Shipbucket

Welcome to the Golden Age of Flying Boats challenge! Your task is to draw a flying boat which conforms to the Design Requirements outlined below. Please read these requirements as well as the Challenge Rules before posting a submission. This challenge was based on a suggestion in the Future Challenge Ideas/Suggestions thread. If you have ideas of your own for a future challenge, consider sharing them there. Do not be afraid to make a suggestion that has already been made. It reveals that multiple people are interested in a particular topic.

Design Requirements

1. Your submission must depict a fictional flying boat - a seaplane with a hull allowing it to land on and take off from water.
2. The flying boat's first flight must occur between 1919 and 1939. Your drawing should also depict the flying boat in this time frame.
3. Military aircraft are not permitted. Your flying boat should serve a civilian airline or organisation.

Challenge Rules

1. Each participant may submit one image.
2. The image must be an FD template modified to include the participant’s system and, optionally, crew figures at their stations within the system and/or one of the following: unit insignia, manufacturer logo, national flag. Other elements, including data sheets and scenic elements, are not permitted. If you have specifications and blocks of text, please include them as text in your post and not in the image itself.
3. No more than three views are allowed in each image.
4. If two or three views are included, they must depict the same individual aircraft in the same paint schemes, markings, and configuration (e.g. landing gear deployed).
5. All art must be in FD scale and conform to the same drawing and shading rules as official Shipbucket styles.
6. A textual description accompanying each submission is permitted, but not necessary.
7. Non-serious entries, or entries substantially deviate from the challenge requirements, are not allowed.
8. Off-topic posts will be reported to the relevant authorities.

This challenge will run until Sunday the 4th of February 2024, ending at 23:59 UTC-12 (International Date Line West).
A countdown timer can be found at this link.

A poll will be held after this date to select a winner. When it opens, please provide honest and meaningful scores for each entry. Responses which grant maximum scores to a select group of entries, and minimum scores to all other entries, will be deleted. Members of the community who manipulate the results in such a fashion may also be subject to a permanent ban. Scores will be allocated in two categories, each with a scale of 1 to 10:

• Drawing Quality - The overall quality of the drawing. One might consider detailing, shading, and accuracy.
• Design Quality -The quality of the design presented, irrespective of drawing quality. One could consider feasibility, practicality, and realism.

Time Frame Extended
Following feedback on the Shipbucket Discord server, I have modified Design Requirement 2 to read: "The flying boat's first flight must occur between 1919 and 1939. Your drawing should also depict the flying boat in this time frame." This means you are no longer limited to the original 1920-1935 time frame and may depict fictional designs from across the interwar period.

Amphibians Permitted
It seems a question from Waritem concerning amphibious aircraft and my response were lost during the server rollback. This comment is just to confirm that my previous position stands: amphibious aircraft are permitted if they meet the stated design requirements.

The Polaris Expedition: Short S.24 Surveyor



Specifications:
Crew: Two (Pilot and Co-Pilot/Navigator)
Length: 14.67 m
Wingspan: 22.3 m
Height: 5.07 m
Empty Weight: 11,413 lb (5,177 kg)
Gross Weight: 16,350 lb (7,416 kg)
Powerplant: 4x Napier Rapier VI 16-cylinder "H-block" piston engines, 365 hp (272 kW) each
Propellers: 2-bladed fixed-pitch propellers

Performance:
Never-Exceed Speed: 180 KIAS
Cruise Speed: 155 KIAS
Range: 4,850 nmi
Service Ceiling: 15,000 ft


