LAST OF THE GREAT FLYING BOATS

摘要

When i was a young kid obsessed with airplanes, my mom bought me a model of the Convair R3 Y Tradewind flying boat. I still remember how the nose of my model hinged up just like the real thing. Despite this and other innovations, the Tradewind would prove to be the last in the company's long line of celebrated seaplanes. Derived from a scrubbed Navy patrol bomber, the Tradewind was an attractive airplane that would serve as a high-speed transport and aerial tanker for seaplanes based at remote locations. The four-engine turboprop featured a long thin wing mounted atop a slim hull with cabin air conditioning and pressurization.