The Little World

And as slick as only a flying boat can be – particularly if it is not an amphibian.

Not too many designs of the flying boat era eschewed outboard pontoons or floats. Whether they were local or overseas designs, few used the hull-and-sponson configuration to stop the boat tipping to the side once landed. And I am not sure that any adopted inflatable floats that could be retracted once airborne.

The design of the 314 means that the wings are smooth underneath as well as on top. the sponsons are stepped so that they can assist in break-free when taking off. I am going to surf the internet to see if I can find motion pictures taken of the aircraft taking off and landing.

Note that there are very many small rectangular portholes all along both sides of the hull, but Airfix have done a good job of moulding the clear windows for them – once placed and fixed with thin cement they are nearly all flush with the external convexity. Only two sink points.

And you don’t want sink points in a flying boat…