bristolaeroplanecompany

This is a photo of three (the wing of the third is just peaking out in the background) very rare aircraft. These are three Short Rangoon (Short S.8/8 Rangoon) flying boats. Only six Rangoon flying boats were constructed for service with the Royal Air Force (RAF). Three of the flying boats belonging to 203 Squadron flew to Australia in 1934 as part of the Centenary celebrations for the state of Victoria and Melbourne. This photo would have likely been taken between Monday, November 12, 1934 and Wednesday, November 14, 1934, as per a story at the bottom of page 9 of the Sydney Morning Herald of November 13, 1934: trove.nla.gov.au/ndp/del/page/1140279 FLYING BOATS The R.A.F. Short Rangoon flying-boats, which arrived at Sydney yesterday on their way back to England, will leave at 7 a.m. on Wednesday. They are at present anchored at Farm Cove.

TVL1970 Ha! You just beat me to it - I found the same info and was about to post it. The wiki article mentions the Australian visit too - en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Short_Rangoon

Thanks folks! We have updated our records. It is amazing to see how far and fast aircraft technology came in the 1920s, post war. These machines were top of the line compared to eg the old SE5a!

Heath Baby Bullet

The 'Mayo Composite' moments after a trial separation. The release mechanism for the S.20 upper long range mail plane was surprisingly complex. Both aircraft were unique, one of a kind articles, the S.21 being based on the S.23 Empire Flying Boat, but had a wider chine to support the weight of the upper aircraft.