"Navy Jet On Skis (and I don't mean jet-ski!)" Topic

I was in Doylestown, PA today and on my way home along Rt. 611 South just outside the perimeter of the old Willow Grove Naval Air Station is an aircraft museum. On the grounds outside the buildings are several aircraft on display. It was dark and snowing rather hard as I went past but I swore I saw a jet aircraft on skis. As soon as I got home I looked for the place on the internet. It is called the Wings Of Freedom Aircraft Museum. Their website has pics of many of their aircraft including a Convair "Sea Dart" that was supposed to take off and land on the water. The blurb with the photo says it never made it into production because of engine development problems.
Their craft is one of only 4 surviving samples.

Some of you aircraft types probably know all this but it really took me by suprise when I saw it. Just something cool that I thought I'd pass on to anyone who might be interested.

I love the Sea Dart. I love the whole concept of post-war jets on skis, and jet-powered flying boats. Several nations, including the US, UK, and USSR developed water-based jet fighters, bombers, and support aircaft that wouldn't need runways, in the event of a nuclear war that took out air force bases.

Yeah, the Sea Dart is quite the interesting specimen.

The P6M Seamaster is even more awesome, since it's pretty close to being a flying-boat version of a B52!

And there's the Russians… Beriev was really big on amphibians and flying boats, and the Be-42 Albatross (NATO 'Mermaid') ASW patrol bomber was developed into the Be200 Altair airliner. If I had the funding to start an airline, I would seriously look into buying a bunch of Be210.

And it's big brother, the Martin Seamaster: