The CANT 10 was a flying boat airliner produced in Italy in the 1920s. It was a conventional biplane design with single-bay, unstaggered wings of equal span, having seating for four passengers within the hull, while the pilot sat in an open cockpit. The engine was mounted in pusher configuration in the interplane gap.

CANT 10 flying boats were used by Società Italiana Servizi Aerei for over a decade, linking destinations in the Adriatic Sea.
Two CANT 10ters were used by a company called TAXI AEREI in Buenos Aires, operating flights from the River Plate. One of them was lost in an accident and the other one was bought by the Paraguayan government for the Naval Aviation in 1929; it was used as a transport during the Chaco War and was withdrawn from use in 1933. A total of 18 CANT 10's were built.

The CANT Z.501 Gabbiano (Italian: Gull) was a high-wing central-hull flying boat, with two outboard floats. It was powered by a single engine installed in the middle of the main-plane and had a crew of 4–5 men. It served with the Italian Regia Aeronautica during World War II, as a reconnaissance aeroplane. During its debut in 1934, it set a world distance record. It was obsolete by 1940, but was still used throughout World War II, suffering many losses. A few remained in service until 1949.

Filippo Zappata was one of the foremost Italian aircraft designers. He worked for Cantieri Aeronautici e Navali Triestini (CANT) for some years, but went to France in 1927 to work for Blériot. He returned to Italy at the prompting of Italo Balbo and resumed work at CANT on a series of new aircraft. The first of these was the Z.501, designed to replace the Savoia-Marchetti S.78. The prototype Z.501 was first flown in 1934 by test pilot Mario Stoppani.

The aircraft had a very slim fuselage, a high parasol wing and a single wing-mounted engine nacelle. In the prototype a 560 kW (750 hp) inline Isotta Fraschini Asso-750.RC engine was fitted, with an annular (circular) radiator that made the installation resemble a radial engine, although it was actually a liquid-cooled inline. Some versions of other planes such as the Ju 88 and Fw 190D had this same feature. The engine nacelle was extended to carry a rear-facing machine gun, while other guns were mounted in the centre fuselage and nose. All were 7.7 mm (.303 in) Breda-SAFAT machine guns. Bombs up to 640 kg/1,410 lb (4 × 160 kg/350 lb) were carried under the wings. The aerodynamic low-drag design was typical of Zappata-designed aircraft, as was the wooden construction.

Production of the Z.501 began in 1935 with 24 aircraft ordered from CANT, and 30 from Aeronautica Sicula, a company in Palermo. Registration numbers started with MM.35168.

For operational history and military service, click here.

The CANT Z.506 Airone (Italian: Heron) was a triple-engine floatplane produced by CANT from 1935. It served as a transport and postal aircraft with the Italian airline "Ala Littoria". It established 10 world records in 1936 and another 10 in 1937. During World War II it was used as a reconnaissance aircraft, bomber and air-sea rescue plane, by the Italian Regia Aeronautica and Regia Marina, Aeronautica Cobelligerante del Sud, Aeronautica Nazionale Repubblicana and the Luftwaffe. The military version revealed itself to be one of the best floatplanes ever built. Despite its wooden structure it was able to operate in very rough seas. A number of Z.506S air-sea rescue aircraft remained in service until 1959.

The CANT Z.506 was designed as a 12 to 14-seat transport twin-float seaplane, powered by three 455 kW (610 hp) Piaggio Stella P.IX radial engines. It was derived from the larger and heavier Z.505 seaplane. The Z.506 entered production in 1936 as the Z.506A, powered by more powerful 560 kW (750 hp) Alfa Romeo 126 RC.34 nine cylinder radial engines, giving a maximum output of 780 CV on take off and 750 CV at 3,400 meters. The fuselage had a wooden structure covered in tulipier wooden lamellas. The wings were built with a structure of three box-type spars linked by wooden wing-ribs covered by plywood. The floats were made of duraluminium covered in 'Chitonal' and were 12.50 metres (41 ft) long. The armament consisted of a 12.7 mm (0.50 inch) Breda-SAFAT machine gun in the dorsal position and three 7.7 mm (0.303 inch) machine guns, one in the ventral position and two on the sides of the fuselage. The CANT Z.506 had a crew of five.

It was produced at the "Cantieri Riuniti dell 'Adriatico" and "Cantiere Navale Triestino" (CRDA CANT) factories in Monfalcone and Finale Ligure respectively. The aeroplanes were in such demand that the Piaggio company also produced CANT Z.506s. under licence. The Z.506A entered service with the Ala Littoria air company flying around the Mediterranean.

While flown mostly by Mario Stoppani, the Z.506A set a number of altitude, speed and distance records for its class between 1936 and 1938, including speeds of 308.25 km/h (191.539 mph) over 5000 km (3,107 miles) and 319.78 km/h (198.7 mph) over 2000 km (1,243 miles), and 322.06 km/h (200.118 mph) over 1000 km (621 miles). It subsequently flew 5383.6 km (3,345.225 miles) in a closed circuit. It carried a load of 2000 kg (4,409 lb) to 7810 m (25,623 ft) and 5000 kg (11,023 lb) to 6917 m (22,693 ft).

A military version appeared after 15 civil aeroplanes had entered service with Ala Littoria. It was developed as the Z.506B. This military version was powered by three 560 kW (750 hp) Alfa Romeo 127 RC 55 engines and entered service in 1939. This version was also a record breaker. A larger version of the Z.506A was built in 1937 as the Z.509. The last CANT Z.506B was built by Piaggio in January 1943. Total production was more than 320 aircraft.

For details of operational history and seven variants, click here.

The CANT Z.511 was a four-engine long-range seaplane designed by Filippo Zappata of the "Cantieri Riuniti dell'Adriatico" (CRDA) company. Originally designed for the Central and South Atlantic passenger routes, it was later adapted as a military transport and special raider.

The design for the construction of a large four-engine, twin-float seaplane began at the end of September 1937, when the technical department of CRDA accepted the specifications of the LATI (Compagnia Ala Littoria) company, created in 1939, who required a long-range seaplane for carrying mail, cargo and passengers to Latin America.

These plans were cancelled on the outbreak of World War II, but a version of the aircraft was adapted for long-range maritime patrol, armed with 10 single-mount 12.7 mm (0.500 in) machine guns in both side gun positions, in two upper turrets, and belly positions. Plans were made to install 20 mm (0.787 in) cannon in a front turret or in a glazed nose position, and more machine guns in a tail position.

