By Dan Johnson
Let's be honest. We're into flying because we enjoy the experience, right? Flying light, sporting aircraft is not about flying to work or transporting goods or people. and if enjoyment is the main flying goal, then seaplanes are a big part of that pleasure. Dan Johnson explains why.
MANY pilots who have flown water-borne aircraft believe this is the finest and most enjoyable flying one can do. If that sentiment holds water (pardon my pun), then the latest handsome SeaRey LSX Amphibian from US-based Progressive Aerodyne deserves closer inspection.
EVOLVING SEAREY
Kerry Richter, the main designer at Progressive Aerodyne, said that new engineering strengthened the SeaRey's airframe, increasing gross weight from 621kg to 649kg. This was not some back-of-the-envelope analysis; Progressive Aerodyne went through an exhaustive study to prove the higher gross limit, making 78 changes in the process.
Assisting Kerry and the Progressive Aerodyne team was German engineer, Damir Blazevic, who worked for Airbus for many years and most recently on the A380 Airbus. Kerry indicated that Blazevic gave a lot of help to Progressive Aerodyne; boosting the gross weight was part of the overall rework effort.
Of SeaRey's load utility, Progressive Aerodyne says, "In other words [you can carry] two average people, a full tank of gas and about 14kg of baggage." If you want extra fuel - 26 gallons (98 litres) are available.
POWERPLANT
A modern SeaRey has the look of a well-developed model that has seen many refinements over time. The early model SeaReys used the Rotax 912 80hp four-stroke with most builders opting for the 100hp Rotax 912S, and the more powerful 115hp Rotax 914 turbo, these motors being the accepted powerplant of most light-sport aircraft today.
COMFY CABIN
With both halves of the sliding canopies slid far aft, entry to the SeaRey is quite negotiable. Kerry and I are both roughly average in size and once seated, we had room to spare. The cockpit is comfortable and is the same width as a Cessna 182.
The plush LSX seats are thickly padded and fully finished interior were pleasant and comfortable. We left the canopies open in the May heat and we could have elected to leave them open during any part of the flight. Except for some windblast and increased noise - especially at higher power settings and faster speeds - I think I'd regularly fly around with the canopy open.
You can have each canopy half open to any degree and they don't have to be open symmetrically. Kerry said you could take off and fly with the canopies open anywhere in their movement range or the speed range of SeaRey. The split, sliding canopy is also a safety feature in the event of water upset. Getting out of a flipforward or flip-aft canopy after upset could introduce escape challenges. Progressive Aerodyne says, "Instead, our sliding canopy system would safely slice the water and also would not require clearance from ground to open."
As we taxied out, I found ground handling was very good thanks to a responsive tailwheel. But, as with any amphib, I found myself reviewing the right techniques to assure I had the repositionable gear where it should be.
Too often, seaplanes or amphib floatplanes have been landed on water with the gear down - a very bad idea - or landed on land with the gear up. The latter presents much less of a problem, and may even be advisable on some emergency landings.
To help you make the right decision about gear position, Progressive Aerodyne has worked with Dynon Avionics to better advise pilots. The resulting setup boasts two buttons above the screen with placards reading "Water" and "Runway." After you select the one you will use, the system provides an audio warning before landing. It can prevent landing with the gear in the wrong position, a more common error than you might think.
The gear-position audio warning is triggered by either speed or flap position. When you have the gear down, you hear a voice cautioning you for a runway landing. When you have the gear up, the caution is to prepare for a water landing. The trigger points for the warnings are any measure of flaps, or speeds below 61 knots, Kerry says.
Some may regard the warning system as the aeroplane equivalent of automobile "idiot lights," but I found it helpful. On the other hand, it seemed Kerry was always reaching to shut the warning off as we practised a few landings.
This particular SeaRey (N11015) was also equipped with the Garmin 696, which made a handsome combination with the Dynon Flight Dek D-180. Flanked by an analogue airspeed indicator and circular card compass, it was all the instrumentation a seaplane pilot needs.
