Primarily for general aviation discussion, but other aviation topics are also welcome.
By Hooligan
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1853547
He had three - Lufthansa acquired them latterly, the plan was to restore one to full passenger flying status to join its Ju-52 on joyriding duties in Europe - after huge expense and lengthy progress at Auburn (including building a hangar I think), they pulled the plug in 2018 and bought the old girl over by sea for a museum.

Plus the one at Kermit's place and the third was restored in TWA colours and is now at JFK.

Apparently only four Starliners are still extant, three thanks to Maurice, the fourth is at SAA's museum at Rand.
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By Hooligan
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1853751
MichaelP wrote:You can always go for the economy model.
I did enjoy splashing about in this, and there were two in Britain at one time.


As a small boy I remember climbing around the work-in-progress Volmer being built by Viv Bellamy at Lands End. Wish I could recall meeting him, I must have as my dad knew him. The other Volmer was at Biggin for a while.

Re Connies, there are two Biafran survivors on Sao Tome, forming part of a restaurant - if only they could be put back into the air...

Sandringhams - the twin to Kermit's is at the Solent Sky museum in Southampton - if Genghis has access to a floatplane, he could add that to his list of visits, albeit I've no idea where he could drop anchor at Southampton docks. The museum is just a short walk from the Itchen toll bridge.

I think I saw one of the two Antilles Air Boats Sandringhams flying over Southampton Water while staying with my brother near Hamble in the summer of '77 - very distant something droning with a big red fin. Charles Blair and Maureen O'Hara bought one or other over to the UK several summers running. Also saw my first Catalina flying over and Elvis died during the same stay!
By Mike Tango
#1853800
Hooligan wrote:Sandringhams - the twin to Kermit's is at the Solent Sky museum in Southampton - if Genghis has access to a floatplane, he could add that to his list of visits, albeit I've no idea where he could drop anchor at Southampton docks. The museum is just a short walk from the Itchen toll bridge.


Been inside that one a few times as a nice little museum and just down the road, well worth a visit.

https://www.solentsky.org/
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By skydriller
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1853811
Hooligan wrote:I think I saw one of the two Antilles Air Boats Sandringhams flying over Southampton Water while staying with my brother near Hamble in the summer of '77 - very distant something droning with a big red fin.


I have a memory as a small child of my dad taking me to see a Sandringham (could it have been the only one at the time?) fly at Calshot(?) / Southampton water in the early Eighties.

Regards, SD..
By Hooligan
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1853821
I think Charles Blair was killed in a Goose crash in '78 and Antilles Air Boats foundered soon after. The Solent Sky Sandringham arrived at Calshot in Feb '81, then moved to Lee-on-Solent, then to Southampton in '83. I remember seeing it across Southampton Water from Hamble or somewhere, Easter '81. The other one, Ed Hulton's aircraft arrived at Calshot in May '81, then moved variously to Marseilles, Tower Bridge (saw it moored there!), Chatham, Ireland, Chatham again, until it was acquired by Kermit. Not sure who owned it when it appeared at Biggin/West Malling, probably still Hulton. I should think both were at Calshot for a while in '81.
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By kanga
#1853822
MichaelP wrote:.. there were two in Britain at one time.
Image


.. one famously featured in the opening sequence of The Wicker Man :thumright:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thurston_Teal

ISTR reading a report that the hull of the first prototype was based on surplus WW2 floats for the seaplane version of the C-47 :)