Lakes Water Bird

Wakefield had been interested in waterborne aircraft since 1909 and had performed experiments with different float designs towed at speed across Lake Windermere.

Unsticking problems persisted until he visited Henri Fabre in France and got useful advice on float design.

Bamboo outriggers fore and aft of the wings supported leading elevators and tail surfaces plus rudder.

Power was provided by a 50 hp (37 kW) Gnome Omega seven-cylinder rotary engine driving an 8 ft 6in (2.59 m) propeller.

[2][3] After testing as a landplane at Brooklands in May/June 1911, the Water Bird was taken to Hill of Oaks on Windermere and the float fitted in place of the wheeled undercarriage.

[4][5] A registered charity, The Lakes Flying Company Ltd, was established in 2010, "to celebrate and to inform the public concerning the importance of the innovative contributions made to the development of naval and civil marine aeroplanes by Captain Edward Wakefield and by Waterbird".

[6][7] A replica of Water Bird, operated by the Lakes Flying Company, flew for the first time on 13 June 2022.