On Lake Bracciano, about 30 kilometers northwest of Rome, two NH-500E "Little Bird" light helicopters of the Italian Air Force are conducting water training. The pair of huge floats installed on the sled landing gear below the helicopter looks like wearing a pair of specially designed "boots", making the flight much slower. However, precisely because of these "boots" that can float on the water, the "Little Bird" helicopter has achieved water takeoff and landing, becoming a true "waterbird". The Italian NH-500E "Little Bird" helicopter is a descendant of the American H500 "Little Bird" light helicopter, inheriting the latter's characteristics of maneuverability and convenient takeoff and landing. It is mainly used to train helicopter pilots, and can also perform reconnaissance, transportation, and medical rescue tasks. It has even been modified into an armed helicopter, which can carry weapons such as anti tank missiles. The water takeoff and landing model of NH-500E "Little Bird" helicopter was specially modified at the request of the Italian Air Force. The aircraft is equipped with a pair of detachable floats, which are fixed to the sled landing gear of the helicopter during use. The front of the floats is equipped with navigation lights, and the rear has a V-shaped wing surface to ensure its flight stability. This aircraft is mainly used to train helicopter pilots in water takeoff and landing and flight skills. There are thousands of lakes within Italy, and with the sea facing east, south, and west, the coastline stretches for several kilometers. Therefore, the Italian Air Force attaches great importance to the development of aircraft capable of taking off and landing on water and the training of pilots. Italy's seaplane technology developed earlier, giving rise to a series of well-known seaplanes. In 1926, Italian Air Force pilot Mario de Bernardi led his team to participate in the Schneider Cup flying competition. He piloted a Marki M.39 seaplane with an average speed of 396.7 kilometers per hour, setting a world record for the 350 kilometer race at the time and making Italian seaplanes famous worldwide. The lake area where the NH-500E "Little Bird" helicopter was trained was once the base of the Italian Air Force's seaplane unit. Nowadays, there is an Air Force Museum located here, displaying various seaplanes from the history of the Italian Air Force. Outside the museum, there is also a dedicated slide for water powered aircraft to slide from land into water, which is used for takeoff and landing of water powered aircraft. (New Society)