seaplane
Aeroplane capable of taking off from, and landing on, water. There are two major types, floatplanes and flying boats. The floatplane is similar to an ordinary aeroplane but has floats in place of wheels; the flying boat has a broad hull shaped like a boat and may also have floats attached to the wing tips.
Seaplanes depend on smooth water for a good landing, and since World War II few have been built, although they were widely used in both world wars and the first successful international airlines, such as Pan Am, relied on a fleet of flying boats in the 1920s and 1930s.
In 1998 a British firm produced a seaplane with a narrower, more streamlined hull, thus improving on the design that has remained relatively unchanged since World War II.
| The seaplane was invented by Glenn Curtiss. |
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