Back in the 1930s before the start of the Second World War if you wanted to fly long distances, the flying boat was the king of the skies. Very few cities had paved runways capable of accommodating massive large aircraft before WWII. But after the war, the infrastructure advantage of flying boats – the ability to operate heavy aircraft without long runways – was no longer relevant.
.
Dornier Flying Boats Are Coming Back
Before World War II, Dornier Aircraft built huge flying boats capable of crossing oceans nonstop. Roughly one-thousand seaplanes have borne the Dornier name, such as the Dornier Wal and the 12-engine powered DO X. The flying boat business ended for Dornier — and soon for everybody else — after the war, but the knowledge and heritage of seaplanes stayed in the family. When fiberglass became a viable material for building boats and flying boats, Dornier realized what this material could do to make seaplanes practical, and the Seastar concept was born.
.
100-Year Heritage of Dornier Flying Boats
Because the Seastar was originally certified in Europe, the basic airframe will be built there, as the authorities are familiar and comfortable with the process. The location of the Seastar Company headquarters where final assembly will take place has not yet been determined but will probably be in Florida or in Alabama.
The Seastar airplane already has a type certificate and the management is realistic about the pace at which production can be accelerated. The Seastar is one nice boat that flies today.
.
Boing 314 Flying Boats
By building a flying boat, Boeing produced a long-range plane that could land anywhere, providing the destination had a sheltered bay. Another key to the aircraft/boat was that in conditions where poor visibility would have prevented a conventional aircraft from landing, the Boeing 314 could land out at sea and then taxi into the harbor.
Produced between 1938 and 1941, the Boeing 314 flying boat achieved more than any other aircraft of its time flying from the US to the UK, Ireland, the Philippines, Guam, Australia, and New Zealand. 9 of 12 Boeing 314s built entered service with Pan Am. In total 12 aircraft were produced at the Boeing factory in Seattle, WA, with nine entering services for Pan American World Airways. They were called 'Clippers'. Pan American’s flying boats were the pinnacle of leisure travel at the time.
Built for luxury air travel due to the duration of transoceanic flights, seats on the Pan Am Clippers could be converted into beds for overnight accommodation. One of the huge differences between then and aircraft we are used to today was the fact that Pam Am Clippers had a cruising speed of just 188 miles per hour - as opposed to the 560 miles per hour of a Boeing 777.
By the time the war ended in 1945 the need to land aircraft on the water was superfluous as aircraft could now land on concrete runways that were built to handle heavy bombers. The last Pan American Airways World Airways Clipper retired in 1946 after having flown more than a million miles, ending what many consider to be one of the greatest eras of aviation.
.
Martin Mars Flying Boats
The largest flying boats ever flew operationally—the World War II-era Martin JRM Mars—are being put up for sale. The aircraft served the US Navy until the mid-1950s, after which they were acquired as surplus by a Canadian company that modified them for firefighting operations. After already performing decades of air tanker service, they were bought by Canada’s Coulson Flying Tankers Inc., in 2007.
Originally, the Mars, which has a wingspan of 200 feet and a max takeoff weight of 165,000 pounds, was designed as cargo transport and patrol aircraft and was the largest allied seaplane built during World War II. In total, only seven of the big flying boats were built, with just two surviving today: the Hawaii Mars II and the Philippine Mars.
.
Grumman utility seaplanes have been admired and used since 1938 - with its major and minor "modern features" already present from then. In addition to the Widgeon and Goose the company also built the G-73 Mallard with luxurious seating for two crew and ten passengers. Albatross used primarily in air-sea rescue work. All of these amphibious flying boats shared the characteristic high engine placement designed to minimize propeller contact with damaging water spray. The design of the boats gave them sturdiness and low center of gravity, allowing them to operate in conditions that would have been disastrous for floatplanes.
.
Flying Boats vs. Seaplanes
A flying boat is as it says in the name, a boat that can fly. It must satisfy many of the same requirements for performance, efficiency, strength, and reliability as a landplane.
In addition, they must possess some qualities of a boat in the water and some qualities unique to the flying boat itself. Built around a single hull which serves as the planes floatation device, a flying boat takes off and lands on its fuselage. They must be seaworthy, maneuverable, and stable on the water and have low water and air drag.
In contrast, a seaplane or floatplane, as they are often called, is a pontoon-based plane that has floats instead of having wheels attached to it. This means that the aircraft’s body, unlike a flying boat, never touches the water. And then there are the amphibians...
Read More About Flying Boats:
https://www.flyingmag.com/pilot-reports/turboprops/flying-boat-back/
https://history.nasa.gov/SP-468/ch8-2.htm
https://www.thedrive.com/the-war-zone/4606/you-can-buy-the-worlds-largest-operational-flying-boat-for-about-the-price-of-a-p-51-mustang
http://www.msacomputer.com/FlyingBoats-old/grumman/Grumman.html
https://simpleflying.com/flying-boat-operators/
https://www.bushplane.com/bushplanes/bushplanes-widgeon/
https://history.nasa.gov/SP-468/ch8-6.htm
http://royalaviationmuseum.com/keeping-the-boats-afloat/
https://www.abc.net.au/radionational/programs/futuretense/could-futuristic-seaplanes-revolutionise-air-travel/7382834
<><><><><>
Books by Doris Daily
Memoirs of an Executive Pilot
https://www.amazon.ca/dp/1988664349
https://books2read.com/u/mKYpGd
https://www.thalia.de/shop/home/suggestartikel/ID142447093.html
TRAUMBERUF PILOT?
Piloten Ausbildung, Jobsuche und Berufsalltag
(in deutscher Sprache - print und ebook)
https://www.amazon.de/dp/1988664330
https://books2read.com/u/4DoxPr
https://www.thalia.de/shop/home/artikeldetails/ID81994834.html
.
