A
seaplane is a powered
fixed-wing aircraft capable of
taking off and
landing (alighting) on water. Seaplanes that can also take off and land on airfields are in a subclass called
amphibian aircraft. Seaplanes and amphibians are usually divided into two categories based on their technological characteristics:
floatplanes and
flying boats; the latter are generally far larger and can carry far more. These aircraft were sometimes called
hydroplanes, but currently, this term applies instead to
motor-powered watercraft that use
hydrofoils to levitate their main hull above the water when running at speed.