36 http://www.aeroplanemonthly.com AEROPLANE SEPTEMBER 2017SARO JET FLYING BOATS
Deck A
Tourist-class accommodation for 252 plus
a control deck of immense size that was
comparable with an ocean-going liner,
behind which was a flight crew rest room.Deck B
170 first-class passengers in the front with
dining saloons, bars and lounges, one of
which was located at the very front of the
aircraft. At the back, provision was made
for 180 tourist passengers, again with a
bar and lounges. Also contained the
electronics compartment.Deck C
Mixed accommodation, 124 first-class and
156 tourist-class. A separate bar and
lounge were provided for tourist
passengers, and also here was the purser’s
office.Deck D
The final passenger deck on the giant
flying boat airliner, accommodating 118
tourist passengers with the usual bar and
lounge. The crew’s lounge and dining
room, together with the general stores,
were on this deck.Deck E
The lowest deck on the aeroplane,
containing the forward and aft galleys
from where meals would be taken to the
respective levels by lift, and the staff
sleeping quarters.In total, provision was made for 53 toilets
on the four decks, plus washroom
accommodation capable of being used by
230 people.Cargo could be carried on decks C and D
at the front and B and D at the rear.ON BOARD THE P192
GKNat four-and-a-half hours. Each
intermediate stop was expected to
last about three hours and would
enable refuelling. Arrival in Sydney
was due at 19.30hrs after a journey of
some 45 hours. The return leg took
slightly longer, 48 hours, with greater
flying times over the routes from
Karachi to Fanara and onwards to
Southampton.
Alternative routings were
considered, including Marseille,
Alexandria, Aden, Bombay,
Trincomalee, Jakarta, the Cocos
islands, Fremantle and then Sydney.
There were even plans for a long-
stage route calling at just Fanara,
Bombay, Jakarta and finally Adelaide.
The 192 was planned to operate
over stage lengths of 1,900 miles,
achieving a maximum speed of 400kt
at 40,000ft when carrying 438,000lb
of fuel.
The project engaged Saunders-
Roe in quite detailed design work
through the early part of 1956.
Besides the basic aircraft, much effortwas expended on the interior layout
including complex designs for turning
dining areas into sleeping berths. A
dedicated cargo variant was mooted,
which could have carried up to 67,000
cubic feet of freight.
However, for both this and the
Duchess the age of the flying boat
had sadly passed. BOAC, which had
operated large fleets of Short flying
boats after the war, ceased using them
in 1950. The airline saw landplanes
as its future and was starting the slow
process of buying American aircraft.Aquila Airways took over many
of BOAC’s flying boats, operating
services to Jersey, Capri, Funchal
and Genoa amongst others. But the
absence of a new type to replace its
ageing Solents meant that, on 30
September 1958, the commercial
operation of such aircraft in Britain
came to an end. One of the major
factors was the number of airfields
built during the war with longrunways that could now accept large
landplanes. A later study undertaken
by the consultants Saben Hart for
a yet larger flying boat failed even
to reach the levels of activity that
Saunders-Roe had achieved on the
P192.
This was really the last attempt
to see if there was life in the large
flying boat concept. Sadly, the answer
was that there was no place for such
a machine. Speed was now of the
essence. The ocean liners became
cruise liners, and seaplanes became a
thing of the past.
The 192 left the legacy of a design
that would have become one of
the largest airliners ever. Whether
it would have actually been built
given different circumstances is pure
conjecture — the complications
of converting such a design into
reality would have been immense,
with production facilities requiring
enormous expansion. However,
it remained a remarkable
achievement.33-36_AM_SAUNDERS_Sept17_V02 C.indd 36 31/07/2017 10:53