In late 1936, a pair of explorers with the Royal Geographic Society contacted the Short Brothers in regards to the construction of a specialty flying boat. They were Kathryn Horrocks of Manchester and Thomas Westby of Birmingham. Starting in 1934, the pair had been planning an expedition to the geographic North Pole by aircraft which sought to be not only the first flight over the North Pole in an airplane but also the first landing at the North Pole and first woman to reach the Pole.
The aircraft requested from Shorts was to have a range in excess of 3,000 nautical miles, space for the two person crew plus consumables, and be capable of landing both on water and on ice/snow. At the same time, Shorts was in development of the Short Mayo Composite system, which consisted of a modified Short Empire flying boat (the Short S.21 Maia) and a two-person floatplane mounted on the top of the flying boat’s fuselage (the Short S.20 Mercury). Intended for airmail routes, the Mercury alone had a range of 3,400 nautical miles and, due to its size, would be easy to handle in the Norwegian fjords that the crew intended to use as staging points. However, because the Mercury was on floats, access to the aircraft while landed on the ice cap would be very difficult especially when carrying supplies and equipment necessary for the Polar expedition.

Shorts’ solution? Convert the basic S.20 airframe into a flying boat. The final design was presented to Horrocks and Westby in May 1937, and officially ordered the same day. Then, just as the expedition was beginning to take shape, tragedy struck. On 18 June 1937, a Soviet expedition led by Valery Chkalov set off to overfly the Pole in a Tupolev ANT-25, marking the first successful flight over the Pole by airplane. As this was one of Horrocks and Westby’s expedition’s main goals, they were devastated. Construction of their aircraft was paused after only a month while the expedition, by this point known as Polaris, determined whether they should still attempt the flight. After a month of deliberation, it was decided that the expedition should proceed and attempt to accomplish its other goals of first landing and first woman at the Pole, and construction resumed.

By February 1938, the aircraft was ready for its first flight. The newly-designated S.24 Surveyor took flight from Shorts’ facility at Borstal, near Rochester, piloted by Shorts test pilots. After a brief working-up and checkout by Shorts, Horrocks and Westby first flew the aircraft themselves on 28 March. In addition to conversion into a flying boat, the S.24 featured several other differences from its S.20 cousin. Notably, the S.24 featured a slightly enlarged wing and the addition of split flaps for increased takeoff and landing performance. Also fitted was a dome on the mid fuselage for navigating by sextant and ADF equipment for radio navigation. By October the S.20 was being modified to increase its range, modifications that were also done to the S.24. This increased the S.24’s range to a whopping 4,850 nautical miles, allowing the Polaris Expedition to make less frequent fuel stops on the way to and from the Pole.

In early 1939, the aircraft was ferried from Borstal to RNAS Felixstowe, where the expedition would begin. Training and preparation continued throughout the winter and early Spring, and the departure date was finalized as 13 April 1939. After departing Felixstowe, the expedition made stops in the Netherlands and Denmark before transiting up the Norwegian coast to Narvik, arriving on 2 May. After additional navigation calculations and refueling, the expedition followed the coast to Skjervoy before setting out across the Barents Sea to Svalbard, arriving in Longyearbyen at 1am local on 4 May. After another few days waiting for weather to clear, the Polaris Expedition set out on their final leg to the North Pole on 7 May 1939, making their first landing at 6:45pm local. Believing they had arrived at the Pole, a camp was set up which Horrocks and Westby used as a base of operations for an exploration of the surrounding area for the next 10 days, departing in the early hours of 18 May for Svalbard.

It wasn’t until their return leg that the expedition realized something had gone wrong. Intending to arrive back in Longyearbyen, the aircraft instead made landfall on Kvitoya over 200 nautical miles away. Additional calculations were made and it was discovered that their original route planning had not correctly accounted for the high winds aloft near the Pole and they had actually landed some 65 nautical miles away. Crushed, the expedition lacked the fuel for another attempt and thus made for Svalbard, arriving on 21 May. Retracing their steps down the Norwegian coast, Horrocks and Westby arrived back in Felixstowe on 9 June to massive fanfare, despite their failure to reach the Pole. The expedition was heralded for their journey and successful exploration of the ice cap, though there was a lingering feeling of failure in Horrocks and Westby.

