Splash and Dash Searey Seaplane Delights
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 Photo Info
Posted By: Nickens, Dan
Date Posted: Oct 8, 2019
Description: Is there any way I would ever trade my SeaRey in on another plane?
It would take a heck of a good plane. I’ve tried plenty of others,
though, and they never measured up. It took a trip to Russia,
however, to find one that tempted me. The LA-65 SeaBear is one I
could love.
Date Taken: Sept. 28, 2019
Place Taken: Samara, Russia
Owner: Nickens, Dan
File Name:    - Photo HTML
Full size     - <img src="/show.php?splash=7XYNSnh1rh">
Medium    - <img src="/show.php?splash=7XYNSnh1rm">
Thumbnail - <img src="/show.php?splash=7XYNSnh1rs">
Category: Russian Seaplane Affairs
Favorite option: If you want this item to be marked as a favorite, click on the black heart. From Russia with Lots to Love    Make Cover Photo     
Clear Cover Photo      

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Viewers 

  

Read what others had to say:

Nickens, Dan - Oct 05,2019   Viewers  | Reply
    It’s Michael Smith’s fault. First, he goes around the world in his SeaRey. Then he spends a lot of
time finding a capable seaplane that would give him a similar experience that he could share with a
passenger. When he told me he was taking delivery of a replacement for his well-proven SeaRey, I
had to go check it out.

    
  
Nickens, Dan - Oct 05,2019   Viewers  | Reply
    Can a twin engine seaplane actually be fun to fly?

The Aircam is a great example of a twin that’s fun to fly. You can do many of the same things as a
SeaRey with one on amphibious floats. The flip side is you have to pay twice the fuel and
maintenance, but the performance is similar. And if you’re flying over a place you don’t want to
land, well, the second windmill can be a reassurance against an ill-timed
emergency landing.

How much is that worth? Probably not a lot for most of the flying we do in a SeaRey. But what if
you want to go somewhere far away? And remote?

Michael Smith literally wrote the book on that. And made the movie too. After doing it, though, he
wanted to take someone along with him to share the experience. That’s something he couldn’t do in
the SeaRey.

Instead he found a SeaBear. The LA-65. From Samara, Russia, center of Russia’s aerospace
industry.

For a few days at the end of September Mike was nice enough to share in the exotic, lovely machine
he’d found. And, to answer my question, it is fun to fly. Or, I should more accurately say, it’s going
to be FUN to FLY a LOT!

    
  
Nickens, Dan - Oct 05,2019   Viewers  | Reply
    Michael’s new SeaBear is the latest model of seaplane from a company that has been building
Russian seaplanes for twenty years. Its engineer told me that it is the company’s crowning
achievement. I didn’t get to fly the others, but this one would make a good crown for any light
aircraft company.

Here is a side-by-side comparison with one of the earlier models, a LA-45. The LA-64 is a bit longer,
a bit wider wing span, carries a heavier load and flies a bit faster. The thing is that the longer hull
improves already impressive water characteristics.

    
  
Don Maxwell - Oct 05,2019   Viewers  | Reply
    The new one looks much sleeker. Very nice. (And it hardly reminds me at all of how a Searey might look if something went wrong during construction--so much less like that single-engined one that looked like a Searey with a tractor engine.)     
  
Nickens, Dan - Oct 05,2019   Viewers  | Reply
    You mean the Borey? It’s made by another Russian company: AeroVolga. Got to fly that too. Pictures to follow.     
  
Ken Leonard - Oct 05,2019   Viewers  | Reply
    So the LA-45 isn’t rotax engine though, right? Those were lycoming if I remember correctly.     
  
Nickens, Dan - Oct 05,2019   Viewers  | Reply
    Negative. The L-45 comes with Rotax 912S or 914. Those on the L-65 are twin 915iS engines and they fit perfectly with this
airframe. 		    
  
Nickens, Dan - Oct 05,2019   Viewers  | Reply
    Just to be clear, Ken, they did say they could mount Lycomings (and maybe they have) but I was also told the Rotax engines work
best because of the power to weight ratio. In their view the 915iS is what makes the SeaBear the awesome performer it is (well,
that and the long wing). 		    
  
Nickens, Dan - Oct 05,2019   Viewers  | Reply
    The airplane is not your conventional looking seaplane. The twin V tail with over-the-top horizontal
stab and elevator gives it a distinctive look of its own.


What about the people behind the plane? Dimitri owns the company and is its test pilot. You can
tell by the hat!

    
  
Nickens, Dan - Oct 05,2019   Viewers  | Reply
    The engineer that guided us around has a degree in aeronautical engineering from the university in
Samara. He says it was the center of Soviet aerospace, and so there is a lot of technical expertise in
the area. That’s him in the middle trying to explain aerodynamics to Kevin and I.

    
  
Don Maxwell - Oct 05,2019   Viewers  | Reply
    да здравствует Дэн Никкенс! Or, alternatively and paraphrasing the Blues Brothers, "We're on a mission from Бог."     
  
Nickens, Dan - Oct 05,2019   Viewers  | Reply
    If there was a mission, Don, it was not reflected in these preposterously fake faces!     
  
Nickens, Dan - Oct 05,2019   Viewers  | Reply
    Michael Smith is one of the most gracious gentlemen I know. He’s also fool-hearty: he let me fly his
new airplane. I went up with Dmitry to insure I didn’t break it.

