Seaplane

A seaplane is an aircraft designed to take off and land (correctly, though less commonly termed, "alight") upon water.

Seaplane uses and operation

Numerous modern civilian aircraft have a floatplane variant, usually for light duty transportation to lakes and other remote areas. Flying boats have remained in service for fire-fighting duties. Often an amphibious aircraft that can land on land as well as land on water has supplanted a pure water plane.

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Seaplanes can only take off and land on water with little or no wave action and, like other aircraft, have trouble in extreme weather. The size of waves a given design can land depends on how big the aircraft is, and the specifics of its shape. Flying boat seaplanes can handle rougher water, and are generally more stable than the float planes on the water.

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Some of the largest users of seaplanes are rescue organizations such as coast guards because the same aircraft can be used for spotting and rescuing survivors. Seaplanes are much more fuel-efficient than helicopters and, unlike helicopters, can land when they run out of fuel, weather permitting.

Related Topics:
Rescue - Coast guard - Helicopter

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Seaplanes are often used in remote areas such as Alaska (which has the highest per capita number of floatplanes in the United States) and the Canadian outback, especially in areas with a large number of lakes convenient for takeoff and landing. They may operate on a charter basis, or provide scheduled service.

Related Topics:
Alaska - Canadian - Lake - Charter

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