Favorite Sea Plane

QUOTE: Originally posted by scooter_roo BTW - Jimmy Buffet wiped out his Albatross several years back. Dipped a pontoon into a swell on take-off I believe. He was flying solo at the time and got out with minor injuries. There is a bit on this misadventure in his book 'A Pirate Looks at Fifty'. I know he had the a/c recovered, but does anyone know if he got it back in the air?

As a rabid Parrothead, I gotta say close, but no cigar. It wasn't the Albatross "Hemisphere Dancer" that he flipped, but a Grumman Widgeon.

The Albatross has been used as a flying billboard for the last few years. Recently, he made it part of the Margaritaville Cafe at Universal Studios CityWalk in Orlando. When they put it in, Jimmy said that she could fly away right now "if you put a little gas in her."

Got to be the SARO Princess

http://www.seawings.co.uk/photogallery.htm

My pick would have to be the kawanishi h6k. i like it

Mine would have to be a toss up between the Kawanishi H8K and the Aichi M6A1 Seiran. Both awsome seaplanes.

I can't make up my mind between the Kingfisher and the Duck.

Okay, I've changed my mind since I last posted to this thread...

Currently, my fave sea-bird is the Hall PH-2/3.











I used this for the ID Quiz over at SHF recently and have since fallen in love with it. Just a neat lookin' little bird. Speaking of quizzes... hmmm...


Fade to Black...

Tough one...I like the PBY but I'd have to go with the J2F6 Duck. Remember "Murphy's War" and the series "Black Sheep Squadron"?
But I gotta tell ya that a DHC-2 Beaver on floats eppitimizes Alaska (where I currently call home)

Not as easy as I first thought...........

.........however I have to go for the Sunderland, what other aircraft would fight off 6 Ju88 fighters, knocking 4 of them into the Bay Of Biscay?

In a similar vein, I also like the BV222, that was one very big plane!

Karl

Does the XF2Y Sea Dart count?

Sheesh, am I the only one with real taste here?? (Kidding)
How can you go past the fantastic looking Macchi-Castoldi MC-72 it is truly to the float plane, as the merlin is to the spitfire!
BUT.................. I love the cats! I am just a sucker for a Black cat! I dropped by the HARS compound in Albion Park (NSW Australia) not long ago, they recently got hold of a flying PBY. They dont mess around! its already painted up as an Aussie Black Cat!!

New favorite seaplane: The Dornier Seastar.
Nice looking bird, too bad it never reached production it had a lot of potential .

Ok I'll join the fray.
Mine Would have to be the Short S.25 Sunderland this thing is just massive!

While I love the HU-16-Albatros, and its little brothers the Goose and the Gander, the Martin Mars is the ultimate "Clipper". Two of the Mars are still "working" in Canada as fire bombers. I think there were only three built. If this is correct, then 2/3 of the entire aircraft production is still flying 50+ years later!

Didn't Sikorski build a "Clipper"? As I recall it is a nice looking airplane. Then there is the Spruce Goose. The "white elephant" of aviation! rangerj