for <aviophile>; Tue, 27 Jan 1998 19:56:00 -0800 (PST)
Date: Tue, 27 Jan 1998 22:55:12 -0500
From: Philip Morten (email address removed)
Organization: Southampton Hall of Aviation
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To: Robert Beechy <aviophile>
Subject: SR.A/1
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(some headers removed)

Here is some of the information you asked in your web site:

1.More information about the SR.44 
   2.Who were the test pilots? 
      Geoffrey Tyson, J O Lancaster and John Booth (SARO)
      Lt Cdr Eric Brown, RN (RAE)
      Sqn Ldr Pete Major (MAEE)
      Flt Lt McCall (MAEE)  
   3.What were the serial numbers of the second and third protoypes? 
      TG267, TG271
   4.More complete technical specifications. 
     Proposed Armament 
       4 x 20mm British Hispano Mk.V with 190 rpg
       2 x 1000 lb bombs or 
       16 120 lb rockets
  
     See Reference 1
   5.Anything else? 
     See below

Philip Morten
Southampton Hall of Aviation


Notes:

1.	The proposed gun armament was not installed.
2.	The strengthened canopy was fitted to TG263 after the original was
lost in flight
3.	The aircraft was intended for the RAF. 
4.	The second and third aircraft were not scrapped but lost in
accidents, parts of TG267 were recovered but TG271 was never found.
5.	The first aircraft is indeed now with Southampton Hall of Aviation,
Skyfame has been closed for many years now.

I've got some photographs abvailable as well, mostly showing TG263 bein
reassembled at Southhampton.  I'll try to email those as well.
 
    
Saunders-Roe SR.A/1 - TG263
 
The SR.A/1 is an example of one of the rarest categories of aircraft - a
jet fighter flying-boat - and is also one of Britain's earliest jet
aircraft.   This wartime design was intended to be operated by the RAF
from islands or depot ships in remote parts of the world but was not
completed until the war  was over. The three aircraft built were used
for experimental purposes for several years.
 
SR.A/1 was designed by Saunders-Roe of Cowes, Isle of Wight during 1943.
The design was accepted by the Ministry in 1944 and five (later reduced
to three) prototypes were ordered to experimental specification E.6/44,
the aircraft was to be powered by two Metropolitan Vickers F.2/4 axial
flow turbojets, and although ordered under an experimental
specification, it was to have provision for the then standard fighter
armament of four 20mm cannon. Construction was at Cowes and the first
example (TG263) was rolled out in July 1947 and made its first flight
from the Solent on the 16th, piloted by Geoffery Tyson. The other two
prototypes (TG267 and TG271) flew in April and August 1948 The SR.A/1
was demonstrated at the Farnborough air show in 1947 and 1948 where
Tyson thrilled the crowds with his low-level inverted flypasts.

Flight tests of all three prototypes proceeded with the manufacturers
and with the MAEE at Felixtowe until August 1949 when both the second
and third aircraft were lost in accidents, one sinking after hitting a
floating object while landing on the Solent while being flown by the
Chief Naval Test Pilot, RAE, and the other after loss of control during
an aerobatic display practice. Around this time the Ministry lost
interest in the project, and also effectively cancelled development of
the Beryl engine but Saunders-Roe brought the first prototype out of
storage for trials of their own for which purposes it received the
"B-Conditions" civil registration G-12-1. These trials continued until
1951 when, after being displayed at the Festival of Britain site on the
Thames, it was retired to the College of Aeronautics at Cranfield.

The SR.A/1 is also noteworthy in that it was the first British aircraft
to be fitted with a production ejection-seat and was the only aircraft
designed to fly with the Metrovick Beryl axial flow jet engine, probably
the most advanced aero engine in the world at the time. Both the seat
and the engine are displayed in the Museum alongside the aircraft.
 
TG263 is the first, and sole surviving, example of the three SR.A/1s.
When trials were complete it was presented to the College of Aeronautics
at Cranfield where it was used as an instructional airframe until 1966
when it was purchased by Peter Thomas for his Skyfame Aircraft Museum at
Staverton.   In 1978 it was purchased by the Trustees of the Imperial
War Museum and transferred to their museum at Duxford, Cambridgeshire
where it was restored to its original service markings. In 1993 it was
made available to the Southampton Hall of Aviation so that it could be
displayed at the museum closest to its original home. 

References 

1.	SR A/1 Fighter Flying Boat, Outline No.6, Richard Bateson, ISO
Publications, 1985, ISBN 0-946784-05-1

2.	Saunders & Saro Aircraft since 1917, Peter London, Putnam, 1988, ISBN
0 85177 814 3
    
3.	From Sea to Air - the Heritage of Sam Saunders, A E Tagg & R R
Wheeler, Crossprint, 1989, ISBN 0 9509739 3 9
    
4.	British Experimental Jet Aircraft, Barry Hygate, Argus, 1990, ISBN 1
85486 010 0
    
5.	The British Fighter, Peter Lewis, Putnam, 1992, ISBN 0-85177-852-6

6.	British Research and Development Aircraft, Ray Sturtivant, Haynes,
ISBN 0-85429-697-2

7.	Aeroplane, August 27 1948, Our Jet Fighter Flying-boat

8.	British Flying-Boats And Amphibians 1909-1952, Duval G R, Putnam
(Aero), 1966,1975