Is this the worst aircraft to fly? The Saunders Roe Lerwick

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  • เผยแพร่เมื่อ 7 ก.ย. 2024
  • Is this the worst aircraft to fly during the Second World War? The Saunders Roe Lerwick, is not a terrible looking aircraft, however its handling qualities were far from it. Considered to be unstable both in the air and on water, only 21 were built. Of these 21, eleven were lost, ten of which were to incidents. Designed to a 1936 specification, the Lerwick would first fly in October 1938. It entered service in mid 1939, however was found to be a difficult aircraft. It could not be flown hands off, had vicious stall characteristics and could not fly on a single engine. That is just a start of the list of issues. While it remained in service at the beginning of the Second World War due to Britain having a shortage of machinery, it was quickly replaced in 1941 with the Consolidated Catalina flying boat. Continuing on briefly as a trainer by the end of 1942 all had been retired and were heading to the scrappers.
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ความคิดเห็น • 69

  • @Nastyswimmer
    @Nastyswimmer ปีที่แล้ว +13

    Unstable and difficult to fly - perfect for training squadrons :p

    • @AntiqueAirshow
      @AntiqueAirshow  ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Yep makes a lot sense. Why not teach inexperienced pilots the hard way first. 😅
      I read a first hand account somewhere (the website was a little dodgy looking) that another difficulty in training was that there was only one set of controls. So, the instructor couldn't even teach the student through the take-off, but simply give them verbal instructions. However I did find only a single photo of Lerwick cockpit, and it showed two sets of controls, so not sure how true the account is.

  • @DataRew
    @DataRew ปีที่แล้ว +10

    I will keep on pumping your channel because I have no clue how you have just under 5K subscribers, you make such great historical videos!

    • @AntiqueAirshow
      @AntiqueAirshow  ปีที่แล้ว

      Thank you, appreciate it. The channel is growing👍✈️

  • @neiloflongbeck5705
    @neiloflongbeck5705 ปีที่แล้ว +11

    The Blackburn Botha is also strong candidate for that Crown.

    • @Raminagrobisfr
      @Raminagrobisfr ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Or the Breda 88

    • @AntiqueAirshow
      @AntiqueAirshow  ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Indeed. Interestingly from a similar time period too. The 1930s definitely produced some interesting aircraft

  • @joeschenk8400
    @joeschenk8400 ปีที่แล้ว +8

    Very interesting, the Lerwick looks something like a smaller Sunderland or the Boeing Sea Ranger (which might make a good video...hint, hint). I find all flying boats very interesting. Thanks for the post.

    • @AntiqueAirshow
      @AntiqueAirshow  ปีที่แล้ว

      Thanks. Yeah it does have that look to it. Ideally this would of worked alongside the Sunderland. Agree, they are quite cool and interesting. Thanks for the idea, I'll have a look into it 👍✈️

  • @briansteffmagnussen9078
    @briansteffmagnussen9078 ปีที่แล้ว +13

    Only by the first impression i see high wing load and short stubby geometry which will lead to a stall and flat spin. Do not build planes that looks like a cartoon from Disney.

    • @AntiqueAirshow
      @AntiqueAirshow  ปีที่แล้ว

      That makes a lot of sense. It seems there were structural issues with the wings too if the floats kept breaking off

    • @WarblesOnALot
      @WarblesOnALot ปีที่แล้ว

      G'day,
      Hush yo' mouf ; Infidel...
      When the Hull were
      Lengthificated,
      And the Wing
      Extendified,
      With an extra pair of Engines...
      (An emergency Tactic later employed by
      Avro - with it's benighted
      Manchester/Lancaster
      Metamorphosis...).
      The
      Lerwick
      Became-ified the
      s
      Short
      Empire-Class
      Flying-Boat...; and then
      It was armed and given slightly
      Swept Wings
      (To compensate, CG-wise, for the
      Extreme Fatness, Weight and Mass
      Of yonder Tailing of the
      Turret...(!).
      Short Brothers used a different
      Method
      To proof their Designs.
      They built and flew a
      50% Scale
      Sterling, with 4
      Pobjoy Niagaras and
      Seating for one...
      Perhaps that was the inspiration for the
      Recently sensational
      "Barling Bomber".
      An
      "Experimental" Registered
      1/3 Scale Single-Seat version of a Boeing B-17 - powered by 4 Zenoah Ultralight Motors.
      Mister Barling flew it to Oshkosh a few years ago, and displayed it on the Ground, before flying home again - and then going silent.
      Mabe CoViD-19 got him...?
      Such is life,
      Have a good one...
      ;-p
      Ciao !

