Short Bros. Empire Class Aotearoa

Jim Lund Short Bros. Empire Class Aotearoa

TEAL Short Bros. Aotearoa model by Jim Lund — photo by Joseph May

Master scale modeller Jim Lund displayed his model of the Short Brothers C-class Empire S.30 Mk II flying boat known as Aotearoa in this diorama displayed at the San Francisco Airport Museum & Library in the temporary exhibit, Oceans by Air: scale models and photographs by Jim Lund. The original Empire flying boats were designed for ranges of 500 miles (800km), or less, but longer ranges were needed to serve the further reaches of the British Empire. The Short Brothers modified the C-class to the S.30 Mk II standard to triple the range, as well as increasing payload. Aotearoa, was built to connect New Zealand and Great Britain, as well as Australia — the name is the most widely used native Maori term for the New Zealand islands — filling the vital niche of delivering air mail cargo and passengers.

The two major modifications giving Aetearoa the added range were:

• Using lower rated but more efficient 890 hp (660kW) Bristol Perseus engines (lower fuel consumption)
• Increasing airframe strength (allowing for more cargo and fuel to be carried aboard)

Additional images can be seen at this Auckland City Government link and this Wings Over New Zealand Forum link.