Floatplane A floatplane ( float plane or pontoon plane ) is a type of seaplane , with one or more slender pontoon s ( known as " floats " ) mounted under the fuselage to provide buoyancy . By contrast , a flying boat uses its fuselage for buoyancy . Either type of seaplane may also have landing gear suitable for land , making the vehicle an amphibious aircraft . Design . Floatplanes have often been derived from land - based aircraft , with fixed floats mounted under the fuselage instead of retractable undercarriage ( featuring wheels ) . All floatplanes tend to be less stable on water than flying boats . However , in small aircraft design , floatplanes offer an advantage over flying boats , as the hull ( i . e . the lower part of the fuselage ) of floatplanes does not make contact with water surfaces , permitting a conventionally mounted single piston engine , with a propellor , in the nose . Floats inevitably impose extra drag and weight , rendering floatplanes slower and less manoeuvrable during flight , with a slower rate of climb , relative to aircraft equipped with retractable landing gear . Nevertheless , air race s devoted to floatplanes attracted a lot of attention during the 1920s and 1930s , most notably in the form of the Schneider Trophy . There are two basic float configurations on floatplanes : The main advantage of the single float design is its capability for landing s in rough water : a long central float is directly attached to the fuselage , this being the strongest part of the aircraft structure , while the smaller floats under the outer wings provide the aircraft with good lateral stability . By comparison , dual floats restrict handling , often to wave s as little as one foot ( 0 . 3 metres ) in height . However , twin float designs facilitate mooring and boarding , and – in the case of bomber s – leave the belly free to carry a large bomb or torpedo . History . The first aircraft to successfully take off from water was Henri Fabre ' s Fabre Hydravion , first flown on 28 March 1910 . Although not a very successful aircraft , this inspired other aircraft designers to emulate him , and Fabre designed and built floats for a number of other aircraft , such as the Voisin Canard . Floatplanes were widely used during World War I , and remained in naval use until World War II . Most larger warship s of that era carried floatplanes - typically four for each battleship , and one to two for each cruiser - to be launched by catapult s ; their main task was to spot targets over the horizon for the big guns . Other floatplanes , sometimes carried on seaplane tender s , were used for bombings , reconnaissance , air - sea rescue , and even as fighters . In the interwar period , civilian use of floatplanes was rare , given the larger fuselage ( hence greater payload ) of flying boats . However , floatplane racing aircraft were very popular , as exemplified by those that participated in the Schneider Trophy . After World War II , the advent of radar and helicopter s , and the advanced development of aircraft carrier s and land - based aircraft , saw the demise of military seaplanes . This , coupled with the increased availability of civilian airstrips , have greatly reduced the number of flying boats being built . However , numerous modern civilian aircraft have floatplane variants , most of these are offered as third - party modifications under a supplemental type certificate ( STC ) , although there are several aircraft manufacturers that build floatplanes from scratch . These floatplanes have found their niche as one type of bush plane , for light duty transportation to lakes and other remote areas , as well as to small / hilly islands without proper airstrips . They may operate on a charter basis ( including , but not limited to , pleasure flights ) , provide scheduled service , or be operated by residents of the area for private , personal use .