Not to be deterred, another expedition was immediately greenlit and planning began for a second attempt in Spring 1940. However, due to the outbreak of war in Europe, this expedition never occurred. Westby joined the RAF as a navigator and was killed in action over Italy in 1943. Horrocks spent the war as a member of the Air Transport Auxiliary, conducting ferry flights around the British Isles. After the war, she did not attempt another Polar expedition and instead worked as a flight instructor in her hometown of Manchester. She died in 1983 at the age of 76. The sole S.24 Surveyor was acquired by the RAF and was used alongside its S.20 cousin by No. 320 (Netherlands) Squadron RAF before being transferred to No. 119 Squadron RAF in 1941. The aircraft flew little during this time, and was eventually scrapped in 1944. A replica S.24 is under construction by a group led by Horrocks’ granddaughter and is expected to fly in Spring 2024 for the 85th anniversary of the Polaris Expedition.


A route map and alternate RAF scheme for the S.24 (not a part of the entry) can be found in FD AU 5, here: http://shipbucket.com/forums/viewtopic. ... 99#p210399

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Projects:
Panelbucket - Aircraft Avionics and Instrument Panels in 15px=1cm: http://shipbucket.com/forums/viewtopic.php?f=19&t=10389
Clyde's Eagles - Cessna Aircraft since 1945: http://shipbucket.com/forums/viewtopic. ... 7&p=204669
Im Schatten des Adlers - An Alternate History Timeline: http://shipbucket.com/wiki/index.php/Ca ... des_Adlers

Shandiin Aircraft Commune S-36A Swan



Specifications:
Crew: 8 (pilot, co-pilot, 6 passengers)
Length: 12.04 m
Wingspan: 15.34 m
Height: 4.84 m
Empty weight: 2,480 kg
Gross weight: 3,650 kg
Powerplant: 2 x Republic Aeronautics R-1000A twin row 14-cylinder radial piston engines, 325 kW each
Propellers: 2 x 3-bladed constant-speed propellers

Performance:
Maximum speed: 320 km/h
Cruise speed: 295 km/h
Climb rate: 5.5 m/s
Range: 1,280 km
Service ceiling: 6,650 m
Power to weight: 0.178 kW/kg


The S-36A Swan was a twin-engine amphibious flying boat designed by the Shandiin Aircraft Commune. The Swan was Shandiin’s first monoplane, and only their third aircraft to be accepted into airline service. Its amphibious nature allowed it to fly virtually anywhere, and proved highly successful in both domestic and foreign markets. Originally intended as an eight-seat commuter aircraft for short-haul flights, primarily around islands, it also found use by various national organizations as reconnaissance, search and rescue, and light transport aircraft, among other roles.

The example pictured above was operated by Pan-American Airlines, one of the largest aviation communes in the Union. Though originally focused primarily on long-haul flights, in the mid-1930s they started to branch out into the short-haul market and acquired around three dozen Shandiin Swans for this purpose. Most of these aircraft were sent to Caribbeia, where the hundreds of islands and relatively short distances were perfect for this type of aircraft, however a small handful were sent to the northern continents. The aircraft pictured here was based at Lake Ceres Seaplane Base and regularly made flights out to various aerodromes and seaplane bases on the northwest coast of Columbia, and occasionally even crossed the Avery Straits to land in the southernmost regions of Atlantica.

Pan-American during this time period operated a number of paint schemes on their aircraft, the most iconic being a blue fuselage, with white wings and white stars on the tail, though an inverted version using a white fuselage and blue stars was also popular. Of course, they also flew many specialized and limited-duration liveries for special events. One example of this was in the lead-up to the passing of the 1938 civil rights act, which inspired many communes to adopt various pride colors in their liveries to show their support. The aircraft displayed above was in a modified blue-on-white livery, with the stars painted in trans colors.

