Flying boats and floatplane go back to the early days of aviation. In those days, there were not many concrete runways in existence. Therefore, flying boats were attractive since all they required was a relatively calm stretch of water to takeoff and land. Indeed, Pan American Airways conquered the Pacific by using Sikorsky, Martin M-130, and Boeing B-314 flying boats as "China Clippers". Smaller, usually single-engined floatplanes found usage in remote lake areas for transportation and supply.
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