Cambria left from Foynes on a transatlantic proving flight on 29 July 1937. It looked like Foynes would become an important transatlantic terminal, but WWII killed the flying boat. The Foynes seaplane station closed in 1946, replaced by Shannon airport, not far away. Photo from: National Museum of Denmark

During the 1930s and 1940s there was a New York Seaplane Airport outside the city in Port Washington, Long Island. Both Pan Am and Imperial Airways used it pending the completion of La Guardia's Marine Air Terminal. Their Sikorsky S-42 and Short Empire class flying boats didn't have enough range for transatlantic services and only proving flights were made, although a limited commercial service was started between Bermuda and New York. Photo by: Rudy Arnold / Smithsonian Institution