Aeroplane September 2017

ABOVE:

This exploded

diagram shows how

the P131 would

have carried 74

passengers in a

four-abreast layout,

and how the cabin

was split into two

compartments,

separated by the

freight hold.

AEROPLANE

BELOW:

The mighty P192

was a remarkable

design achievement,

but wholly

impractical in terms

of the cost of

building facilities

to support it at

a time when the

commercial fl ying

boat was on its way

out of service.

GKN

AEROPLANE SEPTEMBER 2017 http://www.aeroplanemonthly.com 35

two and three weeks. Saunders-Roe

came up with the P192 to meet this

requirement.

The specifi cation demanded

luxury-liner comfort on board the

aircraft, hence the dimensions. The

fuselage had a constant diameter

of 33ft with wings so large that

engineers would have been able to

walk through them to access the

engines in fl ight. Only the Hughes

H-4 had a greater wingspan, although

it was considerably smaller and less

than a third of the weight.

The P192 was to be a high-wing

airliner of all-metal construction

powered by an incredible 24 Rolls-

Royce Conway engines positioned

within the huge delta wings. The wing

design provided the best compromise

between the requirements for a high

critical Mach number, large internal

storage space, low induced drag and

low structural weight. It featured

interconnecting spoilers and ailerons,

split fl aps and slotted fl aps and

retractable fl oats at the tips.

The V-tails were located well

above the water spray, while the

positioning of the engines meant

that there were sheltered air intakes

for water operation together with

normal air intakes. The multi-bay

engine position should have ensured

good manoeuvrability on the water

when using differential thrust while

retaining orthodox engine cut

characteristics. The hull bottom form

combined excellent seaworthiness

with low structure weight, with

a low-spray forebody form and

well-ventilated streamlined step.

Hydrofl aps beneath the rear fuselage

aided in water manoeuvring.

As well as the basic design,

different studies under the P192

moniker included one featuring a

T-tail with power provided by 16

Bristol BE25 turboprops. Others were

powered by 20 Rolls-Royce Conways

with both V and T-tail arrangements.

Like the super-liners of the seas,

the P192’s passengers had lounge

seats, sleeping berths and dining room

places. Accommodation was laid

out over fi ve decks. Great care was

to be taken of the passengers. They

would arrive at Southampton Water,

many by rail, proceeding by escalator

and then down covered gangways

before entering the airliner. First-

class passengers entered through the

door on the port side just forward of

starboard-side door under the trailing

edge of the wing, again reached by

covered gangway. As with fi rst class

they reached the upper and lower

decks via the central staircases.

Much attention was paid to the

facilities that such aircraft needed.

These included designs for fl oating

decks into which the aircraft would

berth — much like a boat, and

from where all the services could be

provided — together with refuelling

rafts. Freight was loaded through the

aft port-side door, under the tailplane.

The preferred route to Australia

would begin with lunch at

Southampton Water. After that

the aircraft would take off at about

12.30hrs on the fi rst stage to Fanara

in Egypt, which would last about

fi ve hours. Dinner would be served

on arrival. The four-and-a-half-

hour fl ight to Karachi offered a

chance to sleep before being served

breakfast when the aircraft got there.

A three-and-a-half-hour journey to

Calcutta brought the half-way stop,

lasting about six hours. Passengers

could go ashore prior to setting off

again for a four-and-a-half-hour

journey to Singapore. Those on board

could again get some rest during the

fi ve-hour fl ight to Darwin, where

breakfast would be served before the

fi nal stage to Sydney, estimated

The P192’s

specifi cation

demanded luxury-

liner comfort on

board the aircraft,

hence the design’s

dimensions

the leading edge of the wing, giving

direct access into C deck’s fi rst-class

saloons. Once on board they would

probably have been greeted by either

the captain or fi rst offi cer before being

shown to their seats by one of the

40-strong crew.

Access to the upper decks would

have been by a large, centrally located

staircase. For second and third-class

passengers embarkation was via a

33-36_AM_SAUNDERS_Sept17_V02 C.indd 35 31/07/2017 10:52