For bombing, it was adapted to carry up to 4,000 kg (8,800 lb) of bombs in an internal bomb bay and on outer wing positions: up to four launch racks, for 454 mm (17.9 in) air-launched torpedoes for surface attack, or "Maiale" manned torpedoes or midget submarines for special operations.

The original engines were relatively underpowered, so Zappata asked the authorities for permission to acquire 1,193 kW (1,600 hp) Wright R-2600 Double Cyclones from the United States. Due to the deteriorating international situation, however, he was unable to obtain authorization. The CANT Z.511 civil aircraft could theoretically carry 16 passengers over 5,000 km (2,700 nmi; 3,100 mi). Later, when adapted as a military transport, four 1,119 kW (1,501 hp) Piaggio P.XII R.C.35 were used, giving only adequate power to an aircraft weighing up to 34 t (75,000 lb), giving it a maximum range of 4,500 km (2,400 nmi; 2,800 mi).

The Z.511 had its first test flights at Monfalcone, Venezia Giulia (north-eastern Italy) between October 1940 and March 1942. Between 28 February and 1 March 1942, test pilot Mario Stoppani succeeded in taking off and landing fully loaded in very rough seas, with 1.5 m (4.9 ft) waves and winds of 55–65 kilometres per hour (30–35 kn; 34–40 mph). The Z.511 prototype was then transported to Grado, Venezia (further away from the insecure Yugoslavian border) for further evaluations; the last test and operational flight occurred on 1 September 1943, two days before the Italian Armistice was signed.

The Caspar U.1 (sometimes known as the Caspar-Heinkel U.1) was a 1920s German patrol seaplane designed by Ernst Heinkel and built by Caspar-Werke. The U.1 was designed to fit into a cylindrical container to allow it to be carried, then launched from a submarine.

The U.1 was designed to meet a requirement to fit inside a cylindrical container 7.40 metres (24.3 ft) long with a diameter of 1.70 m (5 ft 7 in); this allowed the aircraft to be carried by a submarine. To reduce the time to launch the aircraft, it was built as a cantilever biplane to remove the need to rig struts and wires on assembly. The U.1 had two single-step floats and was powered by a front-mounted 55-horsepower (41 kW) Siemens radial piston engine. The pilot had an open cockpit behind the upper wing which gave a clear view forward. It is claimed that during tests, four men could remove the U.1 from the container and erect it in 1 minute 3 seconds. Two aircraft were bought by the United States Navy for evaluation; these were delivered to Naval Air Station Anacostia in late 1922, and were tested during 1923; one of the aircraft was damaged beyond repair whilst mounted on a truck for a parade.

The Chaika L-4 (чайка, English: Seagull) is a twin engine amphibious aircraft, designed and built in Russia in the 2000s. It has sold in small numbers and remains in production.

Several companies and groups have developed a series of designs which began at an offshoot of the Trod Kuznetsov aircraft engine plant in Samara. Beginning with the L-3, they differ in size and engine type but all are twin engine amphibians with a characteristic V tail. The L-4 is a direct development of the L-6M, promoted by AeroVolga. Its design began in August 2004.

All L-4 variants have the same layout and all are largely built of composite materials. They are high-wing monoplanes with twin engines mounted close to the fuselage, on top of the wing. The wings have straight taper on both edges and almost square tips. The L-4 has a pair of flaps on each wing. Its hull has two steps and there are small winglets at waterlevel just aft of the trailing edge. The cabin extends from below the leading edge rearwards to the winglets. Fixed floats under the wings stabilize the L-4 on water; it is operable with waves to 400 mm (15 in) high. The most unusual feature of the L-4 is the empennage arrangement: it has twin fins, mounted on the fuselage and extended forward with long, curved dorsal fillets, separated at the base by the full fuselage width and leaning slightly outwards. The fins carry conventional rudders and the single tailplane is mounted upon the fin tips, extending well beyond them. Tailplane and single piece elevator together are trapezoidal; there is a trim tab at the centre of the elevator. The reason for the design is that the spine serves as a walkway to access the plane from behind, when moored at shore. The L-4 has a conventional undercarriage for land use, all three wheels and the water rudder being retractable.

The first flight of the L-4 was in June 2005. The most recent variant, the more powerful L-44 flew in 2009.

By mid-2008 sales, probably including L-6s from AeroVolga, had reached 14.

Variants

L-4
Original design, no longer produced.
L-42
Improved, with Rotax 912 ULS flat four 73.3 kW (98.6 hp) engines.
L-42M
Further improvements: weight savings, winglets, crew ergonomics. Marketed by Aviatech1.com.
L-44
More powerful Rotax 914 engines, as detailed below. First flown 2009.
L-65

Improved with Rotax 915 iS engines.

Improved with Rotax 915 iS engines.

The Chernov Che-25 is a four-seat, twin engine parasol wing amphibious flying boat built in Russia in the 1990s. The Che-27 is an enlarged, five seat version.

The Che-25 is very similar in general appearance to earlier Boris Chernov designs such as the two seat Korvet and the Chernov Che-23 but is a four-seat aircraft, with both span and length increased. It has an unswept, straight edged constant chord wing made from riveted duralumin, with a single spar. Lateral (roll) control is by full span flaperons and stability on the water is maintained by downturned fiberglass tips which act as simple floats. The parasol wing is braced by a single streamlined strut on each side to mid fuselage, assisted by jury struts, flying wires and a central section cabane. The twin engines are mounted above the wing leading edge. They can be either 47.8 kW (64 hp) Rotax 582 UL-2V air and water cooled, twin cylinder two strokes or 73.5 kW (99 hp) Rotax 912 ULS water cooled four stroke flat fours. The Rotax 582s are mounted uncowled and drive a two bladed propeller but the 912 installation is cowled, with three-bladed propellers.

The Che-25 has a flat sided, two step hull formed from a vacuum moulded fibreglass sandwich. The integral fin forms a cruciform tail with a swept, tapered, straight edged fin initially carried a balanced rudder, though the Che-25M variant with its higher tailplane abandoned the balance. The underwing cabin has dual controls and is entered via gull wing doors. There is a water rudder attached just aft of the rear step. The optional land undercarriage has mainwheels on mid-fuselage mounted legs, which rotate forward through 90° to allow water landings, and a tailwheel fixed to the water rudder.

The Che-25 was built by the student design bureau SKB-1 and first flew in 1995. It appeared in public in September 1996 at the Hydroaviasalon show in Gelendzhik. The Che-25M was displayed at the 1999 MAKS airshow, Moscow. Current production plans are not known.

