Saro A.33

The Saro A.33 was a British prototype four-engined flying boat built by Saunders-Roe Limited to Air Ministry Specification R.2/33, in competition with the Short Sunderland. It had a parasol monospar wing carried on two angled N-struts that joined hull-mounted sponsons, and the sponsons replaced wingtip floats and also served as fuel tanks. To test these ideas a Saro Cloud was first modified with a monospar wing and sponsons. The prototype, serial K4773, first flew on 14 October 1938 but was written off after structural failure during high-speed taxi trials on 25 October 1938. Development was abandoned and a production contract for eleven aircraft was cancelled, so the Sunderland remained the main flying boat for this role. The published specification gives four Bristol Perseus XII radial engines, a wingspan of 95 feet and defensive guns in the bow, tail and beam positions.