A Little Information On Float Planes
A seaplane is defined as "an airplane designed to take off from and land on water." Seaplanes can be generally classified as either flying boats or float planes. Those that can be operated on both land and water are called amphibians. The float plane is ordinarily understood to be a conventional land plane equipped with separate floats instead of wheels, as opposed to a flying boat in which the hull serves the dual purpose of providing buoyancy in the water and space for the pilot, crew, and passengers. The float type is the more common seaplane, particularly those with relatively low horsepower.
It maybe equipped with either a single float like our Jenny model, or twin floats; however, most seaplanes are the twin-float variety. Though there is considerable difference between handling a float plane and handling a flying boat, the theory on which the techniques are based is similar.
The differences between a land plane and a float plane are, as you would expect, most evident when taking off and landing. Remember, no wheels, no brakes. So, when the engine is started, the airplane is going to start moving and if you aren't ready, or don't have enough room, you've got trouble. You could ask the question, "when is an airplane like a boat?" Answer: when it has floats.
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