RSSierra's Dinky Additions

[RSSierra]

After a bit of research:

The Short Mayo Composite, a piggyback long-range seaplane combination ,remains one of the most innovative concepts in aviation history.
So innovative,in fact,that seven decades ago it demonstrated the potential for long-haul aviation.
Engineered by Robert Mayo, the concept was unique.The transporter aircraft Maia essentially provided a piggy-back take-off for the smaller long-range Mercury seaplane,which was unable to take off from the water by itself fully loaded.Mercury then detached from Maia at a sufficient speed and altitude and continued on its long journey.

Seventy years ago,on October 6,1938, Mercury set the world record for the longest distance flown by a seaplane. The journey,from Dundee in Scotland to the Orange River in South Africa covered a distance of 6,045 miles.
Under the command of Captain DCT Bennett,the journey lasted 42 hours and five minutes, arriving in South Africa on October 8. During its epic flight the aircraft managed to battle through strong headwinds to arrive safely.
And this wasn't the first record the aircraft had broken .Earlier in 1938,Mercury,again commanded by Captain Bennett,had wowed the public by making the first crossing of the North Atlantic by a heavier-than-air aircraft.
Mercury was primarily used as a mail carrier,but when its mother ship ,Maia,was destroyed by enemy bombs during World War Two,Mercury's fate was sealed and it was cannibalised for scrap to aid the war effort.

The amazing craft was operated by British Airways forerunner,Imperial Airways Limited,which merged with the privately owned British in 1940 to create the British Overseas Airways Corporation (BOAC).

[YYS4BOB]

Thanks for that, Fascinating.

[Idris]

I've loaded up the fatigue cracks with liquid super glue to keep the moisture out, so hopefully that's stabilised it for another 80 years at least.

An interesting idea, and I can see that the superglue with it's low viscosity would be drawn into even the smallest cracks. Do you have experience with this method? Do you do anything to seal the inner and outer surfaces of the model which are also routes for moisture ingress?

[lionel-honda]

The Mayo set in box is stunning Dave. Great find!

Scott