The S.55 featured many innovative design features. All the passengers or cargo were placed in the twin hulls, but the pilot and crew captained the plane from a cockpit in the thicker section of the wing, between the two hulls. The S.55 had two inline contra-rotating propellers, mounted in tandem. The engines were canted sharply at an upward angle. Two wire-braced booms connected the triple-finned tail structure to the twin hulls and wing.
I bought my first house in 1981. I needed to drill a hole in the rafters above the bedroom to hang a ceiling fan. I did not own a long enough extension cord, and cordless drills were still in the future. I used my hand drill just like this one. It was easy drilling. I still have my hand operated drill. It is next to my timing light, dwell meter, and oil can spout.
The Tithe Barn was built in the early 14th century as part of the medieval farmstead belonging to Shaftesbury Abbey. Its function was to store the produce of the farm, and of the farms of the manor. Tenant farms contributed a tithe, meaning a tenth of their produce.
Photo by Richard Majlinder