Flaps are mechanical on the SeaRey with a control lever over the shoulder between the two occupants (either pilot can work the flaps), while hydraulic brakes are also part of SeaRey's standard equipment list. The control panel has adequate room for additional instruments, if desired. The SeaRey's wider panel has different shapes; the panel in our test plane impressed me because it made the Garmin 696 so readable.
OFF AND FLYING
We left from the tarmac and flew to a nearby body of water. It looked small to me, but Kerry said it had plenty of room. I had to trust the expert and it turned out he was exactly right. From the cement runway, we left the ground at about 43 knots. A similar number is used on water and the run on water or land is the same.
Entry to the water was astonishingly smooth, showing the effectiveness of not only a V-shaped hull but the sweep of that V-hull. I felt none of the "chatter" experienced on many seaplanes when landing on a rippled surface. Moving around on the water, the SeaRey LSX handled much like a speedboat, exhibiting a great combination of response and stability.
Kerry demonstrated a simulated porpoising (nosing up and down in the water) exaggerated enough that I wondered if an upset might result, but the SeaRey resisted this abuse very well, speaking volumes of learning how to take off and land the aeroplane on water. The SeaRey's hull design strongly resists nose ploughing; it simply won't do so without a protest. While some combination of power and pitch motion might cause problems, pilots need not be overly concerned about this.
On normal water landings the advice is to touch down slightly nose-high as you want to meet the water on the hull step. Should you put the tail down early, a light push forward will return you to the step before you slow to a stop. On whole, the SeaRey was a most impressive boat on the water, acting very much like that's where she belonged.
For example, a beaching demonstration proved enlightening. Kerry took the controls and aimed us at the far side of a lake that had no beach, instead having a marshy look with tall grasses. In spite of this slippery surface, I was pleased at the ease with which the SeaRey negotiated the grassy lake edge.
Kerry demonstrated a roll up from the water with the extended wheels cooperating nicely. We swung around in a 180 on the lake's edge and headed back out for another takeoff as though it were no challenge to SeaRey. Gear extension made the beaching easy, but one must remember that submerging larger tyres can overwork the system somewhat so you'll want to be at idle thrust.
On our several water landings, the SeaRey showed excellent slipping ability and a pilot of Kerry's skills can hold this attitude until very near the water. No wonder the SeaRey doesn't really need the 35° of flaps.
Kerry demonstrated a water takeoff where he put in full up trim, added power and shortly afterward released his grip on the stick. We lifted off at about 52 knots instead of the 39 to 43 knots where you would normally rotate, but the SeaRey flew itself off and maintained a reasonable climb.
At a mid-range power setting of 4,500 rpm, at a few hundred feet after leaving water we were still climbing about 300 to 400 fpm without pushing the engine or aeroplane too hard. At cruising altitudes, cruise power is around 78 knots and top speed is 98 knots. Seaplanes generally aren't the fastest of aeroplanes but it's hard to beat their recreational appeal and their enormous versatility in landing areas.
In my airborne trials, stall occurred at 39 knots with no flaps extended at idle thrust; accelerated stalls reached full stick back at about 43 knots, but would not break over nor show any tendency to roll in or out.
Without the vortex generators, the SeaRey would show some nose break, Kerry recalled, but the vortex generators are standard and the SeaRey exhibits very low speed capability with them. With two notches of flaps, Kerry demonstrated a stall indicating 30 knots. In addition to vortex generators, this significant drop comes from new gap covers that Blazevic helped engineer.
Back to hard-surface touch and goes, I found neither of my two SeaRey landings was particularly good. We approached at about 61 knots, which allows a significant reserve of speed. The objective is to fly low over the runway and hold off to touchdown. Perhaps it was the hull shape, but I kept starting my flare too high. Once down, you use the common taildragger technique of holding the tail down to settle fully.
