Definition
An airplane equipped with landing gear that allows it to operate from both water and conventional land surfaces. The gear typically consists of floats fitted with retractable wheels, or a hull (as on a flying boat) combined with retractable wheels, so the same aircraft can take off and land on a runway or on water.
Plain English
An airplane that can land and take off on both water and land. It has wheels that come down for runway use and tuck away when landing on water.
Context Anchor
You may see this term in aircraft descriptions, seaplane training, flight planning, and landing-gear checks before landing on either a runway or water.
Derivation
From the Greek 'amphi' (meaning 'both') and 'bios' (meaning 'life'). It originally described creatures like frogs that live both on land and in water. Applied to airplanes, it describes an aircraft equally at home in both environments.
Why Pilots Care
It expands operating locations to lakes and rivers where no runway exists, increasing mission flexibility in remote areas.
Analogy
Like a duck that walks on shore and swims on water, but for an airplane.
Intuition Check
Do not read “amphibious airplane” as simply “a water airplane.” It means an airplane that can use both land and water.
Example Sentence 1
The pilot flew the amphibious airplane from the lake in the morning and landed at the paved airport that afternoon.
Example Sentence 2
Amphibious airplane training includes both water landings and runway takeoffs with the gear retracted or extended as required.