1 photo from Wikimedia Commons · credits & licences
what is it?
The Colonial Model C-1 Skimmer was an American small single-engined amphibian flying boat built by the Colonial Aircraft Corporation. It was the start of a line of very similar aircraft designed by David Thurston.
How to recognise it: 1 piston engine with propeller · 10.4 m wingspan
base stats
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 78 years ago, in 1948.
- Top speed is 1.5× a car on the Dutch motorway (130 km/h).
- Wingspan of 10.4 m: about 2 cars parked nose to tail.
piston: A car-like piston engine turning a propeller: simple and cheap, the classic small plane.
spec sheet
- first flight
- 1948
- number built
- 43
- role
- two/three-seat amphibian
- makers
- Colonial Aircraft Corporation
- engines
- 1× Lycoming O-320
- crew
- 1
- passengers
- 2
- length
- 7.2 m
- wingspan
- 10.4 m
- height
- 2.7 m
- max take-off weight
- 975 kg
- top speed
- 201 km/h
- cruise speed
- 180 km/h
- range
- —
Specs are for the version in the Wikipedia article's specification section. Blank means the sources don't say.
Sources: Wikidata Q3683486, Wikipedia: Colonial Skimmer (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-24.