Canadair CL-215

what is it?

The Canadair CL-215 Scooper is the first model in a series of amphibious flying boats designed and built by Canadian aircraft manufacturer Canadair, and later produced by Bombardier. It is one of only a handful of large amphibious aircraft to have been produced in large numbers during the post-war era, and the first to be developed from the outset as a water bomber. The CL-215 is a twin-engine, high-wing aircraft designed in the 1960s.

🔎How to recognise it: 2 piston engines with propellers · shoulder wing · retractable tricycle gear · 28.6 m wingspan

base stats

• speed 291 km/hcruise speed
• range 2,094 kmwithout refuelling
• seats 26passengers
• size 19.7 tmax take-off weight
• built 125made in total

Bars compare against all aircraft: 3,500 km/h, 20,000 km, 850 seats; size and number built on a log scale up to 640 t (An-225) and 45,000 built (Cessna 172).

fun facts

• 🎂First flew 59 years ago, in 1967.
• 🚗Wingspan of 28.6 m: about 6 cars parked nose to tail.
• 🐘Fully loaded it can weigh as much as 3 African elephants (~6 t each).
• 🌍Range of 2,094 km: 12× Amsterdam to Brussels.

piston: A car-like piston engine turning a propeller: simple and cheap, the classic small plane.

spec sheet

first flight

1967-10-23

introduced

1969

status

still flying

number built

125

role

amphibious aircraft

origin

🇨🇦 Canada

makers

Canadair

engines

2× Pratt & Whitney R-2800-83AM

passengers

26

length

19.8 m

wingspan

28.6 m

height

8.9 m

max take-off weight

19.7 t

top speed

—

cruise speed

291 km/h

range

2,094 km

wings

shoulder wing

landing gear

retractable tricycle gear

Specs are for the version in the Wikipedia article's specification section. Blank means the sources don't say.