Wow! That's Really Huge!! (part 4)

Really Huge - Really Huge Failures!
There was Howard Hughes' "Spruce Goose" ...

... intended for war time troop and materials transport but not ready to fly until hostilities were almost over. It was made of wood (Birch, not Spruce!) to counter metal shortages for speculative developments.

Four reporters left to file stories after the first two taxi runs while the remaining press stayed for the final test run of the day. After picking up speed on the channel facing Cabrillo Beach the Hercules lifted off, remaining airborne for 26 seconds at 70 ft off the water at a speed of 135 miles per hour (217 km/h) for about one mile (1.6 km). At this altitude the aircraft still experienced ground effect.The brief flight proved to detractors that Hughes' (now unneeded) masterpiece was flight-worthy - thus vindicating the use of government funds. The Spruce Goose, however, never flew again.

The eight-engined monster is in a Museum in the USA

Then at the Bristol aircraft company (Filton) the Brabazon was built.

At the time of its construction, the Brabazon was one of the largest aircraft ever built, being sized roughly between the much later Airbus A300 and Boeing 767 airliners. Despite its vast size, the Brabazon was designed to carry a total of only 100 passengers, each one being allocated their own spacious area about the size of the entire interior of a small car. On 4 September 1949, the first prototype conducted its maiden flight.

Being unable to attract any orders, the aircraft became regarded as a commercial failure. 

But, on the Isle of Wight ...

... Saunders-Roe had built a brand new hangar in which to built their contribution to the huge-plane-for-not-enough-passengers craze. Yes, you do recognise it as the place now adorned with the Union flag!

This was where the Princess flying boat was built.

It was intended to serve the transatlantic route, carrying up to 100 passengers between Southampton, United Kingdom and New York City, United States in spacious and comfortable conditions.

As well as conventional seats, there were cabin bedrooms (7), a stand-up bar (8), a dining room (9) and a fully equipped kitchen (10).

To achieve the transatlantic range, it was decided early on to make use of newly developed turboprop technology, opting for the in-developed Bristol Proteus engine to power the aircraft. The project suffered delays and cost overrun due to difficulties encountered in the development of the Proteus engine.

How where have we heard that before?

There were TEN engines driving six propulsion units. Four of them each had double propellers rotating in opposite directions driven by two engines with complex and troublesome gearboxes.

There is no doubt that the plane was an engineering marvel, the wonder of the age. Sadly, the age was over. Nobody wanted flying boats any more and young Frank Whittle's jet engine was looking a much better bet than boring old diesels with whirly bits on the end.

Three planes were built but only one ever flew.

But wow! It Was Really Huge!

Two were stored for some time at Calshot on Southampton Water ...

... whilst the third was parked on Medina Road in Cowes.

Even there, it is difficult to gauge the size of the beast.

It is not at all clear whether a fully assembled plane actually fitted into its specially built shed! If it did, then parking it would have been very tricky indeed.

But, sadly, this amazing piece of engineering ...

... was conceived for an era that was disappearing rapidly into history.

B O A C put its trust in the de Havilland Comet ...

... which itself had a shaky and tragic gestation. Once the lessons of metal fatigue had been recognised and overcome, Comets were highly successful and safe. The Nimrod (a development of the Comet) was ultimately retired in 2011!

There was just one chance that the Princess project might be saved. A buyer was interested in all three mothballed planes but, when the mothballs were removed, it was found that corrosion was rife and repair would have been uneconomic. All three were broken up for scrap.

And Talking of Timetables

With the news that Metro West Yorkshire is to stop printing timetable leaflets and thus accelerate the decline in bus usage, it is a joy and a delight to receive a copy of one bus company's complete network all in one pamphlet.

The company is Powells of Hellaby, South Yorkshire recently taken over by HCT group ...

... formerly Hackney Community Transport. Powells run loadsa school stuff of which the panel below is just a sample.

Everything is provided on their web site, but the "normal" services have full timetables in a simple yet effective leaflet. Here is the 18 half hourly Mon to Fri and ...

... hourly on Saturdays. There is the "mop-up" service 4 to Ravenfield via Flanderwell ...

... and the shuttle from Rotherham to the Parkgate shopping excitement.

fbb guesses this is paid for by the shopping centre owners, hence the branding. The "biggie" on therleaflet is the new X7, now half hourly and having a dig at First's X1/X10 complex (and complex is the right word).

This development maybe hampered somewhat by Stagecoach's up-coming half hourly X6 service which, as far as Wickersley, will nibble away at the X7's patronage from April 6th.

Finally, from 3rd March, Powells have won the tender for what remains of the A1 from Meadowhall not quite all the way to Waverley. It only goes as far as the Advanced Manufacturing Park (a euphemism for "industrial estate" and does not serve the housing area.

On the front cover of this A4 folded to A5 leaflet is a rather crude but very acceptable map of the network.

One small snag! It all kicked off on Monday 4th March (Powells don't run on Sundays)! Whoops. That's the sort of mega-bludner that fbb makes!

But what was most significant was that these leaflets were the ONLY printed information available in Sheffield before the changes which kicked in from Sunday 3rd March.

So a whole case of chocolate peanuts to Powells, plus a gold Blue Peter badge, at least.

You deserve to be able to whop Stagecoach for that reason alone!

 Next Competitive Clashes blog : Wednesday 20th March