Aircrafttotal Encyclopedia

Flying boats

A flying boat is a seaplane with a hull, allowing it to land on water — from the Curtiss NC-4 and the Boeing 314 Clipper to today's Beriev Be-200 and AVIC AG600.

36flying boats
5groups
1919–2017first flight
8countries

About flying boats

A flying boat is a type of fixed-wing seaplane with a hull, allowing it to land on water. It differs from a floatplane, which stands on floats under the fuselage: the fuselage of a flying boat is itself built to float. Many flying boats also have retractable wheels; they are called amphibians.

Alphonse Pénaud filed a patent for a flying machine with a boat hull and retractable landing gear as early as 1876. In the First World War flying boats patrolled the seas, in 1919 the Curtiss NC-4 was the first aircraft to cross the Atlantic, and in the 1930s large flying boats such as the Boeing 314 Clipper flew passengers across the oceans. Today amphibians are mainly used for search and rescue and for fighting forest fires.

CN 1919 American flying boats Curtiss NC-4 First aircraft to fly across the Atlantic (1919, with stops) Curtiss · United States→
SS 1928 American flying boats Sikorsky S-38 Twin-engined amphibian that opened many of the first airline routes around the Caribbean. Sikorsky · United States→
DD 1929 European flying boats Dornier Do X The largest aircraft in the world in 1929 Dornier · Germany→
DD 1930 American flying boats Douglas Dolphin Amphibious flying boat used as a private aircraft, airliner and military transport. Douglas · United States→
GJ 1933 Grumman & amphibians Grumman J2F Duck Single-engined amphibian biplane with its float built into the fuselage. Grumman · United States→
CZ 1934 European flying boats CANT Z.501 Gabbiano Italian single-engined patrol and reconnaissance flying boat. CANT · Italy→
CP 1935 American flying boats Consolidated PBY Catalina One of the most widely built flying boats Consolidated Aircraft · United States→
SV 1937 American flying boats Sikorsky VS-44 Four-engined flying boat built for transatlantic passenger flights. Vought-Sikorsky · United States→
GG 1937 Grumman & amphibians Grumman G-21 Goose Twin-engined amphibian, first built for wealthy private owners and later for air forces and airlines. Grumman · United States→
DD 1937 European flying boats Dornier Do 24 Three-engined flying boat, first ordered by the Dutch navy for the Dutch East Indies. Dornier · Germany→
SS 1937 European flying boats Short Sunderland British four-engined patrol flying boat, based on the Short Empire airliner. Short Brothers · United Kingdom→
AA 1937 European flying boats Arado Ar 196 Floatplane carried by German warships in the Second World War. Arado · Germany→
B3 1938 American flying boats Boeing 314 Clipper Pan Am flights across the Atlantic and Pacific Boeing · United States→
VO 1938 American flying boats Vought OS2U Kingfisher Floatplane launched from the catapults of US Navy battleships and cruisers. Vought · United States→
MP 1939 American flying boats Martin PBM Mariner Twin-engined patrol flying boat with a gull wing, used in the Second World War and the Korean War. Glenn L. Martin Company · United States→
GG 1940 Grumman & amphibians Grumman G-44 Widgeon Smaller amphibian based on the Goose. Grumman · United States→
BV 1940 European flying boats Blohm & Voss BV 222 Wiking Large six-engined flying boat of the Second World War. Blohm & Voss · Germany→
KH 1941 Asian flying boats Kawanishi H8K Japanese four-engined patrol flying boat of the Second World War. Kawanishi · Japan→
MJ 1942 American flying boats Martin JRM Mars Later famous as a water bomber Glenn L. Martin Company · United States→
BV 1944 European flying boats Blohm & Voss BV 238 The heaviest aircraft of the Second World War Blohm & Voss · Germany→
GG 1946 Grumman & amphibians Grumman G-73 Mallard Post-war amphibian built for private owners and small airlines. Grumman · United States→
GH 1947 Grumman & amphibians Grumman HU-16 Albatross Large twin-engined amphibian used for search and rescue by the US Air Force, Navy and Coast Guard. Grumman · United States→
MP 1948 American flying boats Martin P5M Marlin The last flying boat in service with the US Navy. Glenn L. Martin Company · United States→
BB 1949 Beriev & Russian Beriev Be-6 Soviet twin-engined patrol flying boat (NATO name "Madge"). Beriev · Soviet Union→
SP 1952 European flying boats Saunders-Roe Princess Huge ten-engined flying boat airliner; only one flew before the project was stopped. Saunders-Roe · United Kingdom→
CF 1953 American flying boats Convair F2Y Sea Dart The only seaplane to fly faster than sound Convair · United States→
CR 1954 American flying boats Convair R3Y Tradewind Large turboprop flying boat built for the US Navy. Convair · United States→
BB 1960 Beriev & Russian Beriev Be-12 Chayka Turboprop amphibian with a gull wing, built for anti-submarine and patrol work. Beriev · Soviet Union→
DS 1984 European flying boats Dornier Seastar Modern composite amphibian with its two engines in line above the wing. Dornier · Germany→
BA 1986 Beriev & Russian Beriev A-40 Albatros The largest jet-powered amphibian Beriev · Soviet Union / Russia→
BB 1997 Beriev & Russian Beriev Be-103 Small six-seat amphibian with a low wing. Beriev · Russia→
BB 1998 Beriev & Russian Beriev Be-200 Altair Jet-powered amphibian, mainly used for fighting forest fires. Beriev · Russia→
SU 2003 Asian flying boats ShinMaywa US-2 Large four-engined amphibian of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force, for search and rescue at sea. ShinMaywa · Japan→
AA 2017 Asian flying boats AVIC AG600 Kunlong One of the largest amphibians ever built AVIC · China→
LO Grumman & amphibians Loening OL Amphibian biplane of the 1920s; Loening engineers later founded Grumman. Loening · United States→