We were at a private airfield under the Samara airport control zone. Dmitri filed a flight plan. We
were off before the filed time, however, so what to do? Low passes over the airfield and circuits at
300’!

When we got our clearance to depart we still had to remain low. We followed a road westward at
300’ (or 100 meters, actually). Legally. Amazing.

    
  
Nickens, Dan - Oct 05,2019   Viewers  | Reply
    It wasn’t very far to the Volga River. After we got over the river we could climb up to 500’, but why?
The scenery at down low with the fall colors was spectacular.

    
  
Nickens, Dan - Oct 05,2019   Viewers  | Reply
    What’s the point to flying a seaplane if you can’t splash on the water? We did. Six times. I was
guessing Dmitri thought I needed the practice. I didn’t because landing the SeaBear is like landing
the SeaRey: natural and easy!

And when you’ve landed, you can climb out of the hatch and walk around on top of the airplane
prolonging the enjoyment.

    
  
Philip Mendelson - Oct 12,2019   Viewers  | Reply
    Very Dapper, can we say Bond? as in Dan Nick Bond?     
  
Don Maxwell - Oct 05,2019   Viewers  | Reply
    Yes, I loved that tail right from the start (in the first version). It's the only tail I've ever seen with the horizontal stabilizer on the top that looks strong. (Compare the Icon's T-tail that broke off recently.)     
  
Russ Garner - Oct 06,2019   Viewers  | Reply
    Butt heavy needs two engines to get its ass in the air.     
  
Nickens, Dan - Oct 06,2019   Viewers  | Reply
    That’s funny, Russ. Not true, but funny.     
  
Russ Garner - Oct 07,2019   Viewers  | Reply
    LOL     
  
Ken Leonard - Oct 06,2019   Viewers  | Reply
    Agree that the tail looks to be the strongest design feature of the plane. I saw a picture of the internal hull structure under the floor
at some point and that area also follows the typical Russian aircraft design of “way stronger than you should need and then some
more”. 		    
  
Nickens, Dan - Oct 05,2019   Viewers  | Reply
    It’s a seriously strong tail, Don (matching the rest of the plane).     
  
Mark MacKinnon - Oct 06,2019   Viewers  | Reply
    But how heavy is it Dan? What's it's useful load?     
  
Nickens, Dan - Oct 06,2019   Viewers  | Reply
    It’s strong but light (for a twin), Mark. I’ll post the tech specs on STS.     
  
Nickens, Dan - Oct 05,2019   Viewers  | Reply
    I love this airplane! I’ve gotta get me one of these!

    
  
Don Maxwell - Oct 05,2019   Viewers  | Reply
    How's its ground handling, Dan? Maybe it's the camera's perspective--but it looks like there's a lot of weight up high, with narrow main gear and not much distance between the mains and the tail wheel.     
  
Nickens, Dan - Oct 05,2019   Viewers  | Reply
    This is still hard for me to believe, Don, but Michael allowed me to fly it before he did. Dimitri had the good sense to make the
runway landing on a short runway in a strong crosswind. When I have time to be more serious I’ll post additional information about
specific characteristics on the technical site. 		    
  
Ken Leonard - Oct 05,2019   Viewers  | Reply
    Very cool Dan. I had my wife 1/2 convinced to travel to Russia with me a year ago to fly this.
Not sure what the registration hassles would be in the states, but it looks like a great motor home for the wife and me to explore in. 		    
  
Nickens, Dan - Oct 05,2019   Viewers  | Reply
    Seems as if we both have some wife convincing to do, Ken. This machine is the perfect Seaplane RV.     
  
Dennis Scearce - Oct 05,2019   Viewers  | Reply
    What's the cost in USD? Couldn't find a used n on Barnstormers.     
  
Nickens, Dan - Oct 05,2019   Viewers  | Reply
    Kevin Oakes is talking with them about importing the 51% kit.     
  
Neil Robertson - Oct 05,2019   Viewers  | Reply
    I think it’s a pretty cool plane in a lot of different ways. Is there another point of egress or just the aft hatch way?     
  
Nickens, Dan - Oct 05,2019   Viewers  | Reply
    Yes, there’s an overhead hatch above the cockpit.     
  
Jon Ladd - Oct 07,2019   Viewers  | Reply
    That can’t be you Dan, I have ever seen you flying with gear down.     
  
Dennis Scearce - Oct 08,2019   Viewers  | Reply
    WUFF in Russian is .....WUFF     
  
Nickens, Dan - Oct 07,2019   Viewers  | Reply
    It’s true, Jon. I’m afflicted with a severe form of GUC (Gear Up Compulsion). It’s not so bad though when I’m on the ground taking
pictures of normal pilots. 		    
  
Daniel Myers - Oct 08,2019   Viewers  | Reply
    https://seaplanemagazine.com/2019/09/26/ack-62-new-russian-twin-engine-seaplane/

I still like Michael's plane better 		     Attachments:  

ACK-62
ACK-62

    
  
Nickens, Dan - Oct 08,2019   Viewers  | Reply
    Valentine and I discussed the ACK-62, Daniel. He said he has worked with them on the design. While he was complimentary he said
the company still has some issues to work out with the airplane. It looks great but like you I think Michael made the right choice. 		    


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