The story of flying boats is one of ingenuity and enterprise; of style during the dying days of Britain's imperial grandeur; of Coastal Command's war against the U-boats and of post-war scepticism that hastened their end. For all those who new in them the flying boats were unique and unforgettable. In the first of three programmes David Lomax tells of the early days when Britain's first flying boat landed on the Solent in 1913; of First World War patrols in the North Sea; and of RAF pioneering nights to the Empire.
Film editor PETER HUNT Producer JOHN COLEMAN
(Part 2 next Monday)