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Designed by Republic Aircraft’s test pilot and engineer Percival Hopkins "Spence" Spencer, the RC-3 Seabee was an all-metal, single-engine, sport amphibian aircraft introduced in 1946. The initial design was called the S-12 Air Car and featured fabric covered, wood ribbed wings. When Republic acquired the rights to the design from Spencer in 1943, the company decided to produce the aircraft in more durable metal for military use, as well as the civilian sport market. The wings were constructed of rigid corrugated aluminum, which eliminated the need for ribs. To the consternation of Republic, all military contracts were cancelled in 1945, and the anticipated demand from returning World War II pilots was much less than expected. Production was ended in 1947 after a little over a thousand were built, yet the aircraft remained popular among bush pilots and as air taxis in countries with long coastlines or island chains. Over 200 remain in operation. See "Aviation Evolutions: The Jim Lund 1:72 Scale Model Airplane Collection", which features more than 200 models, on display, pre-security, in the Aviation Museum. http://bit.ly/AviationEvolutions This image was posted on May 17, 2018.

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