The S-56 was first introduced in Italy two years earlier as a three-seat amphibious aircraft powered by air-cooled radial engines in the 90- to range. The AAC fitted it with an American
Kinner engine. Following on the heels of a boom in the aviation industry in America – largely attributed to
Charles Lindbergh’s
flight in 1927 – it was among the few foreign designs to be manufactured in the United States under Approved Type Certificates (ATCs) and, at $7,300, was also the first low-priced amphibious aircraft on the U.S. market. The size and price of the vehicle appealed to recreational aviators, despite its difficult handling. On water, the plane lacked a rudder; on ground, the plane only had a non-steerable tail skid (that is: no conventional brakes); and in the air, when the wheels were extended, the added
drag complicated the steering. Thirty-six S-56s were built under ATC A-287, which was awarded on 4 January 1930. The S-56 became the first plane used by the
New York City Police Department, which used it to enforce flying regulations, assist with sea rescues, and to chase
rum-runners during the
Prohibition era. A follow-up design, the S-56B, proved even more successful. ATC A-336, for the S-56B design, was awarded on 11 July 1930. The S-56B included a more powerful Kinner B-5 engine and sold for $7,825. Whereas the prices for the S-56 and S-56B were modest for the time, the
Great Depression caused sales to drop significantly by 1933. In 1933, the American Aeronautical Corporation facility was purchased by
Pan Am and became the base for early survey flights for transatlantic air service. In 1937, the first regular commercial transatlantic airline service in America started from the facility. International seaplane flights continued into the early 1940s. == See also ==