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"Oh, absolutely not. Trinitite may be an eldritch being that breaks the laws of physics, but even she can't replicate the insanity that is German Engineering!" - PyrrhicSteel on whether Trinities' machine shops can make a new gasket for a crane
“Yes, strategy,” she replied to Evelyn’s withering look. “Because I am merely an amateur. I cannot talk logistics.” - Seven Shades of Sunlight, in a latter chapter of Katalepsis

Westby SJ.19 Kvikksølv (Mercury)



Been meaning to enter this for a little...

SJ.19 is a medium range flying boat developed during the early-mid 1930s. The aircraft was developed due to an increase in commercial flying, and to get a larger aircraft into the market. The SJ.19 served many different airlines in Mestra in a few others in other countries.

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"The further you are from the sound of guns, the less you understand."
- General Walter Natyncyk, CAF

Project list -
realstrange
USN Hellcat sheet
Greek F-16's
USAAF B-24 Liberator mega sheet (Europe, Italy/North Africa, and Pacific)

Umeda U-7

In early 1928, with the upcoming establishment of state-owned Koutei Koku Yuso Kabushiki Kaisha (Emperor Air Transport Corporation), Umeda -one of the leading Kokoan aircraft manufacturers- was tasked with the developement of a large flying boat capable of offering passenger services to Japan, Hawaii and other possible far-east and Pacific destinations.
The first requirements -carrying 16 passengers on a non-stop 3.000km flight from Hoshiguma to Tokyo- were immediately rejected by Umeda as being "totally out of the world". After the government was given a hefty dose of reality by the manufacturer, the new contract 'just' required enough range to make the Hoshiguma-Tokyo route with stopovers through the Japanese South Seas Mandate and the Toumachi-Honolulu one with a single stop either at Midway or the French Frigate Shoals.
The task was still daunting, even for Koko's most experienced floaplane and flying boat manufacturer, so a small team of engineers was sent to the UK to inspect a few British-built machines at Short Brothers and Saunders-Roe. Reportedly being particulary impressed by the metal-hulled S.8 Calcutta they had produced three different designs by the end of the year: The first mostly a repetition of the Calcutta, the other two differing in multiple details and engine layout but having a triple tail in common. After a further round of refinements and mofifications -including the addition of an extra set of fuel tanks- the thid and largest design was chosen: a large biplane flying boat made of duraluminum formers, spars, ribs, stringers and skin with fabric-covered control surfaces. The designers promised the freshly named U-7 to be capable of carrying the initially requested 16 passengers over a distance of 2.000km. the crew of three consisted of a pilot and co-pilot flying the plane from an open cockpit and a navigator/radio operator having his station inside the nose section. To power the almost 14T full load plane an order was made for no less than 20 Rolls-Royce Buzzard V12 engines, accounting for a possible production of five airframes plus a few spares. Construction started shortly thereafter and the prototype was ready for flight testing by early 1930.
After a brief wait for favourable weather conditions the Umeda U-7 was floated in March 1930, it underwent a series of taxi and leakage tests before flying for the first time on the 30th of the same month. Five months of extensive airworthiness, sea handling, performance and endurance tests followed. The plane proved itself well, especially showing its range capabilities, with over thirteen hours of endurance at cruise speed often achievable even at full load. Umeda had been able to deliver upon their promises, but the good news ended there. By September of 1930 the effects of the Great Depression had led to a decreased demand for air travel and the National Diet decided to temporarily put on hold Koutei Koku expansion plans, tying Umeda's hands and stalling the U-7s developement. A small silver lining came from Koko no Kaigun approaching Umeda for the procurement of a long-range patrol aircraft, which resulted in an substantial redesigned aircraft -the H3U1- entering service in limited numbers by late 1932.
Umeda still hoped to see the U-7 in its intended civilian service, especially as by the end of 1933 both Koko and Japan were already well out of the depression. This however cohincided with Morimoto's coup d'etat and the subsequent government descent into fascism. With focus redirected to military rearmament, and with new more capable designs under developement, the now four-year-old U-7 was repurposed as a test plane. Retired for good in early 1942 shortly after the start of the war, the single U-7 sat unused in storage until it burned down with its hangar during Koko uprisings in early 1946.





