Dornier Seastar
| Seastar | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Role | Utility amphibian |
| National origin | Germany |
| Manufacturer | Dornier Seaplane Company |
| Designer | Claudius Dornier Jr |
| First flight | 17 August 1984 |
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The Dornier Seastar is a turboprop-powered amphibious aircraft built largely of composite materials. Developed by Claudius Dornier Jr of Germany, it first flew in 1984. The design is owned by Claudius Jr's son, Conrado, who founded Dornier Seawings AG (now Dornier Seaplane Company) to continue work on the project.
Design and development
The Seastar is a parasol wing flying boat, with its two engines mounted in a single nacelle over the wings in a push-pull configuration. In general layout, it strongly resembles both the innovative Dornier Wal all-metal monoplane flying boat of the 1920s, of which over 250 examples were built; and its direct successor, the larger Dornier Flugzeugwerke's Do 18 of the 1930s.
The first prototype, a proof-of-concept aircraft using the metal wings from a Dornier Do 28 and with large struts bracing the wing to the sponsons, made its maiden flight from Hamburg on 17 August 1984.[1] The second prototype, representing the definitive design was larger, and featured a new composite wing, connected with a set of cabane struts to the fuselage only. It first flew from Oberpfaffenhofen on 24 April 1987.[1]
In October 2009, Dornier Seaplane announced that it would launch production of the Seastar.[2]
In May 2010, Dornier Seaplane announced that it would build the Seastar in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, about half an hour away from Montreal, Quebec, Canada.[3]
The company has since become a joint venture involving two Chinese state owned companies and plans to produce the aircraft in two locations, with one site in Oberpfaffenhofen, Germany and another in Wuxi, China. [4]
In January 2016, Dornier Seaplane announced that Seastar airframes would be built by Diamond Aircraft Industries. [5]
Variants
- Seastar CD-2
Specifications (Seastar CD-2)
Data from Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1988-89[6]
General characteristics
- Crew: One or two
- Capacity: 12 passengers
- Length: 12.46 m (40 ft 10½ in)
- Wingspan: 15.50 m (50 ft 10¼ in)
- Height: 4.60 m (15 ft 1 in)
- Wing area: 28.48 m2 (306.6 ft2)
- Empty weight: 2,400 kg (5,291 lb)
- Gross weight: 4,200 kg (9,259 lb)
- Powerplant: 2 × Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-112, 373 kW (500 hp) each each
Performance
- Cruising speed: 341 km/h (212 mph)
- Stall speed: 115 km/h (72 mph)
- Range: 1,850 km (1,150 miles)
- Endurance: 9[7] hours 12 min
- Service ceiling: 8,535 m (28,000 ft)
- Rate of climb: 8.0 m/s (1,575 ft/min)
- Takeoff Distance to 15 m (50 ft): 410 m (1,345 ft)
- Landing Distance from 15 m (50 ft) (on land): 480 m (1,575 ft)
See also
- Aircraft of comparable role, configuration and era
- Related lists
References
- 1 2 Air International October 1988, p. 189.
- ↑ Sarsfield, Kate (2009-10-22). "NBAA 09: Buoyant seaplane market triggers Seastar launch". flightglobal. Retrieved 2009-10-23.
- ↑ Jolicoeur, Marin (2010-06-05). "Aérospatiale: Dornier s'implantera finalement au Québec". les affaires. Retrieved 2010-05-07.
- ↑ "Company". Dornier Seawings. Retrieved 6 December 2015.
- ↑ "Diamond to build Seastar airframes". Flying Magazine. Retrieved 29 January 2016.
- ↑ Taylor 1988, pp. 86–87.
- ↑ One engine
- "Dornier re-invents the Wal...and a Seastar is born". Air International, October 1988, Vol 35 No 4. pp. 184–192.
- Taylor, John W. R. Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1988-89. Coulsdon, UK:Jane's Defence Data, 1988. ISBN 0-7106-0867-5.
External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to Dornier Seastar. |
- Dornier Seaplane Company's Seastar overview page
- Dornier Seaplane Company's Seastar Brochure (PDF file)
- Dornier nears decision on Seastar final assembly base
- http://www.flugzeuginfo.net/acdata_php/acdata_cd2_en.php
- The Flying Boat is Back | FLYING Magazine
- "SEASTAR" Aviation&Weekly Video
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