Fly Past

20 RAF CENTENARY CELEBRATION PATROLLERS AND AIRLIFTERS

Type: Five-crew general reconnaissance fl ying boat

First fl ight: July 8, 1932; entered service May 1935

Powerplant: Two 525hp (391kW) Rolls-Royce Kestrel piston engines

Dimensions: Span 75ft (22.90m), length 53ft (16.20m)

Weights: Empty 10,010lb (4,540kg), all-up 16,040lb (7,276kg)

Max speed: 142mph (229km/h) at 3,280ft (1,000m)

Range: 1,100 miles (1,770km)

Armament: Three Lewis guns in bows and amidships. Bomb load: 1,000lb

(454kg)

Replaced: Supermarine Southampton

Taken on charge: 14

Replaced by: Saro London

SUPERMARINE SCAPA

SUPERMARINE

SCAPA

1935 TO 1938

T

he Supermarine Scapa began

life as a completely upgraded

and modernised version of

the company’s Southampton flying

boat (see page 10). In fact, when

it first flew on July 8, 1932 it was

designated as the Southampton

Mk IV.

All the Scapa, as it was christened

in October 1933, shared with

the Southampton was its

general dimensions and a family

resemblance in tail design.

The triple fins of its predecessor

were replaced with twin tails and

rudders, while the two pilots sat

side-by-side in a fully enclosed

cockpit. The earlier machine’s

wooden wings were swapped for

metal units, giving the Scapa an

all-metal construction, and the hull

itself was changed slightly to ensure

greater internal space.

RE-ENGINED

The most important change came

with the powerplants and how they

were mounted to the airframe.

The Southampton’s Napier Lions

had been fitted between the wings,

where they and their complex

wire bracing created substantial

aerodynamic drag. In the case of the

Scapa the Rolls-Royce Kestrels were

neatly cowled and faired into the

upper wings.

The prototype Scapa (S1648)

was followed by 14 production

variants for the RAF, with deliveries

completed by July 1936.

First to receive the new type was

202 Squadron in Kalafrana, Malta,

in May 1937 and these were soon

followed by Alexandria, Egypt-based

1918 2018

Below

Compared to earlier

fl ying boat designs, the

Scapa benefi ted from

advanced aerodynamics

and streamlining.