Specifications:
Crew: 19 (pilot, co-pilot, navigator/radio operator, 16 passengers)
Length: 23,4m (24,35m with flettner trim tabs included)
Wingspan: 31,1 m
Height: 7,33 m
Empty weight: 8.751 kg
Max takeoff weight: 13.907 kg
Powerplant: 3 x Rolls-Royce Buzzard IMS V12 piston engines, 955 hp (712 kW) each
Propellers: 2-bladed fixed-pitch propellers

Performance:
Maximum speed: 219 km/h
Cruise speed: 159 km/h
Climb rate: 3,3 m/s
Range: 2.104 km (1.136 nm)
Service ceiling: 4.000m (13.137 ft)

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My Worklist
Sources and documentations are the most welcome.

-Koko Kyouwakoku (Republic of Koko)
-Koko's carrier-based aircrafts of WWII
-Koko Kaiun Yuso Kaisha - KoKaYu Line (Koko AU spinoff)
-Koko - Civil Aviation

Dobbiamo.Do-26 "Spigola"



Specifications:
Crew: Twenty Nine (29) (Captain,First-Officer,Radio Tech./Navigator,Steward/esse, 25 passngers)*
Length: 21.2m
Wingspan: 29.5m
Height: 5.8m
Empty Weight: 27,813 lb (12,616 kg)
Gross Weight: 36,927lbs lb (16,750 kg)
Powerplant: 4x Dobbiamo V 14-cylinder Push-Pull configuration piston engines 803 hp (598 kW) each
Propellers: 4-bladed fixed-pitch propellers

Performance:
Never-Exceed Speed: 220km/h
Cruise Speed: 180km/h
Range: 1,852 km (1,000 nmi) fully loaded
Service Ceiling: 3,000m (9,842 ft)

*Depending on cofiguration (numbers listed for shown configuration),typically a fully 1s class configuration is in place which significantly reduces passnger amount

In 1923, the company Società de Compte Giovanni Dobbiamo , which just freshly established itself as an aircraft manufacturerer in Darventia. Under the personal guidance of Giovanni Dobbiamo who's vision was to create an airplane capable of flying around the coasts rias and bays of Darventia.And albeit the notion of a hydroaeroplane was not new it wasn't done the way Giovanni was about to.

The incredibly radical for it's time all metal design was a combination of Duraluminium coated in a Magnesium coat, and a AlMg alloy underhull to combat the saltwater corrosion the airplane would experience.Inside the airplane was a complicated maze of metal and wooden structures holding the whole aircraft together from the inside rather than outside.The cabin was designed to be spacious(by 1920s standarts) and spotted a viewing terrace for 1st class passengers on the second floor made out of glass.To counterbalance the heavier 2nd floor most fuel was stored in the smaller winglets at the waterline.

Powering the Do.26 was 4 14 cylinder V-style engines.Which were designed off of FAS's 4 cylinder inline engine used in the 8/2.The principle was simple make 2 7-cylinder inline engines and then put them together at a 45 degree angle, initally Giovanni attempted to give the engine 8 cylinders per bank however the block forged by FAS prooved not strong enough to sustain that stress.So 7 per bank was settled on,with an additional set of radiators on top of the engine.The engine prooved decently reliablie but many found love in the engine due to it's special sound, which later on became a trademark engine style of sorts for Dobbiamo.Matter of fact the engine gained so much popularity against enthousiasts and wealthy bourgeousie that FAS baught a license to produce their own modifed 4 cylinder to put into their "Quattordici Cylindro" Grand Tourer which went to win countless races and hearts(but that's another story)

*https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Uca4QVj_Lh8

After the engine was finally developped by late 1924 it was coupled with an extremely complicated to maintain and manufacture gearbox to permit a Push-Pull arrangmenet on the Do.26 and fitted into the nacelles on top of the wings.Thankfully due to the airplane deisnged only as a hydroaeroplane the heavier weight sustained from the glass deck and 4 engines would not be an issue for dirt runways as it would be in many of the contemporary airplanes of the era.Due to the financial constraints of Giovanni Dobbiamo's company the testing phase was pretty slow with the technical issues plaguing both the engine and the gearbox permitted to only produce a working final prototype by january 1925, however testing was held until april '25 when the weather and sea became a bit softer.