Kerry recommended I use two notches of flaps for both takeoff and landing. The added lift also helps pull the plane up on step and out of the water quicker. Even at gross weight, water or land runs are a mere 300 feet or so. This is admittedly hard to measure in the water so many seaplane pilots use time instead. The SeaRey gets on step in four seconds and becomes airborne in six to eight additional seconds, says the factory. Of course, technique enters in significantly.
GEAR UP AND FLYING GRACEFULLY
The SeaRey's noise level was a bit higher than I expected in such a deluxe aircraft, however, the noise reduction is significant upon closing the canopy. Headsets or helmets are recommended.
At a safe altitude, the SeaRey can cruise at 87 knots, with full-power level flight producing close to 100 knots. Normal cruising is done about 78 knots. The plane will allow a ploughing flight, but once you have a feel for it, nosing over slightly will put the SeaRey on an aerodynamic step that I was able to notice within a single hour of flight.
The SeaRey's roll rate is quite good, typical of Kerry's designs (I've had the pleasure to fly several of his designs over the years). Response proved to be about three seconds in the 45-to-45 roll reversal test, and stick forces were low. Pitch was nicely dampened leaving its pilot with an “I'm-in-charge” feeling.
The SeaRey Amphibian has an enviable reputation for being great value for money and a true leader in performance
and handling. It has earned the reputation as the world leader in light amphibs around the globe.
The SeaRey has enjoyed particular success in Australia and New Zealand where Progressive Aerodyne’s leading distributor, Sydney-based Rob Loneragan, has delivered over 45 SeaReys. “The SeaRey stands up extremely well to corrosion, especially when all Australian SeaReys are operating exclusively in salt water conditions,” Rob says. “The design, technology and materials have proven the SeaRey to be salt water hardy.”
Loneragan also says that several Australian SeaRey owners have circumnavigated Australia and the aircraft have proved to be incredibly reliable and requiring minimal maintenance.
So how much does a SeaRey cost? According to the Progressive Aerodyne website, “finished costs vary significantly, depending upon the quality of finish required by the builder and the extent of the instruments, avionics and multitude of other options available. Builders typically take great pride in how they customise and finish their SeaReys. However, a typically standard completed SeaRey is in the US$70,000 (A$66,700) to US$85,000 (A$80,900) price range.
With a SeaRey, you can expect some real fun on the water or on land. What pilot can't love that?
SEAREY LSX
SPECIFICATIONS
Seating 2,side-by-side
Empty weight 399kg (880 pounds) 1
Gross weight 649kg (1,430 pounds) 2
Wingspan 30 feet 10 inches
Wing area 157 square feet
Wing loading 8.7 pounds per square foot
Useful Load 249kg (550 pounds)
Payload (with full fuel) 200kg (442 pounds)
Cabin Interior 44 inches
Length 22 feet 5 inches
Height 6 feet 5 inches
Fuel Capacity 18 gallons/49kg (108 pounds) 3
Baggage area 27kg (60 pounds)
Notes:
1 Empty weight varies with equipment choices; shown is an estimated typical empty weight
2 In SLSA redesign, gross weight re-engineered to 649kg (1,430 pounds) from 621kg (1,370 pounds)
3 Optional fuel tanks raise total on board to 98 litres (26 gallons)
PERFORMANCE
Standard engine Rotax 912 1
Prop Diameter 3-blade composite
Power 100 hp 1
Max Speed 98 knots
Cruise speed 81 knots
Stall Speed (Flaps) 35 knots
Stall Speed 39 knots
Never exceed speed 104 knots
Rate of climb at gross 800 fpm
Takeoff distance at gross 375 feet
Landing distance at gross 300 feet
Range (powered) 3.5 hours, 330 miles
Fuel Consumption 5.6 gph (18 lph) at 75% power
Notes:
1 Engine choices include 80 and 100-hp Rotax 912ULS and 115-hp Rotax 914 Turbo
