The stainless steel Sea Bird prototype in Newport Beach, California. The 1960 date may or may not be a guess.

Constructed of stainless steel. For a flying boat, this at least made some sense, avoiding any corrosion problems. The aircraft was certainly durable: this four-seat prototype, preserved at the Golden Wings Musem in Minnesota, was still reported to be flying once a year in 2015. Five F-5 five-seaters were also built. Photo by: Rudy Arnold / Smithsonian Institution

The first of six F-5 amphibians from Fleetwings. The fuselage is stainless steel. NC16918 was cancelled from the register in 1948. Photo by: Rudy Arnold / Smithsonian Institution

James Reddig, the designer of the stainless steel Sea Bird, was a member of the exclusive Long Island Aviation Country Club. NX16793, the four-seat prototype, went to a Canadian mining company as CF-BGZ in September 1937. This would confirm that some of Alfred Eisenstaedt's shots from Hicksville were taken in 1937, but he also seems to have visited in 1938 - see photo 654843. Photo by: Alfred Eisenstaedt / Life

The sole Fleetwings F-401 Seabird four-seat amphibian. Built in 1936 using stainless steel. Preserved airworthy in Greg Herrick's private museum at Anoka-Blaine.

The fifth and last F-5 Sea Bird to be built in 1936. This rare five-seat amphibian had a stainless steel fuselage. Taken by Captain J.L. Bailey and submitted with permission of his son