Variants

Che-25
Original version.
Che-25M    (Specifications with Rotax 912 below) 
Raised tailplane, rudder balance removed.
BD-205
Chinese version of Che-25 marketed by the Harbin Institute of Technology.
Che-27
"Practically indistinguishable" from Che-25M with the same engine choices, weights and dimensions but 1.00 m (39.4 in) longer, a wider wheel track due to splayed undercarriage legs and five seats. First flown June 2003 and exhibited at the Moscow Aerosalon in August 2007.

Che-25

Che-27

The Columbia XJL is a large single-engined amphibious aircraft designed by Grumman Aircraft but built by the Columbia Aircraft Corp. It was intended to replace the Grumman J2F Duck but the type did not reach production status.

The Grumman J2F Duck biplane amphibian had successfully served the United States Navy (USN) in quantity from late 1934 onwards. The final 330 examples were built in 1941/42 under sub-contract by the Columbia Aircraft Corp, retaining the J2F-6 designation.

At the end of World War II, Grumman completed a major re-design of the aircraft for the USN as a Wright R-1820-56 powered monoplane amphibian. The new design was turned over to the Columbia Aircraft Corporation for development and construction so that Grumman could focus on the production of fighter aircraft for the USN.

The aircraft strongly resembles the J2F Duck, except for its monoplane layout, and has been referred to as a "single-winged Duck". It is, however, a completely new design.

The USN ordered three XJL-1 experimental aircraft from Columbia, with the first being used for destructive strength testing on the ground. The remaining two airframes, assigned USN BuAer Nos 31399 and 31400, were delivered to the USNs test establishment at Patuxent River Naval Air Station Maryland for evaluation in 1946.

The two aircraft tested at Patuxent River were found to have repeated structural failures of various components and testing was abandoned on 21 September 1948. The aircraft were deleted from the USN inventory in February 1949. No further orders were placed for production of the JL design. The aircraft were sold as surplus in 1959. 31399 was registered N54207 and is undergoing restoration at Yanks Air Museum, Chino, California. 31400 was registered N54205, and, restored, is now on display at the Pima Air & Space Museum in Tucson, Arizona.

The Consolidated Commodore was an American flying boat built by Consolidated Aircraft and used for passenger travel in the 1930s, mostly in the Caribbean, operated by companies like Pan American Airways.

A pioneer of the long-haul passenger aircraft industry, the Commodore "Clipper" grew out of a Navy design competition in the 1920s to create an aircraft capable of nonstop flights between the mainland of the United States and Panama, Alaska, and the Hawaiian Islands. In response to these requirements, Consolidated produced the prototype XPY-1 Admiral, designed by Isaac M. Laddon, in January 1929. Consolidated lost out on the contract to produce the airplanes for the navy to the Glenn L. Martin Company. Martin produced one prototype XP2M and nine production P3Ms. The aircraft represented a marked change from earlier patrol boat designs such as the Curtiss NC.

In response to losing the Navy contract, Consolidated offered a passenger-carrying version of the XPY-1, which became known as the Commodore. A parasol wing monoplane with all-metal hull, it could accommodate 32 passengers and a crew of three. The full complement of passengers, located in three cabins, could be carried only on relatively short route segments. For a 1000-mile flight, the boat probably could accommodate no more than 14 people including the crew. Wing and tail construction consisted of a metal frame structure covered with fabric, except for metal-covered leading edges. The Commodore had significant changes from the XPY-1. These included more powerful engines, fuselage shape and structural improvements.

With a first flight in 1929, a total of 14 Commodore boats were built. Starting February 18, 1930 Commodores were flown by the New York, Rio, Buenos Aires Line from the United States to South America where routes extended as far south as Buenos Aires, a distance of 9000 miles from Miami. One testimony to the Commodore in Pan Am service was made by a Pan Am pilot, Marius Lodeesen who wrote " . . . the good old Consolidated Commodore was the most reliable, trusty air craft of the Pan American fleet during the early 1930s. . . . She was hoisted aloft by two engines. They must have been Pratt and Whitneys because they never gave any trouble. . . Waterlooping the Commodore was impossible. Making a bad landing in her was hard work. She was the loveliest boat I ever flew." As the 1930s progressed the Commodores were gradually superseded by more efficient aircraft such as the Sikorsky S-42, Martin 130, and Boeing 314. A number of them went on to serve with other operators. The Commodore may be considered a first step in the United States along a road that was to lead to the highly efficient monoplane-type patrol and transport flying boats later in the 1930s. The XPY-1 and its civil counterpart, the Commodore, may be considered progenitors in a series of flying boat developments that led to the famous Consolidated PBY Catalina of World War II fame.

Variants

Model 16
Up to 18 passengers and three crew.
Model 16-1
Up to 22 passengers and three crew.
Model 16-2
Up to 30 passengers and three crew.

The PB2Y Coronado is a large flying boat patrol bomber designed by Consolidated Aircraft, and used by the US Navy during World War II in bombing, antisubmarine, and transport roles. Obsolete by the end of the war, Coronados were quickly taken out of service. Only one known example remains, at the National Naval Aviation Museum at Naval Air Station Pensacola, Florida.

After deliveries of the PBY Catalina, also a Consolidated aircraft, began in 1935, the United States Navy began planning for the next generation of patrol bombers. Orders for two prototypes, the XPB2Y-1 and the Sikorsky XPBS-1, were placed in 1936; the prototype Coronado first flew in December 1937.

After trials with the XPB2Y-1 prototype revealed some stability issues, the design was finalized as the PB2Y-2, with a large cantilever wing, twin tail with very marked dihedral, and four Pratt & Whitney R-1830 radial engines. The two inner engines were fitted with four-bladed reversible pitch propellers; the outer engines had standard three-bladed feathering props. Like the PBY Catalina before it, the PB2Y's wingtip floats retracted to reduce drag and increase range, with the floats' buoyant hulls acting as the wingtips when retracted. The price of the PB2Y-2 was US$300,000, or approximately three times that of the PBY Catalina.

Development continued throughout the war. The PB2Y-3, featuring self-sealing fuel tanks and additional armor, entered service just after the attack on Pearl Harbor and formed most of the early-war Coronado fleet. The prototype XPB2Y-4 was powered by four Wright R-2600 radials and offered improved performance, but the increases were not enough to justify a full fleet update. However, most PB2Y-3 models were converted to the PB2Y-5 standard, with the R-1830 engines replaced with single-stage R-1830-92 models. As most existing PB2Y-3s were used as transports, flying low to avoid combat, removing the excess weight of unneeded superchargers allowed an increased payload without harming low-altitude performance.

