Seaplanes and amphibious aircraft have existed since the dawn of military aviation, but their period of greatest growth was between the two World Wars and up until the 1960s. After the 1960s, seaplanes lost much of their appeal for both civilian and military planners. Their technical limitations and the widespread construction of large airports confined the usefulness of seaplanes to places or activities in close proximity to water, such as transportation in areas that were hard to reach by road, aerial firefighting, and maritime reconnaissance. Nowadays, however, the technological snags that limited the practicality of seaplanes are on the way to being solved and aircraft manufacturers worldwide are developing prototypes fit to meet the military and civilian needs of tomorrow. The newly buoyant market for seaplanes is a reflection of the human and geopolitical issues at stake for our planet. It is no longer a stretch to imagine seaplanes playing a pivotal role in reorganizing our societies and lifestyles.
