Seastar

The Seastar is a new type of amphibian with a wider and shorter flying body and a step in the hull to provide quick "out of the water" takeoffs. The tail slopes up in such a way that it is easy to take off and land without dragging the empennage. Taking the airplane out of the water on a boat ramp or beach, you are able to drive it out of the water on its own power by lowering the landing gear, not even dunking the tail as the Seastar easily drives out of the water. We also have a parachute compartment built right into the plane, located right behind the cockpit, in front of the motor mount, designed to accommodate the BRS ballistic parachute, which in emergency would carry the whole plane down to safety.


The Seastar is a real airplane and not an ultralight. The body is composite carbon fibre reinforced. It's wings are made with the upper wing on an aluminium spar with the PVC foam rips glued onto the aluminium with epoxy glue.
    The leading edge is a composite part of the lower wing and the whole wing is covered with fabric and rip-stitched. The UV coating is applied and finished with two coats of polyurethane aircraft paint making this a very durable and long lasting product. The Seastar also utilizes a landing gear similar to the "Mooney" with an over centre Johnson Barr design. It is mechanically operated by hand, very quick, fail-safe and aerodynamic. All wheels are fully retracted into the wing and body. W ith the lower wing carrying the fuel it is much safer than aircraft having fuel inside the cockpit. The Rotax 912S is the most suitable engine for the Seastar with many flying throughout Brazil and South America.


The fast-build kit can be built in less than 500 hours and we offer a special factory assist builders program whereby we would help you to get the airplane constructed in our shop in Squamish, B.C. All you have to do is to install the motor, instrument panels and paint the airplane and you're ready to fly. The instrument hookup is very simple. The airplane being of a biplane design is a very stable flyer. It is not as wide, therefore less susceptible to cross winds, and it has a special aileron design which gives the airplane good control and the ability to sideslip. This airplane does not have flaps as it is safer to disconnect the wings that way. The Seastar can easily be trimmed in-flight with electric trim and is well balanced, for practically "hands-free" flying. The Seastar has good visibility with the cockpit-forward design, lots of room, approximately forty-four inches at the shoulder, making it a roomy, comfortable airplane to fly.

      The Seastar fuel system has a mechanical fuel pump on the motor with an additional electric fuel pump and a hand pump. There is also a bilge pump built in to the airplane for the occasional splash that may occur. The landing gear has disc brakes (heel brakes) and a pneumatic shock absorber, nitrogen charged over oil and can be adjusted. As the tail slopes up the control services (rudder and elevators) are direct in line with the flow of air from the propeller making the Seastar extremely easy to manoeuvre, thereby also eliminating the need of a water rudder. The solid bottom of the airplane is built with three layers of fibreglass, foam in between, covered with an additional three layers of fibreglass, making this a very strong bottom. The airplane is available with smoked windows. Also available is an electric in-flight adjustable variable pitch prop with a readout on the dashboard. As added options we offer a fishing rod tube, storage nets and we also offer trailers, specifically designed and built for the Seastar.
      We can also be build trailers to accommodate other airplanes. The "Long Distance Trailer" is lightweight and designed as a foam package, totally enclosed. The "Hangar on Wheels" is a flat deck trailer with a tilt deck and a clam type design, where the sides can be taken off the trailer and assembled on the ground of the airfield in order to create a hangar for the airplane. Additional options are deluxe upholstery, wing and body covers (made with industrial fabric) and a foam sandwich package for the long distance trailer that can be used for shipping the airplane.

specifications
 
powerplant
propeller
length
height
wing span
wing area
seats
empty weight
useful load
gross weight
fuel capacity
range
x
x
21.23 ft
7.42 ft
27.07 ft
x
x
661.5 lb
661.5 lb
1323 lb
x
6:00 hr

performance

takeoff distance, ground roll
rate of climb
max speed
cruise speed
landing distance, ground roll
service ceiling
820/657 ft
800 ft/min
102 mph
90 mph
x
x

limiting and recommended speeds

design manoeuvring speed (Va)
never exceed speed (Vne)
stall, power off (Vsl)
landing approach speed
80 mph
112 mph
40 mph
x

All specifications are based on manufacturer's calculations