Saunders A.3 Valkyrie
Saunders · United Kingdom · first flew 1926 · reconnaissance aircraft
The Saunders A.3 Valkyrie was a large three-engined biplane flying boat with a wooden hull, built to an Air Ministry specification. It was not found suitable for production.
Recognition (WEFT)
| W — Wings | Mid-mounted, straight |
|---|---|
| E — Engines | 3 × piston, wing-mounted |
| F — Fuselage | 18.29 m fuselage |
| T — Tail | Conventional |
WEFT is AircraftIQ's four-point recognition method — how it works.
Spot it by:
- Three Rolls-Royce Condor engines mounted between the wings
- Wooden two-step monocoque flying-boat hull
- Large, angular fin with a prominently balanced rudder carrying a servo surface on outriggers
It is a three-engined biplane flying boat with equal-span wings with almost no stagger, three sets of steel V-form struts joining the centre sections, and a stabilising float under each outer wing.
Specifications
- The Saunders A.3 Valkyrie has a length of 18.29 m (60 ft).
- It has a wingspan of 29.57 m (97 ft).
- Its maximum speed is 192 km/h (119 mph).
- Typical crew: 5.
Figures are for the representative variant described above; marks differ. See how AircraftIQ sources figures.
History
It was built in response to Air Ministry specification 22/24 for a large general duty and patrol flying boat, and Saunders received an order for a single prototype in February 1925. The Valkyrie flew for the first time around June 1926 in the hands of Frank Courtney.
Variants
Only one was built. Its hull was covered with Consuta sewn stress-bearing plywood and was designed to be flexible to absorb the shocks of landing.
Where you'll see it
It went to Air Ministry trials in the late spring of 1927 and the assessment was unenthusiastic. In August it joined a Scandinavian tour with the Blackburn Iris, Short Singapore and Supermarine Southampton, which helped confirm the Air Ministry's preference for metal hulls. The sole Valkyrie was broken up in 1929.
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