Number built    217.

Coronados served in combat in the Pacific with the United States Navy, in both bombing and antisubmarine roles. PB2Y-5 Coronados carried out four bombing raids on Wake Island between 30 January and 9 February 1944. However, most served as transport and hospital aircraft.

The British Royal Air Force Coastal Command had hoped to use the Coronado as a maritime patrol bomber, as it already used the PBY Catalina. However, the range of the Coronado (1,070 miles) compared poorly with the Catalina (2,520 mi), and the Short Sunderland (1,780 mi). Consequently, the Coronados supplied to the RAF under Lend-Lease were outfitted purely as transports, serving with RAF Transport Command.

Variants.

Coronado I
RAF Designation for PB2Y-3
XPB2Y-1
Prototype with four 1,050 hp (780 kW) Pratt & Whitney XR-1830-72 Twin Wasps, engines, one built.
PB2Y-2
Evaluation variant with four 1,020 hp (760 kW) Pratt & Whitney R-1830-78 Twin Wasp engines, modified hull and six 0.5 in (13 mm) guns, six built.
XPB2Y-3
One PB2Y-2 converted as prototype for PB2Y-3.
PB2Y-3
Production variant with four 1,200 hp (890 kW) Pratt & Whitney R-1830-88 Twin Wasp engines and eight 0.5 in (13 mm) guns, 210 built.
PB2Y-3B
Lend-lease designation for Royal Air Force aircraft.
PB2Y-3R
PB2Y-3s converted by Rohr Aircraft Corp as freighters with faired-over turrets, side loading hatch, and seating for 44 passengers, 31 built.
XPB2Y-4
One PB2Y-2 re-engined with four 1,600 hp (1,200 kW) Wright R-2600 Cyclone 14 engines.
XPB2Y-5
The XP2BY-3 converted as PB2Y-5 prototype.
PB2Y-5
PB2Y-3s converted with four 1,200 hp (890 kW) Pratt & Whitney R-1830-92 Twin Wasp engines, increased fuel capacity and provision for RATOG (rocket assisted take-off gear).
PB2Y-5R
PB2Y-5s converted as unarmed transports, some fitted for medical evacuation role.

The Convair R3Y Tradewind was an American 1950s turboprop-powered flying boat designed and built by Convair.

Convair received a request from the United States Navy in 1945 for the design of a large flying boat using new technology developed during World War II, especially the laminar flow wing and still-developing turboprop technology. Their response was the Model 117. It was a large high-wing flying boat with Allison T40 engines driving six-bladed contra-rotating propellers. It had a sleek body with a single-step hull and a slender high-lift wing with fixed floats. The Navy ordered two prototypes on 27 May 1946. Designated XP5Y-1, the first aircraft first flew on 18 April 1950 at San Diego. In August the aircraft set a turboprop endurance record of eight hours six minutes. The Navy decided not to proceed with the patrol boat version, instead directing that the design should be developed into a passenger and cargo aircraft.

One of the XP5Y-1 prototypes was lost in a non-fatal accident on 15 July 1953, while design and development continued on the passenger and cargo version of the aircraft. The transport and cargo version was designated the R3Y-1 Tradewind and first flew on 25 February 1954. Major changes were the removal of all armament and of the tailplane dihederal, the addition of a 10 ft (3.05 m) port-side access hatch, and redesigned engine nacelles to accept improved T40-A-10 engines. Cabin soundproofing and air conditioning were added for pressurized accommodation for 103 passengers or 24 tons of cargo. As a medevac aircraft, 92 stretcher cases could be carried.

A total of eleven aircraft were built. The first two prototypes built were in P5Y configuration, armed with 8,000 lb (3,600 kg) of munitions (bombs, mines, depth charges, torpedoes) and five pairs of 20 mm cannon in fore and aft side emplacements and a tail turret. The next five were built as R3Y-1 aircraft, intended for troop transport and inflight refueling tanker service. The final six were built as the R3Y-2 variant with a lifting nose and high cockpit (similar in concept to the C-5 Galaxy's nose and cockpit) for heavier transport and landing-ship duties.

The front-loading R3Y-2 aircraft with a hinged nose and high cockpit were intended to be a Flying LST (landing craft). In practice, it was discovered that it was almost impossible for the pilots to hold the aircraft steady and nose on to the beach while the aircraft was loaded or unloaded. The aircraft were converted into tankers for the inflight refueling role. They had a short service life due to unsolvable reliability problems of their Allison T40 turboprop engines, a fate common to most T40-powered aircraft, such as the Douglas A2D Skyshark attack aircraft.

Variants

XP5Y-1
Prototype patrol flying boat, two built.
R3Y-1
Transport aircraft for the United States Navy with side loading door, 5 built.
R3Y-2
Assault transport aircraft for the USN with shorter nose incorporating an upward-opening loading door, later converted to four-point tankers for probe-and-drogue operations, six built.

(No to be confused with the Curtiss SOC Seagull of WW2)

The Curtiss Seagull was a civil variant of the Curtiss MF flying boat trainer produced from 1918, the civil aircraft having a 119 kw (160 hp) Curtiss C.6 six-cylinder in-line engine in place of the V-8 unit in the military variants. The MF was one of a long line of flying boats produced for the US services following the entry of the United States into World War I, when flying boats were required for patrolling coastal waters to prevent German submarine operations.

Two examples of the Seagull came to Australia. Seagull G-AUCV (c/ n MF.419/28) was registered in 1921. It left Double Bay, Sydney, NSW on 13 March 1921 and made an epic flight to and from Tasmania, this being described as the First Aerial Reconnaissance in Australia, the pilot being Capt Andrew Lang(said to be shot down by the Red Baron during World War I, the operation being financed and promoted by Lebbeus Hordern. Cameras were carried on board in order that aerial photographs could be taken of the coastline. The auxiliary yacht ‘Acielle’ accompanied the expedition and acted as a tender for the Seagull. The flight was made in short stages, the first night being at the Shoalhaven River, near Nowra, NSW, thence to Jervis Bay, Moruya, down the coast to Eden and Marlo where the Victorian Premier, Mr Lawson, was met. Later he was taken for a flight over the area. Stops were made and local flights were made with passengers. From Welshpool it flew to Lady Barren and then across the Tasman, landing on the Tamar River close to Cataract Gorge. The return flight commenced on 19 June and the aircraft arrived at Double Bay on 4 July 1921. The bottom photo below shows the aircraft on the Tamar River.

For more details of these aircraft click here.

