China builds massive seaplane — state mediaBEIJING: China has completed production of the world’s largest amphibious aircraft, state media has said, the latest effort in the country’s program to wean itself off dependence on foreign aviation firms. It is regarded as by far the largest seaplane ever built although it only ever made one flight, in 1947. The aircraft, which has a maximum range of 4,500 km (2,800 miles), is intended for fighting forest fires and performing marine rescues, it said. At around the size of a Boeing 737, it is far larger than any other plane built for marine take off and landing, Xinhua quoted AVIC’s deputy general manager Geng Ruguang as saying. It rolled out the C919, China’s first domestically developed narrow-body passenger plane, in November last year.

Source: Manila Times July 24, 2016 04:07 UTC