The Curtiss seagull flying boat was based on the model MF, a two-seat trainer developed from the US Navy during the First World War. Hoping to find a civilian market for the MF after the war, Curtiss made improvements and added extra seats. The seagull was considered the best single engine flying boat in its class, but it was not a commercial success- earlier Curtis aircraft, including surplus MFs, were abundant and affordable. Only about 100 MFs and roughly 15 seagulls were ever built.
This aircraft was named Eleanor III and used by an American, Alexander Rice, to lead an expedition exploring rivers in northwestern Brazil 192-1925. 1924. In 1926, he donated his seagull to the Science Museum in London, England. Which, in turn, loaned aircraft to Canada’s National Aircraft Collection in 1968. The loan became a permanent gift in 1971 and the Seagull was restored and unveiled in 1974. In 2024 it was donated to the Montreal Aviation Museum.
