Fastest seaplane/flying boat, ski plane of WW2 ? (1 Viewer)

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Timppa

Senior Airman
543
239
Apr 3, 2007
Finland
No paper designs or prototypes.
Wikipedia don't help much, but:
Folland Aircraft undertook the conversion of a Spitfire Mk Vb, W3760, with Supermarine designed floats and this aircraft proved an immediate success with a top speed of 324 mph

A further Spitfire was converted in 1944, a Mark IX serial MJ892 powered by a Merlin 45. The performance of this aircraft was superb and with a top speed of 377 mph the fastest floatplane of the entire war.

So the latter does not count.
 
Kawanishi N1K1-J, N1K2-J Shiden "George" and N1K1 Kyofu "Rex"
34.jpg
 
According to http://www.spitfires.flyer.co.uk/spitfire_floatplane.htm (which I only opened via Google's cache)

"A further Spitfire was converted in 1944, a Mark IX serial MJ892 powered by a Merlin 45. The performance of this aircraft was superb and with a top speed of 377 mph the fastest floatplane of the entire war."

ps. This is still below the speed record for a floatplane http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Macchi_M.C.72

pps. Sorry! I did not read the initial post carefully. Dave is almost certainly correct.
 
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Spitfire VB, with the proviso that all three were prototypes, although they were shipped to Egypt and tested operationally 324 mph @ 19,500 ft [Price: The Spitfire Story]. Otherwise the Kawanishi N1K1, which did get into production (8 prototypes, 89 pdn) and was used on operational service - 304 mph (264 kt) @ 18,700 ft (5,700 m) [Francillon: Japanese Aircraft of the Pacific War]
 
Thanks for the input. IMO the main contenders are:

Sea plane:
N1K1 Kyofu or Curtiss SC Seahawk , 300-310 mph

Flying boat:
Kawanishi H8K "Emily", 290 mph

Ski plane:
Yak-1, 320-330 mph.
 

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