The Dornier Do 24 is a 1930s German three-engine flying boat designed by the Dornier Flugzeugwerke for maritime patrol and search and rescue. A total of 279 were built among several factories from 1937 to 1945.

The Dornier Do 24 was designed to meet a Royal Netherlands Navy requirement for a replacement of the Dornier Wals being used in the Dutch East Indies, with the Netherlands government signing a contract for six Dornier Do 24s on 3 August 1936. Two more prototypes were built for the German navy to be evaluated against the Blohm & Voss BV 138.

The Do 24 was an all-metal parasol monoplane with a broad-beamed hull and stabilising sponsons. Twin tails were mounted on the upswept rear of the hull, while three wing-mounted tractor configuration engines powered the aircraft. Fuel was carried in tanks in the sponsons and the wing centre section. Up to 1,200 kg (2,600 lb) of bombs could be carried under the aircraft's wings, while defensive armament consisted of three gun turrets, one each in nose, dorsal and tail positions. In early aircraft the turrets were each fitted with a machine gun but later aircraft carried a 20 mm cannon in the dorsal turret.

Do 24 V3, the first of the Dutch X boats, as they would be called in Dutch service, took off from Lake Constance on 3 July 1937, with the second Dutch boat, Do 24 V4 following soon after. As the Dutch required that their flying boats use the same engines as the Martin 139 bombers in use in the Dutch East Indies, they were fitted with 661 kW (887 hp) Wright R-1820-F52 Cyclone radial engines. Test results were good, with the new flying boat proving capable of operating from extremely rough open seas and the Dutch placed an order for a further 12 Do 24s on 22 July 1937. Do 24 V1, the first of the two aircraft for Germany, powered by three 450 kW (600 hp) Junkers Jumo 205C diesel engines, flew on 10 January 1938 but after evaluation, the two German boats were returned to Dornier for storage.

The Netherlands was enthusiastic and planned to purchase as many as 90. Of these, 30 were to be built by Dornier (with all but the first two prototypes assembled by Dornier's Swiss subsidiary based at Altenrhein). The remaining aircraft were to be built under licence in the Netherlands by Aviolanda at Papendrecht. Of these aircraft, all but one of the German and Swiss built aircraft and the first seven Aviolanda-built aircraft were to be Do 24K-1s, powered by the original R-1820-F52 engines, while the remaining aircraft were to be Do 24K-2s, with more powerful 820 kW (1,100 hp) R-1820-G102 engines and additional fuel.

With the German occupation, production was paused, however while the Luftwaffe Küstenfliegergruppen Maritime reconnaissance branch was uninterested in the partially completed aircraft as they had already chosen the Blohm und Voss Bv 138 for the role, the Dutch production line resumed, to provide aircraft for the otherwise poorly equipped Seenotdienst (Sea Emergency Service), which was still operating Heinkel He 59 biplanes. The 13 airframes on the Aviolanda assembly line were completed with Dutch-bought Wright Cyclone engines but later models used the BMW Bramo 323R-2. An additional 159 Do 24s were built in the Netherlands during the occupation, most under the designation Do 24T-1.

Another production line for the Do 24 was established in the CAMS factory at Sartrouville, France, during the German occupation. This line was operated by SNCAN and produced 48 Do 24s during the war and another 40 after the liberation of France, which served with the French Navy until 1952.

The RAAF operated 6 Do-24, A49-1 to A49-6.

For operational history and variants, click here. Note: The colour photos are the 24 ATT variant with turboprop powerplants.

Surviving aircraft Australia

Unknown – Do 24 K-1 forward fuselage on static display at the Lake Boga Flying Boat Museum in Lake Boga, Victoria. It was previously used as a private boat in Echuca, Victoria.

The Dornier Do R Superwal (Engllish: Super Whale) was a German flying boat airliner of the 1920s.

The Do R was a larger development of the Do J, with a larger high-mounted strut-braced monoplane wing and longer fuselage. All but the first three built also had four engines, in place of the Do J's two. The Do R could carry 19 passengers in two cabins; 11 in the forward cabin and eight in the rear.

Dornier R 2 Superwal

The first R 2 Superwal, (D-1115), made its maiden flight on 30 September 1926. Two 650 hp Rolls-Royce Condor III engines were mounted in tandem in a nacelle above the wing and in line with the hull; one engine drove a tractor propeller and the other drove a pusher propeller. D-1115 was the largest flying boat that could be built in the postwar Dornier factory in Manzell. The Superwal went into service with Severa and later DVS in List, both organisations of the German government, tasked to develop military seaplanes, ignoring restrictions of the Versailles treaty. Two more R 2 Superwals were built in 1927 for Severa (D-1255 and D-1385). D-1255 was periodically operated by Deutsche Luft Hansa and was named Narwal. D-1385 was equipped with 800 hp Packard engines, and remained in service until November 1936.

Dornier R 4 Superwal

Between 20 January and 5 February 1927 Dornier Chief Pilot Richard Wagner established twelve world records for seaplanes with a new R4 Gas Superwal. This aircraft and eleven more with Gnome et Rhône Bristol-Jupiter engines (R4 Gas) or 525 hp Siemens-Bristol-Jupiter engines (R4 Sas) were delivered to the Italian airline Società Anonima Navigazione Aerea (SANA) and Luft Hansa during 1928 and ‘29. Apart from their use by Luft Hansa, six Superwals saw regular service with SANA into the early 1930s on a route along the Italian west coast and on to Spain. Three aircraft were lost during their service. The Superwal I-RUDO (equipped with Isotta Fraschini Asso 500 engines) went into service with the Italian Air Ministry in 1934 and became the last Superwal in Italian service. At least one aircraft was assembled in Spain by CASA.

Variants

R2 - early version with two Rolls-Royce Condor III inline engines (three built)
R4 - definitive version with four engines in two tractor-pusher pairs

• R4 Gas - with Gnome et Rhône-built Bristol Jupiter radial engines (two built)
• R4 Nas - with Napier Lion inlines (two built)
• R4 Sas - with Siemens-built Bristol Jupiter radials (ten built)
• R4 Cas - with Pratt & Whitney Hornet radials (two built)

It was the largest, heaviest, and most powerful flying boat in the world when it was produced.  First conceived by Claude Dornier in 1924, planning started in late 1925 and after over 240,000 work-hours it was completed in June 1929.

During the years between the two World Wars, only the Soviet Tupolev ANT-20 Maksim Gorki landplane of a few years later was physically larger, but at 53 metric tonnes maximum takeoff weight it was not as heavy as the Do X's 56 tonnes.

