The prototype Sea Bird still in beautiful shape after over 80 years. The only sign of its age is the wrinkled skin which is a mere 0.010 inch thick stainless steel. At a period when most aircraft lasted about 10 years I'm sure Fleetwings did not worry about long-term skin durability at the design phase. Thanks go to then owner Walter Bowe, who arranged the photo session, for allowing its use. The aircraft is Texas based in 2024. Photo from: William Engle (photo credit Scott Slocum) via Tim Martin