Flying boats operating on the river Thames

[kerick]

If the Princess had flown across the Atlantic would it have landed on the Hudson to dock in New York? We know you can land an airliner on the Hudson!

B737 with a boat hull....

[PR19_Kit]

If the Princess had flown across the Atlantic would it have landed on the Hudson to dock in New York? We know you can land an airliner on the Hudson!

La Guardia Airport has, or had, a Marine Air Terminal that was built during WWII, and Pan Am's B314s which operated from there took-off and landed from the East River for a few years. It was closed to airline traffic during the 50s so I'd imagine that a BOAC Princess service would have used it too.

[kerick]

Here's a screen shot of the Marine Air Terminal recently from Google Earth.


Its on the west side of the airport and the south end of Bowery Bay. No seaplanes at the dock any more.

[zenrat]

No need to have a straight section of river.
In my alternative Victoria the PDRV's Tullamarine airfield has, in addition to the two concrete runways a third wet one consisting of a 3.2km concrete trough 50m wide and 1.5m deep filled with water.
This enables fly in-fly out Floatplane conversions to be carried out.
It's to the West of, and parallel to, the main runway.  Adjacent to the Airship hangers and the Rotodyne pads.
 

[McColm]

I've been on board Kermit Weeks civie Sunderland out in Florida. The interior was used in one of the Indiana Jones films. I wish that I had paid more attention when I was out there back in 1997.

[PR19_Kit]

Here's a screen shot of the Marine Air Terminal recently from Google Earth.

Such a pity. There's places like that all over the world, derelict seaplane bases just left to rot.

Southampton's Isle of Wight Ferry Terminal is right on top of the site where Imperial Airways flew their Short Empire boats from, and you can still see parts of the jetties on the harbour bank. Poole Harbour has an old derelict pier which was used as a refuelling point for the flying boat operations there.

But at Foynes, on the south bank of he Shannon in Ireland, they've made a superb job of the old terminal there and it's a flying boat museum, complete with a 1:1 scale Boeing 314 replica!! 

[kerick]

At least the Marine Air terminal is being used and is on the National Register of Historic places so it will be kept up.

[McColm]

It might be worth building a terminal or part of one for display purposes.