On a sunny day in Seattle, Boeing’s one and only XPBB-1 “Sea Ranger” races over the waters of Lake Washington as it heads for the skies.
It is worth noting that the orderly ripples on the otherwise smooth lake surface are likely manmade.
Story follows:
Per my late Dad (a WWII PBY pilot), ultra-smooth water can make for a problematic takeoff. Reason: the aircraft could have trouble breaking free from the water’s adhesive properties. Therefore, said Dad, a boat would be dispatched to speed about and ripple up the water on a smooth, non-windy day. Lacking a boat, the aircraft could engage in some downwind high-speed taxiing, then do a quick 180-degree turn and takeoff courtesy of the undulating ripplets now creasing the water.
The Jive Bomber 