J.Davilla, A.Soltan French Aircraft of the First World War (Flying Machines)

Galvin Floatplane Fighter

  Photographs taken during the First World War reveal that a floatplane with an unusual configuration was built in France. The single float appears to have been of conventional size and shape. The tail section was attached directly to the float by what appears to have been a single strut. A crescent-shaped rudder was mounted at the end of the tail section, and the bottom portion of the fin was attached to the end of the float. The forward fuselage was completely separate from the tail and housed the pilot and a 160-hp Gnome rotary engine. There was a huge nose cone which had the same diameter as the forward fuselage and was constructed of a metal alloy. Two N-shaped struts attached the forward fuselage to the central float. There was a shoulder-mounted top wing on the forward fuselage, while the bottom wing was suspended between the forward fuselage and the float. Finally, there were two crescent-shaped floats attached to the ends of the lower wing.
  Little information is available concerning this unusual design. It was intended lo be used as a fighter, probably to act as an escort for flying boats. It is believed that the Galvin floatplane was flight-tested in 1919.


Galvin Floatplane Fighter with 160-hp Gnome Rotary
   Span 8.00 m; length 7.20 m; height 2.30 in; wing area 18.59 sq. m
   Empty weight 520 kg; loaded weight 800 kg
   Max speed: 200 km/h at sea level; endurance 2 hours
   One built