Once Miami Based Aircraft Fly's On As The Worlds Only Airworthy DC-3 On Floats

This DC-3 example above is construction number (c/n) 11761 and was delivered to the USAAF in July of 1943. Now registration N130Q, a DC-3A/C-53D-DO (was 41-68834) of Folsoms Air Service based in Maine, USA. It is one of the only DC-3 on floats still flying today. The floats are the original EDO (28) Corporation type. She flew for Eastern Airlines as NC86562 mainly based out of Miami until 1952. It was converted to a float plane by Dick Folsom in 1976. The experimental type certificate for this aircraft was awarded in September 1990 and the first flight took place at Greenville airport at that time.

The Edo Corporation, of College Point, N.Y. designed, and built twin, 1-ton floats, (the largest floats ever built). Each float was 42 feet long, five feet, eight inches wide, and displaced 29,000 pounds of water. The cellular construction of each float had 14 separate water-tight compartments. Each float also had a 325 gallon fuel tank. The floats had fully retractable, hydraulic wheels, and could land on water, snow or land. The float rudders were connected to the air rudder.