|
2 The smaller of the ‘ Otters ’, the DHC-3 , is the most common plane in the fleet of Harbour Air , with 22 total units .
3 The flexibility and high performance of the DHC-6 Twin Otter have made it popular among regional airlines like Winnair , Transmaldivian and Harbour Air .
|
NOWADAYS , FLYING almost always involves departing from and arriving on concrete runways . But , in the first decades of aviation , seaplanes were the most exciting and profitable method of transportation in the world .
The first seaplanes ever built started to appear even before the turn of the 20th Century , when Austrian aviator Wilhelm Kress
|
developed the pioneering , albeit unsuccessful , Drachenflieger between 1898 and 1901 . But it was not until 1910 , with the arrival of the short-lived Fabre Hydravion , in France , that powered flying over the water became a reality .
After that , seaplanes were seen as the true successors of the ocean liners , especially on routes between Western Europe and the United States , then
|
one of the biggest commercial markets in the world . This was the case until the arrival of the jet age in the 1950s .
And so , giant flying machines were developed , like the Italian Caproni Ca . 60 , sadly destroyed on its second test flight , and the Dornier Do X , the largest , heaviest , and most powerful ‘ flying boat ’ of its time . For transatlantic crossings , Boeing produced one of its most legendary aircraft : the 314 Clipper .
|
|||
The legacy left by the Clipper on the transatlantic market was so influential that its primary operator , PanAm , appropriated the name for its aircraft until it ceased operations in December 1991 . |
||||||
But , today , seaplanes have been relegated to the far background and few companies employ this beautiful form of travel that is love at first flight for all those who try it . |
||||||
2 |
In this article , we will enter the exciting world of seaplanes , looking at their evolution through time and exploring the day-to-day operations of North America ’ s largest seaplane operator : Canada ’ s Harbour Air ( YB ). |
|||||
WHAT ’ S GOOD ABOUT SEA FLYING |
||||||
In the early 20th Century , sea flying was a very powerful form of aviation for a very good reason : given the technology available at the time , it offered the most comfortable and flexible potential for industrial development . |
||||||
3 |
Until the 1940s , aviation as a whole was still in its experimental phase . Tests , concepts , and |