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Classic Wings Magazine WWII Naval Aviation Research Pacific Luftwaffe Resource Center
When Hollywood Ruled The Skies - Volumes 1 through 4 by Bruce Oriss


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PostPosted: Fri Mar 17, 2023 6:26 pm 
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Hiro H4H2 flying boat in 1939 at the Sasebo Air Base, Japan, bottom right is Mitsuo Fuchida.

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PostPosted: Fri Mar 17, 2023 8:30 pm 
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Famous crewman notwithstanding , the aircraft is pretty impressive for a type which first flew in 1931.
At that time most U.S. and U.K. flying boats (they thought they led the world in seaplanes) lanes were still biplanes.

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PostPosted: Sat Mar 18, 2023 6:06 am 
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JohnB wrote:
Famous crewman notwithstanding , the aircraft is pretty impressive for a type which first flew in 1931.
At that time most U.S. and U.K. flying boats (they thought they led the world in seaplanes) lanes were still biplanes.


Actually, stick a wing on top and it could be a Stranraer!

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PostPosted: Sun Mar 19, 2023 1:05 am 
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While it's well known Japan was influenced by several UK seaplane builders (Shorts, Supermarine and Blackburn (which was part of the Col, The Master of Semphill aristocrat spy affair), Japan managed to go one better.

When this thread emerged, I searched for a corresponding UK monoplane and did not find one.

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Last edited by JohnB on Sun Mar 19, 2023 1:07 am, edited 1 time in total.

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PostPosted: Sun Mar 19, 2023 1:05 am 
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Double post

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PostPosted: Sun Mar 19, 2023 7:27 am 
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JohnB wrote:
While it's well known Japan was influenced by several UK seaplane builders (Shorts, Supermarine and Blackburn (which was part of the Col, The Master of Semphill aristocrat spy affair), Japan managed to go one better.

When this thread emerged, I searched for a corresponding UK monoplane and did not find one.


How about the Saro Cloud, first flown in 1930?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Saro_Cloud

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PostPosted: Sun Mar 19, 2023 10:02 am 
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You're correct.
In my research, u neglected to check SARO types.
But I will point out that the Cloud is not a combat type and few were built, of course the Hiro to wasn't exactly a high production type with 40-off built.
Still, it seems to me the UK did stick with biplane designs for seaplanes for awhile after similar size land types went to monoplanes.

It's interesting to look at seaplane of the era, they often had very small production numbers, so per-unit cost had to of been high...or the design and development costs low in the days of cheap labor.

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PostPosted: Sun Mar 19, 2023 10:31 am 
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Overall it looks like a pretty good seaplane, and yes, they seem to have copied other designer's ideas.


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