Flying boat | aircraft | Britannica (original) (raw)

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airport development

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  In airport: Evolution of airports
  …the large seaplanes known as flying boats or clippers. These aircraft, though slow and of limited range, offered a level of comfort that was necessary for long-distance travel. Air terminal facilities were necessarily constructed close to large open stretches of water. La Guardia Airport and Santos Dumont Airport in Rio…
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history of flight

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  In history of flight: From airmail to airlines in the United States
  That left flying boats. Pan American World Airways, Inc. (Pan Am), purchased a number of designs from the Russian-born American engineer Igor Sikorsky. Pan Am operated them on overwater routes in the Caribbean region, often saving weeks of travel time when compared with steamship and railway connections.…
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landing gear

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  In airplane: Takeoff and landing gear
  …pontoons for operation on water; flying boats, in which the fuselage also serves as a hull for water travel; and amphibians, which are equipped to land on and take off from both land and water.
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military aircraft

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  In military aircraft: Naval aviation
  …coastal-based airplanes were large twin-engined flying boats designed by Glenn Curtiss and others. Despite their bulk, these aircraft were sufficiently fast and maneuverable to engage enemy zeppelins and aircraft in combat. Curtiss’s flying boats were the only aircraft of U.S. design to see frontline combat service in World War I.
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seaplane

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  In seaplane
  …hulls are also known as flying boats, those with separate pontoons or floats as floatplanes. The first practical seaplanes were built and flown in the United States by Glenn H. Curtiss, in 1911 and 1912. Curtiss’ inventions led to the British F-boats of World War I, which originated such naval…
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