Flying Boat Days (Lord Howe Island)

This photo of a Short Sandringham was taken at the former Rose Bay flying boat base in Sydney Harbour, prior to departure for Lord Howe Island on 7 June 1974. This was the world's last airline route still operating flying boats : they ceased operations in August that year when a new runway at Lord Howe Island came into service. Copied from Kodachrome slide taken exactly 40 years ago today: more in a set to follow soon. I'd suggest viewing on black. Any flying boat enthusiasts might enjoy a video I found, of the same aircraft departing from Sydney Harbour. Be adventurous and put the sound up, to enjoy the sound of the four Pratt and Whitney engines.

Shortly after the flying boat lifted off from Sydney Harbour, we passed one of the old Manly ferries heading out from the city, then (inset note) we banked right over the early convict-built fort (and also convict prison) known as "Pinchgut" , en route to Lord Howe Island, some 800 km (two and a half hours) distant to the north east. From a 1974 Kodachrome slide.

There were no aerobridges for flying boats! Arrival at Lord Howe Island by Sandringham involved going ashore in an open boat. Here the aircraft's Purser (they used nautical terminology), having tied the mooring line, watches from the front hatch as the passengers depart. The inset note shows the approach to the island, which is mainly National Park and has the world's most southerly fringing coral reef. Flying boat enthusiasts might enjoy this video about flying boats at the island: www.youtube.com/watch?v=JmTVKs15n4U

Short Sandringham "Beachcomber": from a slide taken in early June 1974, shortly after arrival from Sydney. The image in the note shows the aircraft in relation to the two large mountains at the south of the island, Mt Gower and Mt Lidgbird, as we headed toward the shore in the motor launch. Our flight out to the island was smooth and itself an unforgettable experience. There is no comparison between the modern airline ‘cattle class’ and the 1930s style timber-panelled ambiance, large windows, and generally spacious and relaxed style of the old flying boats. Unlike the pre-packaged fare dished out now, our breakfast was cooked fresh on the aircraft by the Purser! The 'downside' of flying boats was that the airline timetable depended on the tides! The state of the seas also meant that flights often could not be operated in rough weather.

During my visit to Lord Howe Island I took a side trip to the saddle between the two mountains at the south, Mt Gower and Mt Lidgbird. Trips to the area were possible only with a guide, as it was necessary to traverse a precarious ledge around the cliffs known as the "Lower Road" (identified by note). I understand there are fixed ropes along this ledge now, in those days it was 'just hang on and be careful'. Copied from a slide.

Lord Howe Island - looking north toward the lagoon from the start of the "Lower Road", the ledge around the cliffs at the south of the island. Taken in 1974 on slide film.

When I visited Lord Howe Island in 1974 an airstrip was being built to enable normal air services, but it was incomplete. The only way to fly to the island was by flying boat. This was the last regular airline service in the world still operated by flying boat, but they had been sold and were being retired. One had been taken out of service to prepare for the trip overseas, by replacing the seats and other fittings with long range tanks, but this one was doing limited service until the airport opened. Our return trip was to be two days later, but a gale on the second night broke the flying boat’s moorings and washed it aground. These flying boats had been the island’s lifeline for many years, and it was a disconsolate crowd of locals and visitors who gathered around the damaged aircraft on the beach next morning. The good news is that the aircraft was repaired on the spot, flown out, and in September 1974 it became the last flying boat out of Lord Howe. The aircraft is now housed in a special aviation museum in Southampton, England. As I mentioned though, the other flying boat was out of service being refitted, and the runway was unfinished. We had become castaways on a sub-tropical paradise! Unfortunately it was winter and the weather was poor: you can't win everything. :) Insets Another view of the beached aircraft; The wingtip dug into the sand and damaged; The damaged float removed from under the wing. From Kodachrome slides.

After a week, during which the RAAF flew low over the partly completed airstrip taking photographs to evaluate whether an aircraft could land to take us off, the second flying boat "Islander" (a converted Sunderland) was returned to service. Here it is arriving from the left of the photo, having had the interior refitted: that had been removed to allow the aircraft to be fitted with long range tanks as it had been sold and was scheduled to go overseas.

"Islander" , a Short Sunderland converted for passenger-carrying, as it arrived to return us from Lord Howe Island in June 1974. It is in "white tail" paint scheme (ie, the airline livery has been removed) because it was being taken out of service by the airline. Note the old wartime "Blitz" truck on the jetty and the surf on the reef beyond. This aircraft now is in the "Museum of Flight" in Florida, USA. Happy Fence Friday!