Seaplane Facts

In the 1930s, flying boats were used for air travel between the United States and Europe, including routes to South America, Africa and others.

As a pilot, in order to be allowed to fly a seaplane, you need to obtain a seaplane rating, for which you receive ground and flight training and pass a class rating theoretical and practical test.

While the Cessna Caravan EX might look small in photos, it's not that small of an aircraft. The wingspan measures almost 16 meters, while the aircraft height is 5.3 meters and the length is 12.67 meters

Aircraft equipped with turboprop engines are mostly efficient at a medium altitude and commonly used for short to medium distance flights.

Depending on their location, the construction of new airports may pose an environmental concern as they require a permanent alteration of the natural habitat and other infrastructure to support their activity which directly impacts the surrounding areas. Seaplanes on their hand require only a body of water to land and a minimal infrastructure to be docked such as a suitable beach, or a floating dock, providing fast and low-impact

Amphibious hull seaplanes have unique handling characteristics both on the water and in the air. Because the thrust line is well above the center of drag, these airplanes tend to nose down when power is applied and nose up as power is reduced.

"Auxiliary vertical fins" or "finlets" are located on the horizontal stabilizer of the floatplane to ensure yaw stability.

All floats are required to have a minimum of four watertight compartments. These prevent the entire float from filling with water if it is ruptured at any point. The floats can support the seaplane with any two compartments flooded, which makes the seaplane difficult to sink.

Amphibious seaplanes can land and take-off on both land and water.

The maximum cruise speed on the Caravan EX Amphibian is 164 kts (or just over 300 km/h)

Conventional aviation fuels have both CO2 & lead emissions. Our highly efficient Pratt & Whitney turbine engines utilize highly refined kerosene as fuel which is up to 90% more efficient than conventional piston engines. Turbine engines emit zero lead into the environment unlike conventional aircraft.

The fastest jet-propelled seaplane is the Convair F2Y Sea Dart, with a top speed of 1,328 kilometre per hour!