SSG: Spy/Spec-Ops Group discussion

A longstanding feature of pulp yarns, the seaplane.

A fascinating conveyance.

Got any favourites? Either in prose or in cinema?

Any personal experiences with such craft?

Seaplanes were very popular during the first decades of aviation, because they could land on water if they developped problems while flying over the oceans and also because, in the early 1900s, real, paved runways were a rarity. Seaplanes were also very useful as military aircraft used by navies. Probably the most famous/meritorious seaplane model was the iconic PBY CATALINA, which served with many Allied navies during WW2 and which fulfilled many crucial reconnaissance missions. The PBY is featured in the movie MIDWAY, where it found the location of the approaching Japanese fleet and was able to alert the American fleet defending Midway before getting shot down. British PBYs in the Pacific belonging to the Black Cat Squadron became famous for rescuing many downed Allied pilots floating on the ocean, often while under enemy fire. It had a truly glorious history.

The 1930s are marvelous for their seaplanes, I agree.

I've been watching some modern seaplanes lately and noting how their classic design seems to have stayed the same, decade after decade, down unto now.

Something which is puzzling me is the way their engine works. I see them starting up with the prop spinning first one direction, then reverse, then back again in the first direction. Almost like the way planes used to have a ground crew do the "Contact!" technique; whirl the thing around to get the thing going. What's that all about?

It all depends if those seaplanes use piston engines, turboprop engines or jet engines. As for the classic lines of seaplanes, that is due to the fact that their hulls must have the least drag in the water in order to be able to lift off from the sea. Simply said, form follows function. If you want to see a truly byzarre kind of seaplane, search for the Russian EKRANOPLAN, also known as the Caspian Sea Monster, a wing-in-ground variant of the seaplane.

Ah yah. Those Russkies were fanatical for berserk seaplane designs.

And Howard Hughes' "Spruce Goose" too.

But I still can't grasp why a propeller has to first rotate in one direction, then reverse, and then return to its original direction in order to start.

Are you sure that this wasn't simply an optical illusion?

That's a very good point. I can't tell for sure, no.

But I'm also listening to the sound of the engines; which start -stop- start. And I'm looking at the motions of the support crew. They dart in, step back, then dart in again.

Unfortunately, I can't link you to what I'm viewing as it's a paid site.