    • @robertpatrick3350
      @robertpatrick3350 ปีที่แล้ว

      It’s more like a Studio Ghibli design……..

    • @tmorganriley
      @tmorganriley 17 ชั่วโมงที่ผ่านมา

      I take issue! "TaleSpin" was a great show, and is the number one reason for my life-long love of flying boats!

  • @raypurchase801
    @raypurchase801 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    I've seen photos of the Lerwick in publications published during the war.
    I never knew much about it.
    Until now.

  • @philiphumphrey1548
    @philiphumphrey1548 ปีที่แล้ว +9

    Good job we had the Short Sunderland and Consolidated Catalina.

    • @AntiqueAirshow
      @AntiqueAirshow  ปีที่แล้ว +2

      Thanks. The Short Sunderland and Catalina's performed well and were good assets for the Allies

  • @johnjephcote7636
    @johnjephcote7636 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    I have a wartime picture book of photos. The Lerwick's details cannot be released 'but pilots state that it is pleasant to fly'. I wonder whether any pilots were actually asked!

    • @AntiqueAirshow
      @AntiqueAirshow  ปีที่แล้ว

      That is, while interesting, honestly quite funny. I would say no pilots were asked. Probably done as part of wartime propaganda. You couldn't really tell your population that one of your aircraft were terrible to fly

  • @tedsmith6137
    @tedsmith6137 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    I assume they were used for training on the idea that if you could control a Lerwick, you could handle anything!

    • @AntiqueAirshow
      @AntiqueAirshow  ปีที่แล้ว

      It seems so. I would imagine anything would be better to fly after the Lerwick.

  • @BearHilda
    @BearHilda ปีที่แล้ว +1

    My Father served with 461 Squadron RAAF in Sunderlands and said that their nickname for the Lerwick was "The Flying Pig". He also said that they were almost impossible to get unstuck from a glassy surface on take-off.

    • @AntiqueAirshow
      @AntiqueAirshow  ปีที่แล้ว

      That is very interesting. I'm not surprised, it seems quite the handful to fly.

  • @kevanhubbard9673
    @kevanhubbard9673 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    I wonder if the brass kettle came as standard!

  • @paulkile9998
    @paulkile9998 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    They should have utilized Martin PBM Mariners under Lend-Lease!

  • @cathylarkins9949
    @cathylarkins9949 ปีที่แล้ว +7

    MY DAD FLEW THE CATALINA! He flew SeaPlanes during WWII and later went onto fly Bombers …

    • @AntiqueAirshow
      @AntiqueAirshow  ปีที่แล้ว +1

      That is interesting. They were brave men. Lest we forget

  • @laszlokaestner5766
    @laszlokaestner5766 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Saunders Roe didn't always design planes for roles that no longer existed. Sometimes they designed ones that simply didn't work properly.
    They seem to have had an unhappy ability to design brilliant planes that nobody wanted and terrible planes that people would of wanted if they were any good. The Lerwick for instance, had it been a good plane would have found many ready roles and been as famous as the Sunderland, which ironically Saunders Roe ended up building on license as they had spare capacity because the Lerwick was a dud.

    • @AntiqueAirshow
      @AntiqueAirshow  ปีที่แล้ว

      Indeed they do. It is rather interesting that ability too.

    • @MrDino1953
      @MrDino1953 ปีที่แล้ว

      “would of wanted” makes no sense. You should write “would have wanted”.

  • @ianbell5611
    @ianbell5611 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    Wow sounds like down right dangerous

    • @AntiqueAirshow
      @AntiqueAirshow  ปีที่แล้ว

      It sure does. Definitely not something I would like to fly

  • @stop-the-greed
    @stop-the-greed 5 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

    Training crews on how to bail out of a flying boat ....did they not put a jet in this airfarme ?

    • @AntiqueAirshow
      @AntiqueAirshow  4 หลายเดือนก่อน +1

      It seems like it. I'm not sure about the yet. Saunders Roe did produce a few flying boat jets but I don't think this was one 👍✈️

  • @philliprobinson7724
    @philliprobinson7724 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Hi. If it looks right it'll fly right. This one didn't and didn't. Cheers, P.R.