The Do X was financed by the German Transport Ministry and in order to circumvent conditions of the Treaty of Versailles, which forbade any aircraft exceeding set speed and range limits to be built by Germany after World War I, a specially designed plant was built at Altenrhein, on the Swiss portion of Lake Constance.

The type was popular with the public, but a lack of commercial interest and a number of non-fatal accidents prevented more than three examples from being built.

The Do X was a semi-cantilever monoplane. The Do X had an all-duralumin hull, with wings composed of a steel-reinforced duralumin framework covered in heavy linen fabric, covered with aluminium paint.

It was initially powered by twelve 391 kW (524 hp) Siemens-built Bristol Jupiter radial engines in tandem mountings (i.e. a "push-pull" configuration), with six tractor propellers and six pushers mounted in six strut-mounted nacelles above the wing. The nacelles were joined by an auxiliary wing whose purpose was to stabilise the mountings. The air-cooled Jupiter engines were prone to overheating and could barely lift the Do X to an altitude of 425 m (1,400 ft). The engines were supervised by a flight engineer, who also controlled the 12 throttles and monitored the 12 sets of engine gauges. The pilot would ask the engineer to adjust the power setting, in a manner similar to the system used on maritime vessels, i.e. an engine order telegraph. Indeed, many aspects of the aircraft echoed nautical arrangements of the time, including the flight deck, which bore a strong resemblance to the bridge of a vessel.

After completing 103 flights in 1930, the Do X was refitted with 455 kW (610 hp) Curtiss V-1570 "Conqueror" water-cooled V-12 engines. Only then was it able to reach the altitude of 500 m (1,650 ft) necessary to cross the Atlantic.

Dornier designed the flying boat to carry 66 passengers on long-distance flights or 100 passengers on short flights.

For more details of the design, operation and final fate of the Do X, click here.

The Dornier S-Ray 007 is a two-seat amphibious aircraft concept designed by Dornier Technologie.

The concept is similar to that of the Dornier Libelle from the 1920s, and thus originally, the aircraft also carried the name Dornier Libelle. However, it was later changed to Dornier Stingray. Before the first aircraft could be built, the name was changed a third time to the Dornier S-Ray 007. The leader of the project is Iren Dornier , grandson of Claude Dornier and owner of Dornier Technologie.

The flying boat is a high-wing aircraft, featuring a one-piece wing which is connected with the centrally-mounted Rotax 912S engine and propeller, on a stable aerodynamically-shaped central support pylon, to the fuselage. The S-Ray 007 is built from reinforced plastics with carbon fibre reinforcements, which makes the flying boat very resistant to salt water. The aircraft is equipped with retractable landing gear, and two 50 litre fuel tanks.

The maiden flight of the Dornier S-Ray 007 was held on 14 July 2007 at Friedrichshafen airport, and the aircraft was piloted by Gerhard Thalhammer.

Developed by Claudius Dornier Jr [de] of Germany, it first flew in 1984. The design is owned by Claudius Jr's son, Conrado, who founded Dornier Seawings AG (now Dornier Seawings) to continue work on the project after two previous firms, Claudius Dornier Aircraft and Dornier Composite Aircraft, both went into bankruptcy. Development of the aircraft was put on hold without any production Seastars being completed in 1991.

Multiple attempts to put the Seastar into production, often as a joint venture with other aerospace companies, were made throughout the 1990s and early 2000s. However securing the necessary financing to proceed to the manufacturing phase proved challenging. After several false starts, in October 2009, Dornier Seawings announced that it was formally launching manufacturing of the type, although no aircraft were actually built. In November 2018 the company received US$170M in funding from its Chinese backers to construct a manufacturing facility and one prototype for flight, with production to follow in 2021.

The first prototype, a proof-of-concept aircraft, using the metal wings from a Dornier Do 28 and with large struts bracing the wing to the sponsons, conducted its maiden flight from Hamburg on 17 August 1984. A second prototype, which was more representative of the definitive design, featured several alterations; these included the adoption of a new composite wing, which connected with a set of cabane struts to the fuselage only, and was a larger aircraft overall. On 24 April 1987, the second prototype made its first flight from Oberpfaffenhofen. Development work on the project came to a close in 1991. A total of three aircraft had been produced at this point. In 1990, a European certificate of airworthiness was received for the type; in 1991, American airworthiness was also granted to the Seastar.

The Dornier Seastar is a parasol wing flying boat, powered by a pair of Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-112 engines, mounted in a single nacelle over the wings in a push-pull configuration. Locating both of the engines in the center of the wing enables the weight of the engines to be more effective in reducing any induced rolling motions; it also protects the engines from water spray, reducing corrosion, and eliminates asymmetric thrust when operating.

For more details on the development and dseign of the Seastar, click here.

The Dolphin was built by Douglas Aircraft in 1930 as the "Sinbad," a pure flying boat without wheels. The Sinbad was intended as a luxurious flying yacht for America’s many millionaires but the Great Depression prevented any sales. Undaunted by the lack of demand, Douglas improved the Sinbad in 1931 so that it was amphibious, and could land on water or land. The improved aircraft was named "Dolphin", however this did not represent the end of development, as many more improvements were made, including an increase in the length of over a foot and several changes were made to the empennage, engine nacelles and wings.  Douglas managed to attract the interest of the United States Coast Guard who not only bought the Sinbad, but 12 Dolphins and the success of the Dolphin helped the Douglas Aircraft Co. survive the Great Depression.

The RAAF operated a total of four Dolphins: NC42186 (A35-1) operated in New Guinea on oil survey work with civilian operators until it was donated to the RAAF in June 1940; NC12212(A35-2) was operated by the  Wilmington-Catalina Airline Ltd in the USA until purchased by the Australian Government; NC982Y (A35-3) was operated by the Crosley Radio Company in the USA until purchased by the Australian Government; and, NC14204 (A35-4) was operated by the  Wilmington-Catalina Airline Ltd in the USA until purchased by the Australian Government.

The Dolphin was only used as a stop–gap seaplane trainer and squadron hack at RAAF Base Rathmines until sufficient numbers of Catalinas were available. In service they proved difficult to maintain because of spares unavailability. Aircrew found them easy to fly and, given their ancestry, quite comfortable and spacious when compared to other seaplanes of the era.

For details of the design, development and operational history of the Dolphin, including the many variants, click here, and for more on the history of the RAAF Dolphins,  cick here.

RAAF Dolphins

The Edo OSE was a 1940s American single-seat multi-role floatplane designed and manufactured by the Edo Aircraft Corporation.

