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BRITISH POWER BOAT Co. SEAPLANE TENDER

The RAF Museum at Hendon, London displays many different aspects of the Royal Air Force and one that pleases me greatly is the beginnings of an RAF Marine Craft collection, including those that were serving the flying boat squadrons in many differing capacities, and one of them is featured here - the British Power Boat Company's Class 200 series, No. 206. It has been beautifully restored and is an amazing craft to look at. Unfortunately, on the day I shot these images the sun was playing havoc reflecting off of the brand-new all-glass end wall to the Battle of Britain Hall; I could not get it right and I will return to have another go in the Spring. Sorry about that. Be nice to have a series of model kits for all the differing types of craft to go with the many flying boat models now available.

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What a difference a few months make! I made a return visit to the RAF Museum in May 2012, about a year after the above series were shot and couldn't find it outside; but look where they have placed it - inside right alongside the Sunderland and almost at the correct height as if on water! Not a bad idea as it happens as the images below could never have been taken where it was and getting on-board would have placed the photographer too close - so someone was giving this some thought.....I was initially thinking that a complete walk-round of the Sunderland could never be completed now, with this in the way, but I changed my mind; it looks good and quite realistic and the combination of the two also allows a 'scale' of the size of the Sunderland to be seen. It's a very big flying boat! So, well done RAF Museum, I say.