Fabre Hydravion

The Fabre Hydravion, designed and built by French aviator Henri Fabre, holds the distinction of being the world’s first successful powered seaplane. First flown on March 28, 1910, from the Étang de Berre near Marseille, the aircraft demonstrated that water could serve as a practical take‑off and landing surface for heavier‑than‑air machines. Fabre constructed the Hydravion in his own workshop, employing a lightweight wooden frame covered with fabric and a single 50‑horsepower Gnome rotary engine driving a two‑blade pusher propeller. Its most innovative feature was the pair of hollow, buoyant floats attached beneath the wings, which provided both lift in the water and structural support for the wings. The aircraft’s control surfaces—elevators, rudders and ailerons—were conventional for the era, allowing stable flight once aloft. Although the Hydravion made only a handful of short hops, its successful water operations proved the feasibility of seaplane design and inspired subsequent developments by manufacturers such as Short Brothers and the Italian Caproni firm. Fabre’s achievement opened a new branch of aviation, leading to the growth of maritime patrol, commercial transport and coastal rescue operations that remain vital today.

Henri Fabre

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