The North Island era: Birth of naval aviation
Hydroplanes for the Navy I
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On May 8, 1911 the Navy ordered two
hydroplanes. The pictures on this and the following pages show stages in the
development of these hydroplanes with added tubular wing floats and with the
deck of the pontoon extended to direct the spray away from the engine and
propeller. One of the experiments was with retractable wingtip floats,
presumably to reduce their drag in the air. |
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A prototype hydroplane for the Navy. A
larger view is available,
including close-ups of the wingtip floats and the extended pontoon deck. |
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Next Page:
Retractable floats
Previous Page: The
tractor hydroplane's short life
Back to: The birth of
naval aviation
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