying boat that can still fly.  It was the last flying boat to operate out of the original Miami Pan Am Clipper Base in Dinner Key and the last flying boat to cross a major ocean.

Kermit Comment

This aircraft can only take-off and land on the water.  The wheels on the sides are called beaching gear and are used only to get it to and from the water.  The airplane is towed by tractor to the top of the seaplane ramp and placed facing the water.  The wheels are chocked and the tractor moves to the rear of the aircraft where a rope is connected from the tractor to the release hook below the Sunderland’s tail.  The tractor backs up to tighten the rope and the aircraft’s engines are started.  Once warmed up, the chocks are removed and the pilot begins a slow taxi down the ramp.  The tractor in tow helps control the speed.  As soon as the Sunderland’s wheels touch the water, the tractor slackens the rope.  The pilot pulls a handle in the cockpit, and releases the rope as the aircraft taxis into the water.  Once moored, the beaching gear with its additional floatation attached is removed and towed back to shore by boat.

Steering on the water is done with differential throttling.  There is no water rudder on the Sunderland and it has no brakes or reversible propellers.  Operation on the water can get very interesting and it takes a lot of crew coordination.  When starting the aircraft for flight, one outboard engine is started first, generally the one closest to shore.  Once one engine is running and the mooring buoy released, the aircraft begins to move in a circle until the opposite outboard engine starts.  The two inboard engines are started.  After they are warmed up, the engines are run up two at a time.  When all the safety checks are completed, the aircraft is ready for take-off.

After landing, and prior to mooring, the engines are cooled down and the inboard engines are shut down first.  The pilot can steer the aircraft on the water by applying small amounts of throttle to the outboard engines.   Remember, there are no water rudders or reversible propellers.  In less than heavy wind conditions, this differential throttling allows the 'boat' to maintain far too much speed to moor and the aircraft easily will overrun the buoy.  Upon command from the pilot, the bowman releases the drogues out each side.  They are 3-foot canvas water parachutes that are attached each side of the nose and act as water brakes to slow it down further.  When in very calm wind conditions, this is still not enough to slow the aircraft down.  The pilot resorts to steering the aircraft by sailing the aircraft by using the flight controls to allow the wind to slowly turn the Boat.  In the last few moments the pilot can further steer and slow down by temporarily shutting the engines on and off with the magneto switches.

To perform maintenance on the water, the leading edges of the wings just outboard of each engine, hinge down to become work platforms.  With a portable stowed crane, the Sunderland has the ability to change an engine or propeller on the water.  Working on the water can be interesting, where dropping a tool takes on a totally new meaning.