Ever heard of the MonoCar? In 2022 we visited Solent Sky, a (mainly) aviation museum located in Southampton which contains a multitude of unique gems - where else would you find the unique Avro MonoCar for example, sharing space with a Spitfire F24, the Schneider Trophy Supermarine S.6A, the jet-powered Saunders-Roe SR.A/1 flying boat, and a magnificent Short Sandringham flying boat, to name just a few?
Sir Alliot Verdon Roe - of the Avro aircraft company - designed and built the Avro MonoCar in 1926 for his own use, to commute between his factories in Manchester and Hamble on the south coast. He covered around 30,000 miles in this compact car/motorcycle, and amazingly it survives to this day at Solent Sky. In looks it reminds me in some ways of a contemporary Morgan three-wheeler (although the MonoCar makes do with just two), the body is made from aluminium, and propulsion is courtesy of a two-stroke, 250cc, Villiers engine.
It was a real treat to see the S.6A, and clambering on board the mighty Short Sandringham gave real clues as to what it must have been like, flying in these wonderful machines, in the days before the cattle-class experience that is so prevalent today.
If you find yourself in the Southampton area, it's well worth calling in and paying a visit to Solent Sky, if we find outself nearby again we'll definitely darken its doorways once more.
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#solentsky #museum #transport
6 янв 2023
