Members of Nagoya City Technical High School's airplane club are planning to develop a seaplane that can be used to rescue people from floods — an idea they came up with after learning about the Ise Bay Typhoon, a 1959 storm that swept through the Chubu region, claiming more than 5,000 lives.
"If the region is again hit by large-scale floods, a seaplane capable of taking off and landing on water would be useful," one of the members said.
The technical high school in Nagoya's Nakagawa Ward traditionally focuses on educating people so they can work in the aviation industry, as well as other industries such as automobiles and electronics. An airplane club was established in 2010 by students who are especially interested in aircraft.