Short Sandringham

I have a few stills of this superb aircraft moored on Lake Windermere, a visit sponsored by the local Chamber of Commerce, a few days later I was the duty runway caravan controller at RAF Linton on Ouse when we were treated to an approach and overshoot by the Sunderland, no camera with me …drat.

The Tower Bridge visit was in September 1982. Edward Hulton wanted to use a small boat to take visitors to and from the Sunderland and charge an admission fee to help pay for her upkeep but the PLA vetoed the plan as they were unhappy with the safety implications of loading and unloading the public from a small boat.
I must admit I was looking forward to going aboard but the height of the quay and the arrangements at the Sunderland end looked as if anyone contemplating a look round would have to be very confident transferring to and from a small boat and the PLA were probably right to veto the plan.
I have some photos somewhere which aren’t the best as it started raining as soon as we arrived.
Incidentally photography was made much easier by the absence of HMS Belfast which had been moved elsewhere for her hull to be scraped and repainted.

I saw her fly several times, indeed when on my Mechs course at 4 SOFTT at St Athans in 76 she used to fly over quite regularly, even then we recognised it as a bit special. Whilst I applaud her rescue from hard times by Kermit, it is a crying shame she wasn’t kept airworthy, if it wasn’t for Mr Hutton who at the time was putting his money where his mouth was, we wouldn’t have even been blessed with her survival. He tried everything he could to ensure she remained active.

If she had been kept as a Sunderland Pagen it would have served as her death knell, because she would never have earned her keep to survive.

Fantastic and comprehensive write up and set of pictures by flyernzl, I hadn’t realised that BJHS was a Sunderland rather than a Sandringham, in a way it’s a shame she wasn’t kept as a Sunderland.

A couple I took at Tower Bridge. Date tba.

Mark

I remember the aircraft displaying at St Mawgan one year, presumably that must have been shortly after it arrived in the UK as I didn’t go to any displays later than about 1980?

That was Sandingham 4 VP-LVE, now pereserved at Southampton Hall of Aviation, in 1976, when Captain Blair was joined by his wife Maureen O’Hara.

G-BJHS at Duxford

Maybe it was bound for Coningsby.

There is a photo of G-BJHS at Coningsby on Airliners.net, taken on June 16 1990, which probably dates the photo in post#1.

I worked in a school on the flightpath of the RAE at Farnborough, and remember looking out of our tower block and seeing the Sunderland gracefully approach and fly over, trying to hide my inner excitement from the kids I was supposed to be teaching! I think it was one of its farewell flights before it left for the States. This must have been a few weeks after we saw it at GWAD at West Malling, where it arrived un-announced and to our complete delight. Good memories, beautiful aircraft.

I remember seeing G-BJHS at an RAF open day in Lincolnshire. I have an idea that it was at RAF Coningsby.?
I remember being surprised at how manoeuvrable it was…I had somehow expected it to be more lumbering.

Clive.

G-BJHS at Duxford

The only time I recall seeing this Sunderland at Duxford was when it made a flyby at about Midday on a Saturday, presumably, when it was also seen over Gt Shelford. I saw it clearing to the east which is consistent with the direction shown on the photograph. I believe it was en route to display at Waddington.

I think I saw this at an airshow in 88 or 89, either Biggin Hill or Middle Wallop, awesome aircraft

I remember the aircraft displaying at St Mawgan one year, presumably that must have been shortly after it arrived in the UK as I didn’t go to any displays later than about 1980?

As above. Great compilation of her history in words and photos.

Also i was very lucky to of seen this flying, but just the once, when it flew over the village of Gt Shelford which is about 3 miles from Dx as the crow flies.. circa 1990. Heard it coming before i could see it but couldn’t make out what it was from the sound.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lIcltyMwJRg&feature=player_embedded#!

Nice clip of G-BJHS 1991

Flyernzl..thanks for an amazingly comprehensive response to this query…this is a great example as to why I refer to, and respect this forum so much

NZ4108 then underwent a conversion to civilian standards at Rose Bay

Ansett workshops, Rose Bay, 1964

The results

(Thanks to Bruce for those photographs of arrival and conversion work)

The renovated aircraft then worked alongside Sandringham VH-BRC (ex-ZK-AMH) in the scheduled Lord Howe Island service from October 1964 until finally replaced by land-based aircraft on the route in August 1974.