On april 24th 1925 The Do.26 took flight reached 166km/h at an altitude of 300m before the shared radiator line on the left engines blew up leading to catastrophic engine failure and a crash that resulted in 4 deaths and 2 injuries.Recovered from the accident were all 4 engines and parts of the airframe particularly most of the tail unscathed.A finacement compaign led by Giovanni himself in the county of Dobiama, which permitted to raise just enough funds to rebuild two out of the four engines and the airframe.On July 15th the aircraft promptly named Spigola(after the fish) took to the sky and reached 100km/h at 450m on only two engines.This flight raised interest amongst several circles of nobility of Darventia, notably Alfredo Pàs the founder and owner of "LARD" Ligna Aeree Regno di Darventia, one of the biggest arilines in southern Imeria.Which ordered 2 aircraft as a first batch,and then 15 more to grow the hydroaeroplane fleet of the airline.By 1928 Most nobility of Darventia flew or was flying on the Dobbiamo Do.26 as the glass terrace prooved an incredible attraction for the wealthy, many of whom owned outright their own aircraft.

Extra Facts:
-Spigolo was a name given to the first Do.26(kept by the Dobbiamo family); First L.A.R.D airlines Do.26(illustrated higher) and to the series itself; it was given in an ironic and grim name as the fishermen present in the vicinity of the crash were the first to arrive on scene and begin helping the injured.
-Do.26 became the airplane that cemented Dobbiamo as Darventia's finest aircraft manufaturers, and became popular amongst nobility in many Imerian nations.
-The first L.A.R.D Do.26 received the registration RD-ALA Reigno Darventia-ALA(wing.ita)

**The Italian misspelling is on purpose

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"The problem with quotes on the internet is that you can't be always sure of their authenticity."
-Abraham Lincoln

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• Wherever our Party and our army went, the people welcomed us with open arms, and we were able to take advantage of the time of the day, and we can still see the vibrant life and development of all things in front of our eyes. Twenty years later, has this place become our burial place?
  In any case, the strength of the battle was 800,000 to 600,000, and the advantage is mine!

Blackbell S.07 "Carina"



The Blackbell S.07 "Carina" was an flying boat designed and developed by the Blackbell Corporation of USA. With its first flight in 1937, the Carina developed a reputation for being a sturdy aircraft capable of lifting heavy loads in addition to taking off and landing on both water and traditional runways, making it an exceptionally versatile craft for the era. Development of the S.07 Carina began in the early 1930s when the Blackbell Corporation identified a niche for a medium-range transport aircraft. The design team, led by chief engineer Fio P. Hughes, aimed to create an aircraft that was not only reliable and easy to maintain but also capable of operating in remote and undeveloped regions.

Despite gaining limited attention in the USA, the Carina became a popular choice for emerging airlines in Canada and many South American countries, where its amphibious capabilities were invaluable. "Conexión Andino-Amazónica," a Peruvian airline, was among the operators that recognized the potential of the "Carina." The airline utilized the aircraft to connect the Andean highlands with the Amazon rainforest, servicing remote communities and supplying the burgeoning South American oil extraction and mining industries.

Despite its success in these niche markets, the advent of more modern and efficient aircraft eventually led to the "Carina" being phased out of commercial service. Today, it is remembered as an aircraft that bridged the gap between communities and contributed to the development of aviation in challenging environments. The Blackbell S.07 "Carina" holds a place in history as a symbol of the ingenuity and adaptability of early 20th-century aviation.