Did You Know?
On 26 January 1911, Glenn Curtiss made the worlds first practical seaplane flight at San Diego Bay, California, by converting a Curtiss Model D Landplane.
Lake Windermere - 25 November 1911,the Waterbird became the first aircraft to successfully take off and alight on water outside of France and the USA. It was the first successful flight to use a “stepped float”
In 1943 Pembroke Dock in South Wales UK, was the largest operational seaplane base in the world and home to almost 100 aircraft.
The Catalina holds the record for the longest commercial scheduled flight. Operated by Qantas Airways back in 1943 a flight from Perth Australia to Cylon took 34 hours and 9 minutes. A non-stop flight it was dubbed the "Double Sunrise Route".
For three years during WW2 there were flying boats stretching from the Menai Bridge in North Wales down to Fryars Bay. In all, 399 Catalinas came through the Beaumaris site.
The Spitfire was a product of the Supermarine Company, a British firm that started out building flying boats.
5 Spitfire Aircraft were converted into Seaplanes. They all flew but none of them entered into service.