VH-BRF at Rose Bay November 1971

Youtube video on the Ansett boats in 1974

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j0Gqvz5Vbxs&feature=related

VH-BRF at Rose Bay and Lord Howe

After the Lord Howe service ceased, the boat left Australia in September 1974, initially for Antilles Air Boats, Virgin Islands as N158J and then to the UK in 1979 where it became G-BJHS in 1981. Difficulties were experienced in gaining permission for commercial operations with this aircraft, as the civilian conversion work had not been carried out at the Short factory.
This was never resolved, and in September 1991 Kermit Weeks bought the aircraft for his historic collection. The aircraft was flown to the USA in 1993 and although now still extant registered as N814ML it is no longer airworthy.

Correct. And therein lies the problem.

As the conversion from a military Sunderland to civilian pax work was carried out in Australia by Ansett rather than at Shorts in the UK, the UK CAA would not classify the aircraft as a Sandringham. Thus arose all sorts of civilian certification problems.

From my postings at the Seawings website
http://theflyingboatforum.hostingdelivered.com/viewtopic.php?f=62&t=985

“Sunderland ML814 was built by Shorts at Belfast as Mk.III and served with the RAF from March 1944. It was converted to MkV status in 1945, and returned to Belfast in 1953 to be rebuilt for the RNZAF as NZ4108.

NZ4108 arrived at Hobsonville at the conclusion of its delivery flight on 13Jun1953. It briefly served with 6Sdn at Hobsonville as XX-D before being transferred to Lauthala Bay with 5Sdn as KN-B in August. This aircraft then arrived back at Hobsonville in early 1956 for use by the MOCU.

As a result of the first reduction of the Sunderland fleet in August 1956, NZ4108 was placed in storage, engines removed, in Hobsonville’s No.3 hangar along with NZ4109, ’18 and ’19.

Meanwhile Ansett airways had been operating the Short S.25 Sandringham ‘Tasman’ class VH-BRE (ex-TEAL ZK-AMD) on their Rose Bay – Lord Howe service. This aircraft was damaged beyond repair in a storm on the night of 3/4Jul1963 at Lord Howe leaving Ansett struggling to maintain the service with just one remaining serviceable flying boat. They therefore approached the New Zealand Government to buy one of the surplus military Sunderlands as a replacement.

NZ4108 was chosen as a suitable aircraft (or perhaps it just happened to be the one nearest the hangar door!) and was resurrected and fitted out at Hobsonville and Mechanics Bay for the ferry flight to Australia.

NZ4108 at Mechanics Bay 14Dec1963 with the military markings still partially visible and carrying the registration VH-BRF being prepared for departure

NZ4108 as VH-BRF arriving at Rose Bay 18Dec1963

The flight crew look happy to have arrived safely

I don’t really want to drag the topic into the depths of pedantry, but I’m pretty sure she’s always been classed as a Sunderland. G-INFO has her listed as a “Sunderland Mk.5 (Modified)”, for instance. If I remember rightly, there were differences in the nose profile and cabin layout etc compared to the full-blown civilian Sandringham.

G-BJHS was formerly ML814 and first flew in 1944 as a Sunderland. She was later converted to a Sandringham. The full story of this aircraft is told in “The Last Flying Boat”. The author is Peter Smith, publisher Ensign Publications 1993. ISBN 185455 083 7.

A lot of the work was carried out at Chatham and I can remember going to work on her by boat. Novel to say the least.

From what I can remember, flight tests were carried out at Chatham and she then flew to Calshot (Southampton Water) before finally flying out to Kermitt Weeks place.

Your photo shows Sunderalnd G-BJHS then owned by Edward Hulton who threw huge amounts of money at her but due to bad liuck and all sorts of problems she only flew on odd occasions in England. The Sunderland displayed at the 1990 Great Warbirds Display at West Malling so it is likely that she flew at Duxford the same year.
Ultimately Edward Hulton had to give up on his dream of keeping her flying and she was sold to Kermit Weeks and is now in Florida.