    • @AntiqueAirshow
      @AntiqueAirshow  11 หลายเดือนก่อน

      Yep agree 👍✈️

  • @Justwantahover
    @Justwantahover ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Not enough wing area compared to the fat fuslage and underpowered.

    • @AntiqueAirshow
      @AntiqueAirshow  ปีที่แล้ว

      Yep definitely a poorly designed aircraft

  • @tomellis487
    @tomellis487 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    How do you ground a flying boat?

    • @AntiqueAirshow
      @AntiqueAirshow  ปีที่แล้ว

      In the context, I was referring to grounded in that the aircraft were ordered not to be flown.

  • @TannithVQ
    @TannithVQ ปีที่แล้ว +3

    It's pronounced Ler-wick. I know. How is anyone supposed to know?

    • @grahamleiper1538
      @grahamleiper1538 ปีที่แล้ว

      I figure he went by the pronunciation of Berwick.
      It is possible the people flying the plane also pronounced Lerwick wrong?

  • @maxpayne2574
    @maxpayne2574 ปีที่แล้ว +3

    The Canadians must get supplied like the Marines if no one else wants something give it to them.

    • @AntiqueAirshow
      @AntiqueAirshow  ปีที่แล้ว +1

      It wasn't unusual for Commonwealth countries or other countries in general (i.e. free Polish squadrons) to get given what Britain didn't want. In the late 1930s when Australia was setting up aircraft manufacturing and looking for a general-purpose fighter/aircraft to build, Britain suggested the Lysander. Thankfully it was rejected, and Australia chose the North American Texan instead.

  • @MrDino1953
    @MrDino1953 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Did they not test models in wind tunnels before building the full scale planes? Design by intuition seems like a terribly unprofessional way to run an aircraft manufacturing business.

  • @GaryJohnWalker1
    @GaryJohnWalker1 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    So someone did have the right idea early on with that prototype with twin rudders, yet they were dropped?

    • @AntiqueAirshow
      @AntiqueAirshow  ปีที่แล้ว

      Yeah it seems so. Throughout its service life there was also quite a few other things they trialed to try and fix issues with the aircraft, however very few wherever introduced.

  • @Ubique2927
    @Ubique2927 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    Lerick
    As is Lur wick. (Lurpak)

  • @williamscoggin1509
    @williamscoggin1509 ปีที่แล้ว

    I wouldn't want to be a new pilot flying that plane....,

    • @AntiqueAirshow
      @AntiqueAirshow  ปีที่แล้ว

      No I wouldn't want to either. I don't think I would even want to be an experienced pilot flying this.

  • @HarborLockRoad
    @HarborLockRoad ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Too short a span, too short a fuselage, too chubby. Bad aerodynamics. Nobody noticed that?

    • @AntiqueAirshow
      @AntiqueAirshow  ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Seems not. Once it was tested and the list of problems reported on, perhaps then they did.

  • @hughjohnson2674
    @hughjohnson2674 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Can you ground a flying boat?

    • @AntiqueAirshow
      @AntiqueAirshow  ปีที่แล้ว

      Haha that is a very good point. I guess if you fly it bad enough you end up running it onto the shore and thus "grounding" it 😂

  • @garyhooper1820
    @garyhooper1820 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    In my opinion, the list of worst British planes is rather long , as the great planes list is rather short .

    • @AntiqueAirshow
      @AntiqueAirshow  ปีที่แล้ว

      I would agree.

    • @adriancash7063
      @adriancash7063 ปีที่แล้ว +1

      Is any country’s tally of great planes a long one? It was war time and a lack of time and resource led to flying lemons from every side.

    • @AntiqueAirshow
      @AntiqueAirshow  ปีที่แล้ว

      @@adriancash7063 That is very true and a good point raised

  • @dennisnaylor2965
    @dennisnaylor2965 ปีที่แล้ว

    Certainly a loser, but compared to the effort and treasure poured into the Me.210 or He.177 , it was a world beater.

  • @williamchamberlain2263
    @williamchamberlain2263 ปีที่แล้ว

    Chonky boi

  • @malcolmbrown3532
    @malcolmbrown3532 ปีที่แล้ว +2

    The name is pronounced LER-wick, rather than LAR-wick. Ler as in Err.....

  • @keithlemon457
    @keithlemon457 ปีที่แล้ว +1

    Please find a narrator who can pronounce English place names properly !