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 Previous Item - Searey Checklist
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Don Maxwell - Dec 04,2019
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DRAFT - We'll be adding to this topic aggressively and as quickly as possible.
If you have additions or suggestions, please just add them as replies to this post, and the administrators will sort things out so as to make this topic relatively stable and informative to anyone looking for info about Seareys--what they can do, how to get a ride in one, where to buy one, where to get reliable technical advice about them, who builds and repairs them, who does transition training, ferrying. Etc, etc.
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DESCRIPTION
Searey is a two-place amphibious flying boat that is available as a kit for amateur builders and also as a factory-built, ready to fly S-LSA airplane. It is an airplane (not an ultralight), so the pilot needs a license--Sport Pilot or higher--and a seaplane rating or endorsement.
"Flying boat" means it floats on its fuselage, like a boat. It is not a floatplane, with pontoons; but it does have small floats under the wings for stability on the water. It has conventional landing gear (that is, a tail wheel) because that makes it easier to taxi up sandy beaches, where a nose wheel would dig in. All three wheels retract for water operations. It is docile on land and surprisingly adroit on water.
Unlike other flying boats, Searey has sliding canopies, one for each occupant, that can be slid back any amount for ventilation, photography, waving at boaters, or for entry and exit. (The canopies also permit easy egress in an emergency, regardless of whether the airplane is upright or inverted, on land or in water. Most other seaplanes are hard to get out of in such conditions.)
Seareys were designed with inland waterways in mind, not primarily for long-distance travel. However, they have been operated successfully in the open ocean, and one was flown around the world in 2015.
PERFORMANCE
Cruising speed is typically 80-100 mph, although that varies somewhat depending on the engine, the propeller, the load, the weather, and so on. The "redline" (Vne) is 120 mph.
Landing speed is about 45 mph--depending on all sorts of factors. But a good approach speed on short final is around 60 mph because, being light, a Searey slows quickly with the power off. With the engine idling, it goes from 50 to 40 mph in no time at all.
Takeoff distance is around 400-500 feet, also depending. Typical takeoffs take about 10 seconds on land or water.
Landing distance is about the same--for the airplane. Most pilots need more like 1,000 feet.
Most Seareys have an endurance of around 4 hours, with the required fuel reserve; but that depends on the size of the fuel tank, the engine choice (Rotax four-stroke engines of 80, 100, 115, 135, or 141 hp) and a few other factors.
The Light Sport version (S-LSA) has a maximum gross weight of 1430 lbs and a useful load of around 450 lbs.
The Experimental Amateur-built version can be built to the same specifications as the S-LSA, but can be certified at up to around 1500 lbs, with a correspondingly higher useful load.
AVAILABILITY
Kits and the completed airplanes are produced by Progressive Aerodyne, of Tavares, Florida, USA. There is a factory-assistance option for builders in a hurry.
More than 600 Seareys are flying, world-wide.
Occasionally, used Seareys become available for purchase. Prices depend on the age, engine, and many other factors. They range typically between about $40,000 and $100,00.
Demo rides are available at the Progressive Aerodyne factory and the various Searey dealers listed on the factory's website. Also, many Searey owners enjoy taking people for rides.
TRANSITION TRAINING
Seareys are stable, reliable, and easy to fly. They're great fun.
They're not toys, however. They have low mass and high lift, so they are more sensitive to wind and power than, say, a Cessna. Also, operating on the water is more complicated than on pavement or turf. There's quite a lot to learn in order to transition safely from a typical landplane or even another seaplane. Therefore, good transition training is-- well, frankly, it's essential. Yes, some pilots do teach themselves to fly Seareys successfully. But they're exceptions. Most of us are not that exceptional, so we get training. Typical transition training takes about a week, with 10 or more hours of dual instruction with an experienced Searey instructor. It's possible to combine transition training with seaplane training, and some lucky pilots have learned to fly from scratch in a Searey.
COMMUNITY
THIS site, Splash & Dash, is the public face of the Searey community.
There is an active Searey Technical Site--STS for short--that is THE source for technical advice and discussion and for Searey safety information. STS is free to all Searey owners and builders. But in the interest of candid and focused discussions, it is not open to the general public.
To join STS, click on the word Help in the upper right corner of this page. Enter your contact info and your Searey kit or serial number.
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Progressive Aerodyne
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| Attachments:
Searey Technical Site (STS)
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Dave Edward - Nov 17,2019
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Nice write up Don
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Nickens, Dan - Nov 17,2019
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Good, and accurate, information, Don. Hopefully this area of the Splash&Dash site will be a useful introduction for people unfamiliar with the SeaRey. Though highly technical information and accident reports are still inappropriate on SND, general background is welcome and will be beneficial for our community. Thanks for developing and implementing a most excellent idea!
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John Dunlop - Jan 12,2020
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Thank you Don!
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Robert Richardson IV - Jan 17,2020
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Don, based on Ratti’s recent post on STS, you might want to add a “maintenance†section. As we all know seaplanes, to
include SRs, require a commitment to maintenance, not just by A&P. This especially true around salt or brackish waters.
After every flight, I spend @mins hosing and wiping down my SeaRey. Through in the need to rust protect all exposed
metal.
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