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Republic Seabee: Post War America's Idea of a Personal Leisure Flying Boat

If you're familiar with Republic Aviation at all, it's likely because of their Iconic P-47 Thunderbolt or A-10 Thunderbolt II attack aircraft. These two respective aircraft would be the envy of any self-respecting aerospace manufacturer, but that's not even close to the only planes the Long Island, New York-based company built between the mid-30s and late 1960s.
Republic Seabee 6 photos
Photo: Aircraft.com
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For a brief period post World War II, Republic tried to find a new niche for themselves in the civilian private leisure aircraft market. With giants like Cessna ready to take the market by storm after the war, it was a venture one could argue was doomed from the start. But if you're in the market for a private airplane that isn't just another Cessna 172, perhaps consider a fully restored Republic RC-3 Seabee. Most Cessna's can't float on water, so that's a leg up right there.

The Seabee was a rear-engined, all-metal amphibious sports and leisure aircraft that took a back seat to military projects as the Second World War ramped up. By war's end, over 1,000 were to be produced. Some even found their way into the Israeli and South Vietnamese Air Forces. But make no mistake, this is, first of all, a leisure craft and a military liaison a very distant second.

This particular example was manufactured in 1947 and sports a 215 horsepower Franklin air-cooled engine that helps the aircraft cruise at a constant speed of 100 miles per hour (160 kph). Not rocket ship fast, but pretty impressive for a little private plane built 70 years ago. The paint, glass, and interior fittings are in excellent condition. Accompanying the fresh-looking airframe is a full suite of modern navigational and communications equipment so as to adhere to federal aviation guidelines. "Ready to fly and everything works," the ad on aircraft.com claims.

Want it for yourself? A check for $65,000 before taxes and fees written out to an anonymous private seller in Niagra Falls, New York, will get this little nugget of an airplane in a hangar near you.
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