The last of three programmes
In the Second World War the flying boats of RAF Coastal Command played a crucial part in the war at sea and it was the Sunderland that played the leading role.
Squadrons of Sunderlands flew in all theatres of war, guarding shipping lifelines and seeking out enemy fleets and U-boats. In peacetime they became part of the BOAC fleet of aircraft on the re-opened Empire routes, but their civilian role was shortlived. Bigger airports and larger runways meant bigger and faster landplanes and the flying boat was redundant. The last to be built, in 1952, was the Princess, the largest aircraft in the world at the time; she lived for only one year.
David Lomax concludes the story of the flying boats -a story many believe should have no ending.
Film editor PETER HUNT Producer JOHN COLEMAN