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Description
A seaplane with canard configuration (horizontal stabilizer in front). You could say it's an 'alternate' 1920's where the 'traditional' tailplane configuration never became popular with aircraft design. I guess it's sci-fi in this respect? Ironically the canard is THE original configuration. Check out Wright brother's Flyer that achieved the first powered flight in 1903. The more traditional tailplane configuration that most of us are familiar with now never truly became popular until 1909 with Bleriot's airplane (first plane to cross the English Channel). Almost every single plane since then had been following this trend, and for a good reason. Having the horizontal stabilizer at the rear increases stability, which is a problem in early aircraft designs. However, canards provide better efficiency and agility, and a well-designed plane with canards is still stable enough to be controllable without a computer. Recently canard planes seem to have made a come-back, especially in European fighters (Typhoon, Rafale, Gripen). Guess with modern computers, aerodynamic stability is no longer an issue.

Description
A seaplane with canard configuration (horizontal stabilizer in front). You could say it's an 'alternate' 1920's where the 'traditional' tailplane configuration never became popular with aircraft design. I guess it's sci-fi in this respect? Ironically the canard is THE original configuration. Check out Wright brother's Flyer that achieved the first powered flight in 1903. The more traditional tailplane configuration that most of us are familiar with now never truly became popular until 1909 with Bleriot's airplane (first plane to cross the English Channel). Almost every single plane since then had been following this trend, and for a good reason. Having the horizontal stabilizer at the rear increases stability, which is a problem in early aircraft designs. However, canards provide better efficiency and agility, and a well-designed plane with canards is still stable enough to be controllable without a computer. Recently canard planes seem to have made a come-back, especially in European fighters (Typhoon, Rafale, Gripen). Guess with modern computers, aerodynamic stability is no longer an issue.