An aerial view of the prototype Princess during high-speed runs on the Solent on August 22, 1952. Shortly after this photograph was taken test pilot Geoffrey Tyson lifted the Princess into the air for its maiden flight.

Looking even larger out of water, the massive Princess prototype, G-ALUN, is seen at Cowes on August 19, 1952. The first flight was made on August 22. The SR.A/1 TG263 can be seen at left.

The prototype Princess's wingtip floats were flat-topped to align with the wing ribs when retracted.

In all, the Princess had 96 propeller blades - Geoffrey Tyson insisted that he could tell when an engine failed!

The prototype Princess G-ALUN on the Solent. Moving on the water was not an easy business despite the reverse thrust facility on the outer engines.

Two views of the Princess fuselage being moved from its building stocks to the main Saro erection shop on July 26, 1949. The Editor’s father, E. J. Riding, can be seen walking stage right behind the line of onlookers.

The Princess was powered by ten Bristol Proteus 2 engines, each rated at 3,200 h.p. They were installed in four coupled pairs and two single outboard units. Pictured here is one of the coupled Proteus engines.

What must be one of the most magnificent sights in British aviation - the Princess prototype in majestic flight over the Solent. The all-up weight of the Princess was about the same as that of a fully laden Boeing 707.

Saro test pilot Geoffrey Tyson gives scale to the Princess in August 1952.

Wooden mock-up of the Princess’s flightdeck, giving some idea of the spacious cabin layout.

The full-size wooden mock­up of the 148ft-long fuselage in April 1949. By comparison, the length of Howard Hughes’s Hercules, the world’s largest ever flying-boat, was 218ft 6 1/4 in.