Seaplane

A seaplane is a civilian or military engine aircraft that can take off and land on water surfaces. Seaplanes are designed in most cases a high wing. Is it possible to operate by an additional wheel chassis also at airfields ashore, one speaks of an amphibian. Despite the independence of airfields the general flight rules apply and there is radio communications in the VHF range usual.

Float plane

Instead of a wheeled plant has a float plane over - usually two - boat-shaped, slender float ( engl: floats ) that are completely enclosed and are usually connected by tight struts to the fuselage. At standstill, they act by their displacement than buoyancy, so that the aircraft floats. The floats are on the other hand designed so that they soon come when accelerating during take-off in the low-resistance sliding and the aircraft quickly reaches its takeoff speed, then finally lifting means of the aerodynamic lift of the wings of the water surface. For this purpose, among others, the so-called stage is used (English: float step) on the bottom about just before the half float length, the easier the transition to gliding through a targeted replacement of the water flow from the rear underwater part of the float. Often the floats are equipped at the rear with fold-up small water rowing to (eg when creating or driving to the start) control when maneuvering on the water more safely. Some types, particularly lighter aircraft, are a relatively low cost of float on wheeled chassis and vice versa convertible.

Rarer types

Apart from the floatplane, there are also flying boats, the underside of which is shaped like a boat hull. So they do not tilt during movement on the water, capsizing or touch with the wings the water, they have lateral support float. Similarly - built relatively higher - are seaplanes with a centrally mounted under the fuselage central float. They have high stability when waters on a stormy sea. However, this type was rare because the application on the web is more difficult than with two floats on the classic float plane with three floats. Initially, there were also 3- float types with a spur at the rear float or a Bugschwimmer, but had drawbacks due to a higher air resistance. Even individual types with hydraulic wings (eg Piaggio P.7 ) or Skikufen (eg Convair Sea Dart ) were built, but could not prevail.

History and use

The first short, ending in a Bruchwasserung " Seaplane " was that of Wilhelm Kress from October 3, 1901 at Wienerwaldsee. On March 28, 1910 the Frenchman Henri Fabre succeeded on the Etang de Berre, the first successful flight with his seaplane Hydravion. Almost simultaneously undertook August von Parseval flight trials on Lake Plau, which revealed that the flying machine was not water bootable. The first successful flight and splashdown of the machine succeeded on October 7, 1910, but with the start of the country. As the first American Glenn Curtiss succeeded on January 26, 1911 the launch of a seaplane on the water.

The first seaplane flew in regular service in the KuK Marine ( Austrian monarchy ) from Pula location in the spring of 1915 with an aircraft of the Lohner -Werke "Type E".

Germany's first water flight line was opened on 10 August 1925. They went along the Elbe and joined the then independent town of Altona with Dresden; the water airports were in Altona- Neumühlen or Dresden Johann city. In use were two machines of the type Junkers F 13, which plied daily in both directions and up to 4 passengers and consignments of German postal transported; the scheduled flight time was about 4 hours, including a stopover in Magdeburg. After it became clear already in the winter of 1925 /26, that the route ( also because of ice conditions on the Elbe ) could not be operated profitably, the newly founded German Lufthansa AG took over in January 1926, the line and put them in the summer of the same year in favor of a regular country flight line Dresden -Hamburg silent. The two seaplanes were adapted to suspension kits.

In Cologne, the regular schedule Cologne -Duisburg- Rotterdam began in 1926 on with Junkers F13 from investors " Cunibert ramp". From 1927, he was acquired by Deutsche Luft Hansa, 1928 set, however. 1935 continued the Lufthansa Junkers W33 from that investor to the line between Cologne and Frankfurt a. For 1927 and 1928 landings of catapult aircraft Heinkel He 12 also documented as part of the postal service of overseas steamers in Cologne Niehler harbor. The last seaplane to have been also stationed there by the Royal Navy after the Second World War.

Legendary competitions of the Schneider Trophy, an air race for seaplanes that took place in the years 1913 to 1931 were.

While crossing the Atlantic, the seaplanes still retained longer their meaning. Numerous airlines joined with them in the 1930s, America and Europe. To overcome the long distance to the safe harbor of Horta in the Azores suitable as a stopover for refueling. The story began as a seaplane base for Horta with the reconnaissance flight of the American Albert C. Read, who landed there in 1919. 1937 crashed a French seaplane ( Hydravion ), the Atlantique I, off the port of Antibes from, with five crew members drowned.

The first water jet-propelled aircraft was the Saunders -Roe SR.A/1-Jäger. It was developed in the UK in 1947 and had a maximum speed of 824 km / h Because of its design with the buoyant hull, it is one of the flying boats.

Seaplanes today

Seaplanes are now often between islands or in difficult countries ( "bush flying " as in remote areas of Alaska or Canada usual) and also used for search and rescue flights. The only water airports with access to an international airport are the Malé Water Aerodrome (Maldives ) and the Vancouver International Water Aerodrome ( Canada). There also operate the largest water airlines Maldivian Air Taxi and Harbour Air In Germany the operation of pure water through the aircraft airfield duty is limited. There are few grounds for seaplanes and flying boats. In Scotland, all waters are open, in the province of Salzburg none. At about 3000 m × 300 m small Upper Austrian northeastern part of Lake Wolfgang is held annually the flying boat and seaplane meeting scalaria Air Challenge grants instead.