The Edo Aircraft Corporation was an established company that produced seaplane floats. In 1946, Edo designed its first aircraft, the Edo OSE. Two prototype aircraft (designated XOSE-1) were built and flown in 1946. The XOSE-1 was a single-seat low-wing cantilever monoplane with a single float and fixed wingtip stabilizing floats. The wings could be folded for shipboard storage. The aircraft was designed for a variety of roles including observation and anti-submarine patrols. Unusually, it was designed to carry a rescue cell on the underwing hardpoints, which would be capable of carrying a single person when used for air-sea rescue. Eight production aircraft (designated XOSE-1) were built to a United States Navy order but none were accepted into service. A two-seat training conversion was carried out as the XTE-1, but production TE-2 aircraft were cancelled.

Variants

XS2E-1
Original designation for OSE and TE single seat floatplane scouts.
XOSE-1
Prototypes and production single-seat aircraft redesignated from XS2E-1; eight built.
XOSE-2
Prototype two-seat floatplane scout aircraft, two converted from XOSE-1.
OSE-2
Production two-seat floatplane scout aircraft, four aircraft were assigned Bureau of Aeronautics numbers (BuNos.), but production was cancelled.
XSO2E-1
Original designation for XTE-1 conversions.
XTE-1
Two-seat floatplane trainer conversions, two aircraft converted from the XOSE-1 prototypes.
TE-2
Developed from the TE-1, four aircraft were assigned BuNos., but production was cancelled.

The EDRA Aeronautica Super Pétrel is an amphibious pusher configuration biplane, seating two side-by-side, brought into production in Brazil in 2002 though with French parentage. It remained in production in 2011, in kit and flyaway forms.

The design of the Super Petrel has its origins in the Tisserand Hydroplum, a single-seat, wooden amphibian intended for kit building first flown in 1983 and its two-seat, Rotax 532-powered development, the Hydroplum II, in 1986. The Société Morbihannaise d'Aéro Navigation (SMAN) acquired production rights to the latter in 1987, marketing it as the Pétrel, and passed them on to Billie Marine when SMAN ceased trading. In 2002 the Super Petrel 100 was developed by Edra Aeronautica.

By 2014 the design was being produced by Scoda Aeronáutica of Ipeúna, São Paulo, Brazil.

The Super Petrel is of mixed construction, though with much use of composite materials. The wings have tubular aluminium alloy spars combined with PVC foam ribs. The leading edges and wingtips are formed from glass fibre composite, with fabric covering elsewhere. The wings have constant chord and zero sweep, with angled winglet tips; the upper wing has the greater span, less dihedral (2° 13′ compared with 3° 26′). There is slight stagger. The Super Petrel is a single bay biplane with N-form aluminium interplane struts with an additional diagonal strut in each bay from the lower fuselage to the top of the interplane struts. The centre section is supported by a pylon or cabane which also contains the engine mounting. Ailerons are carried only by the upper wings; there are no flaps. The wings can be disassembled in about 30 minutes for transportation by trailer.

The single-step hull is an epoxy/carbon fibre foam monocoque, with a carbon fibre boom supporting the all-composite, cruciform and wire braced tail unit. The rear control surfaces are balanced. The cockpit is forward of the central pylon and seats two side-by-side with dual controls. It may be flown open, with just a windscreen, or enclosed by the single piece, forward-hinged canopy. There is a baggage compartment behind the seating. The Super Petrel has a short legged tricycle undercarriage for land operation; the main units, which have hydraulic brakes, retract upwards through 90° into the sides of the hull with the wheels exposed but recessed into the underside of the lower wing. The steerable nosewheel retracts forward, leaving the tyre partly exposed as a docking fender. A pair of small, stepped floats on the lower wings below the interplane struts stabilise the aircraft on water.

The Super Petrel is powered by a 73.5 kW (98.6 hp) Rotax 912ULS flat-four engine mounted in pusher configuration on the central pylon just below the upper wing. It drives a three-blade Airplast propeller, either a fixed pitch model 175 or an electrically controlled, variable pitch model PV 50.

Seven Super Petrel appeared on the civil aircraft registers of European countries, excluding Russia in mid-2010. There have also been sales in North America, Africa, Australia and New Zealand as well as in Brazil where there were 50 registered by December 2009.

Variants

Super Petrel 100
Designed in 2002. Lowered engine line, revised undercarriage and controls. Structural alterations with more carbon fibre; wingtips with washout and winglets which increased the span of both wings; floats moved from tips to wing underside.
Super Petrel LS
Designed in 2009. 280 mm (11 in) longer and with a 25 km/h (16 mph) increase in cruising speed; greater fuel capacity; redesigned cabin and tail group.
AAC SeaStar SP
North American version marketed by Amphibian Airplanes of Canada (AAC).

The Fairchild 91 (a.k.a. A-942) was a single-engine eight-passenger flying boat airliner developed in the United States in the mid-1930s.

Fairchild designed the aircraft in response to a Pan American Airways request for a small flying boat to operate on their river routes along the Amazon and Yangtze. The result was a conventional high-wing cantilever monoplane with its radial engine mounted above the wing in a streamlined nacelle. Before construction of the prototype was complete, however, Pan American no longer required the aircraft to operate in China, and Fairchild optimised the design for the Brazilian tropics.

After the first two aircraft were delivered, Pan American cancelled the remaining four aircraft of its order, as they no longer needed any for China, and the two aircraft were capable of handling the Amazon River.

The sole A-942-B was specially built for the American Museum of Natural History and was used by naturalist Richard Archbold on his second expedition to Papua New Guinea in 1936–1937.

The prototype was sold to the Spanish Republican Air Force, but the ship carrying it was captured by the Spanish Nationalists and was used by them until 1941.

The A-942 bought by industrialist Garfield Wood was sold to the British American Ambulance Corps before being transferred to the RAF, who operated it in Egypt for air-sea rescue.

One example was sold to the Imperial Japanese Naval Air Service for evaluation, but it was wrecked shortly after delivery, so a second example was purchased to replace it.

Variants

Fairchild 91 Baby Clipper
Initial version built to Pan Am specifications for use on rivers, powered by a 750 hp (560 kW) Pratt & Whitney S2EG Hornet. Six built.
Fairchild A-942-A
Alternative designation for the Fairchild 91
Fairchild 91B Jungle Clipper
Specially equipped for NYC Museum of Natural History, powered by a 760 hp (570 kW) Wright SGR-1820F-52 Cyclone. One built, NR777.
Fairchild A-942-B
Alternative designation for the Fairchild 91B.
Fairchild XSOK-1
Proposed U.S. Navy scout; none built.[3]
Fairchild LXF
Two A-942Bs supplied to the Imperial Japanese Navy Air Service for evaluation.

