San Franciscans, staring aloft last week at a huge, low-slung Navy flying boat droning up from the south, blinked with surprise as the twin-motored monoplane slid down for a landing. As the plane neared the Bay, the blunt tips of its 104-ft. wing split slowly open, hinged downward, became a pair of wing-pontoons which kept the narrow hull upright as it creased the water.
Retractable pontoons were a prime innovation in the Navy's new XP3Y-1. Built by Consolidated Aircraft Corp., it is similar to Pan American's new Martin Clipper in lines, has the same high tail, the same tapering fuselage. Most notable...
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