Today In History:  14 October  [1938]   --  First flight of the Saro A.33 K4773 flying boat

The Saunders-Roe Saro A.33 was a British flying boat built in 1938 as a competitor to the Short Sunderland.  It was an original design with sponsons instead of wingtip floats and a high parasol wing secured to the hull with two spars.  This design was chosen to minimize the amount of vehicle in the water and hopefully improve speed. 

The wing was very long, reaching 95 feet in span, and fabric-covered.  Visibility from the cockpit was reportedly excellent.  The prototype had numerous small problems with control and sea handling which delayed construction and testing.  A single prototype was built, but during its flight testing during a high-speed taxiing run, the aircraft hit several large swells and the right wing crumpled and twisted into the fuselage.  The prototype and all the crew survived, but the accident led to the end of the program.

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Photo Attribution:  Public Domain