Thousands greet Dornier Do X flying boat

The giant Dornier Do X was the most ambitious flying boat of its time. Dreamt up by Dr Claudius Dornier, it took seven years to design and, when complete, was the largest, heaviest and most powerful aircraft in the world.

In 1930, the Do X took off on a year-long demonstration tour through Europe, to the west coast of Africa and then onto North America. The Engineer reported on a sighting of the famous German flying boat in June 1931 as it passed through Natal in Brazil.

’It has been delayed frequently owing to a variety of mishaps,’ the article said. ’On 4 June, the machine was reported by a ship to have fallen into the sea, and considerable anxiety was aroused. Although fitted with a wireless installation, the machine was unable to deny the report for some hours, owing to interference from the transmitters on ships.’