2 photos from Wikimedia Commons · credits & licences
- 1. SC-1 NAS Jax 1946: U.S. Navy· Public domain
- 2. Curtiss SC Seahawk on USS Birmingham-SLV-H91.108-2420: Allan C. Green 1878 - 1954· Public domain
what is it?
The Curtiss SC Seahawk was a scout seaplane designed by the Curtiss Aeroplane and Motor Company for the United States Navy during World War II. The existing Curtiss SO3C Seamew and Vought OS2U Kingfisher were gradually replaced by the Seahawk in the late stages of the war and into peacetime.
How to recognise it: 1 piston engine with propeller · 12.5 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 82 years ago, in 1944.
- Top speed is 2.9× a car on the Dutch motorway (130 km/h).
- Wingspan of 12.5 m: about 3 cars parked nose to tail.
- Can fly 1.3× higher than Mount Everest (8,849 m).
piston: A car-like piston engine turning a propeller: simple and cheap, the classic small plane.
spec sheet
- first flight
- 1944-02-16
- introduced
- 1944
- retired
- 1949
- status
- retired
- number built
- 577
- role
- scout seaplane
- makers
- Curtiss
- engines
- 1× Wright R-1820-62 Cyclone
- crew
- 1
- length
- 11.1 m
- wingspan
- 12.5 m
- height
- 4.9 m
- max take-off weight
- 4,082 kg
- top speed
- 378 km/h
- cruise speed
- 201 km/h
- range
- —
- ceiling
- 11,369 m
Specs are for the version in the Wikipedia article's specification section. Blank means the sources don't say.
Sources: Wikidata Q269320, Wikipedia: Curtiss SC Seahawk (CC BY-SA 4.0).Updated 2026-10-24.