Orlando airboat rides are only a fraction of how airboats are used, and have been used for over one hundred years! Developed by a team led by Alexander Graham Bell, the first airboat was created in Nova Scotia in 1905. You may have heard of Bell, an inventor best known for inventing the first practical telephone! The airboat, named the Ugly Duckling, was used to test engines of vehicles, and later evolved into one of the most versatile vehicles around.
Around 1920, a colleague of Bell’s, Glenn Curtiss, reportedly registered the first airboat in Florida, and named it the Curtis Scooter. It’s use hasn’t changed much since its invention, and has been primarily used to navigate through the swamps and marshes where a submerged propeller would likely not be practical. The modern airboat design has not changed much with the exception of the types of materials used, and with the flat bottomed design, users are able to skim along the surface of water at fairly high speeds.
Along with our Orlando airboat rides, airboats are used just as much for touring the Everglades as they are used in pragmatic situations, like search and rescue, aquatic plant management and in military settings. It has been mentioned that airboats have been used for touring and entertainment since the 1930s. Other uses include fishing and hunting, which has become a popular use of recreational airboat use.
Wild Florida’s Orlando airboat rides are the best and most unique way to experience Florida’s wild ecosystem and to promote the conservation of Florida’s natural habitats. To learn more about our airboat rides and our wildlife park, call us today at 407-901-2563 and book your airboat tour.
