Floatplane - History

History

The first aircraft to successfully take off from water was Henri Fabre's Fabre Hydravion, first flown on 28 March 1910. Although not a very successful aircraft, this inspired other aircraft designers to emulate him, and Fabre designed and built floats for a number of other aircraft, such as the Voisin Canard.

Floatplanes were widely used during World War I, and remained in naval use until World War II. Most larger warships of that era carried floatplanes - typically four for each battleship, and one to two for each cruiser - to be launched by catapults; their main task was to spot targets over the horizon for the big guns. Other floatplanes, sometimes carried on seaplane tenders, were used for bombings, reconnaissance, air-sea rescue, and even as fighters.

In the interwar period, civilian use of floatplanes was rare, given the larger fuselage (hence greater payload) of flying boats. However, floatplane racing aircraft were very popular, as exemplified by those that participated in the Schneider Trophy.

After World War II, the advent of radar and helicopters, and the advanced development of aircraft carriers and land-based aircraft, saw the demise of military seaplanes. This, coupled with the increased availability of civilian airstrips, have greatly reduced the number of flying boats being built. However, numerous modern civilian aircraft have floatplane variants, most of these are offered as third-party modifications under a supplemental type certificate (STC), although there are several aircraft manufacturers that build floatplanes from scratch. These floatplanes have found their niche as one type of bush plane, for light duty transportation to lakes and other remote areas, as well as to small/hilly islands without proper airstrips. They may operate on a charter basis (including, but not limited to, pleasure flights), provide scheduled service, or be operated by residents of the area for private, personal use.