English "Victory" Short-Mayo Composite Aircraft Puzzle. c.1938
SOLD
Wooden backed puzzle depicting Imperial Airways "Short-Mayo" composite aircraft, made in England by "Victory", dating from around 1938.
This attractive puzzle containing approx. 300 pieces depicts the "Short-Mayo" composite flying boat moored at sea. The box bears the caption, "Victory Jig-Saw Puzzle Of The Imperial Airways "Short-Mayo" Composite Aircraft". Puzzle dimensions : 248mm x 200mm. Complete and in good condition .
This experimental aircraft combination was built by Short Bros. from a design by Major Mayo of Imperial Airways. It consisted of an Imperial Airways S.21 "Empire" flying boat (named "Maia") which carried a smaller seaplane ("Mercury") on it's back. The idea was that an aircraft could fly with a considerably heavier load than it could take off with. The Mercury was carried into the air by "Maia" and then launched in-flight. On the 20th July 1938 "Mercury" was released from "Maia" over Foynes, Ireland and made the first ever non-stop flight between Great Britain and Montreal, Canada. This flight broke the East-West route record, and as it carried a 1,000 lb of mail, it was the first commercial crossing by an aeroplane. In October 1938 "Mercury" set up the seaplane distance record of 5,998 miles between Dundee, Scotland and South Africa.
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