The Fairchild F-11 Husky was a Canadian bush plane designed and manufactured in the post-Second World War era. Despite a promising design, a lack of a suitable powerplant hurt performance, and stiff competition from the de Havilland Beaver and de Havilland Otter designs meant the type never gained a solid foothold in the marketplace.

With the end of its wartime contracts in 1945, Fairchild ventured back into familiar territory with the design and manufactures of a modern bush plane, the F-11 Husky. Fairchild Aircraft Ltd. (Canada) (Montreal) under the new Fairchild Industries Ltd. banner (the subsidiary company was created in spring 1945), designed and built the F-11 Husky in 1946. It was intended to replace the pre-war bush planes such as the Noorduyn Norseman as well as various Junkers and the Fokkers. It incorporated many of the features suggested by bush operators, such as a rear loading door, which enabled it to handle long loads. However, because of its large cabin area and low-powered engine, it was very easy to overload.

The Husky emerged as an interesting concept but a number of factors combined to doom the project. The Fairchild Husky was a rugged, mainly metal (wing surfaces were fabric covered aft of the front spar) transport able to haul up to eight passengers and cargo. Innovative features included a high aspect ratio wing and slotted flaps for STOL performance and a unique upswept rear fuselage with a door/ramp allowing large loads to be fitted into the fuselage. Although the Fairchild Husky had many desirable features, it never became popular because of its original 450 hp Pratt & Whitney Wasp Jr. engine was not powerful enough. Plans were made to refit the Husky with the 550 hp Alvis Leonides engine and later, a 625 hp Leonides.

The more powerful engines greatly improved performance, but by this time the Fairchild Company was in financial difficulties. The company also found the number of surplus Noorduyn Norseman bush planes available at reasonable prices as well as the onset of the Beaver made it particularly difficult to market a new bush plane. With only 12 Huskies completed, Fairchild Industries went bankrupt, forcing the eventual demise of the parent company in 1948 and the surrender of its charter in 1950.

Variants

F-11-1 Husky
Single-engined STOL utility transport aircraft, powered by a 450 hp (336-kW) Pratt & Whitney Wasp Junior radial piston engine, original Fairchild version.
F-11-2 Husky
Six F-11 Husky aircraft were fitted with the 550 hp (410 kW) Alvis Leonides radial piston engine.
F-11-3 Husky
Fitted with 625 hp Alvis Leonides 531/8 (not built).
F-11-4 Husky
Fitted with 600 hp Pratt & Whitney R-1340 S!H1-G (not built).
F-11-5 Husky
Fitted with 725 hp Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-27 (not built).

The Fleetwings Sea Bird (or Seabird) was an American-built amphibious aircraft of the 1930s.

The Sea Bird was an amphibious utility aircraft designed under contract in 1934–1935 by James C. Reddig for Fleetwings, Inc., of Bristol, Pennsylvania. While the aircraft's basic configuration had a precedent in the design of the Loening "Monoduck" developed by the Grover Loening Aircraft Company as a personal aircraft for Mr. Loening (for whom Reddig worked from 1925 to 1933), the Sea Bird was unusual because of its construction from spot-welded stainless steel. It was a high-wing, wire-braced monoplane with its engine housed in a nacelle mounted above the wings on struts. The pilot and passengers sat in a fully enclosed cabin. Fleetwings initially planned to manufacture 50 production units, but at a price approaching $25,000 during the Depression, there proved to be no sustainable market.

The Sea Bird found use with private pilot owners and saw service with the oil support industry in Louisiana, including operation by J. Ray McDermott & Co.

Variants 

F-4 Sea Bird - 4-seat prototype (1 built)
F-5 Sea Bird - 5-seat production aircraft (5 built)

The Fokker F-11 was a luxury flying boat produced as an 'air yacht' in the United States in the late 1920s. Technically the aircraft was the Fokker Aircraft Corporation of America's Model 9. It was sold in North America as the Fokker F-11 and was offered in Europe as the Fokker B.IV. By the time the first six aircraft had been constructed, it was already evident that the design was not going to sell well. A few were sold, two to notable multi-millionaires; Harold Vanderbilt and Garfield Wood each purchasing one. One was bought by Air Ferries in San Francisco. The F-11A cost $40,000 but the price was slashed to $32,500 as the depression set in during 1930. The F-11 was a commercial failure.

In 1922 Fokker designed the B. I flying boat, one of which was delivered to the Dutch Navy. The design was updated in 1926 as the Fokker B.III, which the Dutch Navy refused to purchase. The B.III was rebuilt as a civilian passenger plane, the B.IIIc. When that airplane failed to sell Anthony Fokker had it sent to his American subsidiary, Fokker Aircraft Corporation of America. The intent was to use the B.IIIc as a pattern for an amphibious biplane to be manufactured in the USA. The B.IIIc eventually did sell. When Harold Vanderbilt's custom-built Kirkham Air Yacht was destroyed in a hangar fire he quickly needed a new air yacht, so he purchased the B.IIIc which was replaced by the prototype F-11 when it became available.

Fokker Aircraft Corporation of America decided to redesign the aircraft extensively and convert it to a monoplane configuration by mating a redesigned fuselage to the wings of the Fokker Universal. That decision required Fokker Aircraft Corporation of America Chief Engineer Albert Gassner to create a new aircraft. Both the fuselage and the wing were so extensively redesigned that they no longer bore much resemblance to their B.III and Fokker Universal origins. The production F-11A had a high mounted Fokker F.14 wing. The pusher engine nacelle with a 525 horsepower Pratt & Whitney Wasp was strut mounted atop the wing. The prototype F-11, which first flew in 1928, was an amphibian with a retractable combination sponson/landing gear. It was the only F-11 Amphibian so equipped. The prototype was converted into a flying boat with wing-mounted floats like the F-11As. The production machine was the F-11A which had the F-14s wooden wing and a 525  hp Wright R-1750D Cyclone engine. Because Fokker Aircraft Corporation of America lacked the facilities to produce the duralumin fuselages, Fokker America arranged to have the hulls constructed in the Netherlands. Initially, 20 were ordered but only 6 were completed and delivered to North America.

The Fokker F-11A was a single-engined monoplane flying boat with a duralumin hull and wooden wing.

For operational history and variants, click here.