Man stumbles upon unique amphibious airplane in New Mexico desert, 'holy moly'
- This New Mexico man found a duck out of water
- The amphibious plane was found stranded in the desert
- It would take a lot of work to fly through water again, though
Published on May 25, 2025 at 9:21 PM (UTC+4)
by Jack Marsh
Last updated on May 22, 2025 at 11:43 AM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Emma Matthews
Like finding a duck out of water – literally – a New Mexico man stumbled upon a unique amphibious airplane in the desert.
Abandoned planes often end up in some rather desolate areas.
More often than not, the out-of-action aircraft end up in graveyards or scrapyards.
Not this one, though, as the unique waterborne amphibious airplane has been found hundreds of miles away from its natural habitat.
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We’ve seen planes end up in water – some have even ended up being restored after spending decades beneath the surface.
However, this airplane was supposed to be a natural at water sports.
In fact, the amphibious airplane was made for lakes and rivers, doubling as an aircraft and a boat.
Highlighted on YouTube by True Airspeed, it was found in the New Mexico desert at a garage.
The unusual aircraft has a top-mounted LS3 engine to avoid any water damage, and has rudders that double as steps.
The creator pointed out that it had a new propeller that looked unused, suggesting it might be gearing up for a resurrection.
Further inspections found that it might take a bit of work to be removed from the drought-ridden desert and back on the coasts.
Inside, the plane was in decent condition. There was space for four passengers, and a domed front window offered more than a 180-degree view for the front row.
It was missing some luxury though, and it was more apparent that work was needed when the headliner was revealed to be missing.
Still, the airplane was a fun look around.
This plane’s future hasn’t quite been decided, though.
Although there was clearly some work being done on its exterior and functional elements, the old aluminium-built vehicle is far from being back in action.
Waterborne vehicles have been all the rage lately. The largest amphibious airplane in the world has been undergoing tests in the last year.
Others have been opting for floating cars, such as this ‘weird’ V6 Roadster.
Hopefully, this unusual plane can make a splash in the future.
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