Short Sunderland Survivor

F3V · **Posted:** Wed Oct 21, 2009 1:23 pm

How many Sunderland Survived?

K. Weeks' Sunderland...
Le bourget Air Museum (Short S-25 Sandringham I know)

what else?

blurrkup · **Posted:** Wed Oct 21, 2009 1:38 pm

RAF Museum
IWM Duxford
They have 1 each

Solent Sky in Southampton has a Sandringham

k5083 · **Posted:** Wed Oct 21, 2009 2:29 pm

A Solent is in Oakland, California. I understand there is another in Auckland, NZ.

August

lestweforget · **Posted:** Wed Oct 21, 2009 2:33 pm

Good info here. My favorite aircraft of all time (strange I know!!)

http://www.oldprops.ukhome.net/Sandringham%20Photographs.htm

Michel Lemieux · **Posted:** Wed Oct 21, 2009 2:39 pm

There is also a fair amount of a wreck somewhere on a Pacific island

F3V · **Posted:** Wed Oct 21, 2009 2:42 pm

for the Short S-25 Sandringham of le musée de l'air et de l'espace du Bourget she is under restoration for display

the museum have build a new home for her

some pics: http://www.pyperpote.tonsite.biz/pages/bermudapag.html

According to K. Weeks she need four men to fly???? amazing!

lestweforget · **Posted:** Wed Oct 21, 2009 2:46 pm

JDK is the man in the know here too. He wrote a brilliant piece on the Sunderland in the Feb 2009 issue of The Aeroplane. Meant to thank him for that. I will now, thankyou James.

JDK · **Posted:** Wed Oct 21, 2009 5:56 pm

Thank you 'lest'! A good credit must also go to my co-author on the Database, Alan King.

F3V wrote:

How many Sunderland Survived?

K. Weeks' Sunderland...
Le bourget Air Museum (Short S-25 Sandringham I know)

what else?

T9044 Mk I wreck in Pembroke Dock harbour -planned recovery, UK.

N158C, Sandringham 4, ex Mk.III, Mk.V, Southampton Hall of Aviation, UK

F-OBIP, Sandringham 7, ex Mk.III, Mk.V, Musee de l'Air, le Bourget, France.

ML796, Sunderland V, IWM Duxford, UK.

N814ML, Sandringham, ex Mk.II, Mk.V, Fantasy of Flight, Florida, USA.

ML824, Sunderland V, RAF Museum, Hendon, UK

SZ584, Sunderland V, Museum of Transport & Technology, Auckland, NZ.

Parts:
VB881, Sunderland V, nose only, Ferrymead Aviation Society, Christchurch, NZ.

Sunderland V wreckage, Chatham Islands, NZ.

Solents:
Solent IV, Museum of Transport & Technology, Auckland, NZ.

Solent III, Oakland Aviation Museum, California, USA.

Sorry I don't have my other computer on with the last serial numbers. Unless someone else can fill the gaps, I'll do so later!

Thanks very much for the pics of F-OBIP it's good to see it underway on restoration.

Regards,

jdvoss · **Posted:** Wed Oct 21, 2009 6:02 pm

Attached is a photo of RNZAF 4115 that I took at the MoTaT Museum in Auckland, New Zealand. It was originally RAF SZ584, then post war to BOAC as G-AHJR, then to the RNZAF. It was SOC in 1966. I was fortunate to see a few in flight around the Suva (Fiji) area in 1964 as they were operating from the nearby RNZAF seaplane base at Lauthala Bay. I believe that this A/C is the only RNZAF survivor.

[img][img]http://i487.photobucket.com/albums/rr240/jdvoss/Sund.jpg[/img][/img]

JDK · **Posted:** Wed Oct 21, 2009 6:18 pm

Nice pic!

jdvoss wrote:

I believe that this A/C is the only RNZAF survivor.

It's certainly the only complete example in RNZAF colours, (it's the former RAF SZ584, wearing its RNZAF serial). However Kermit Week's aircraft is also an ex- RNZAF Sunderland, and the Ferrymead nose and Chatham wreck are ex- RNZAF of course.

Regards,

croweater · **Posted:** Wed Oct 21, 2009 6:47 pm

Some early photos here of the Short S-25 Sandringham of le musée de l'air et de l'espace du Bourget .
Pre recovery.
http://www.qam.com.au/aircraft/sandringham/F-OBIP.htm

Would have filled a gap in Australia's collection but good to see its still around.

Croweater

Michel C-GNCJ · **Posted:** Wed Oct 21, 2009 7:08 pm

This is the one from Hendon:

jdvoss · **Posted:** Wed Oct 21, 2009 7:19 pm

JDK:

Thank you so much for the update on the RNZAF survivors. Did Kermit Weeks fly his Sunderland from NZ to the USA ??

Also, when I was in Sydney in 1964 I spotted a Sandringham or Solent at anchor in the harbor marked as "Airlines of NSW". If I recall properly it was used for flights out to Lord Howe Island. Is it among your survivor list??

I do have a photo (yet to be digitized) of the TEAL Solent at MoTat in Auckland.

Holedigger · **Posted:** Wed Oct 21, 2009 8:16 pm

On Kermit's Sunderland from his website
http://www.fantasyofflight.com/aircraft ... erland.htm

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 4th 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.

Andy in West Oz · **Posted:** Wed Oct 21, 2009 8:40 pm

If you like the above...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j0Gqvz5Vbxs

These are the final days of operations out of Sydney and Lord Howe Island. The aircraft are the now Weeks bird and the one now extant at Southampton.

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