- For other uses, see Mercury.
Mercury (registry G-ADHJ) was a 20th century United Kingdom seaplane used to deliver mail between the United States and England on the planet Earth.
Service history and disposition[]
In 1938, British Imperial Airways operated an unusual aircraft configuration by mounting Mercury atop the flying boat Maia. Having Maia serve as a carrier for Mercury extended their total flight range and enabled the first mail flights without stops across the Atlantic Ocean.
- The piggy-back pairing was known as the Short Mayo Composite. Mercury was in service from 1937 to 1941. After Maia was destroyed, Mercury was briefly used by the Royal Air Force before being recycled.
In 2273, the configuration was one of several unusual 20th century arrangements of paired aircraft discussed by Captain James T. Kirk and Commander Spock. They were trying to determine the reason for the cruiser IKV Hakkarl to be remotely controlled by the bird-of-prey IKS Tazhat. (TOS novel: Rules of Engagement)
Appendices[]
Background[]
USS Enterprise library computer records seem to have gotten it backwards, as it described Maia being atop Mercury. A photo of the pairing is available at the Short Mayo Composite article at Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
References[]
External links[]
- Short Mayo Composite article at Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.