(click pic to enlarge) The Seastar, from Dornier Seaplane Company, at Oshkosh 2010
I got several pictures like the one above of the Dornier Seaplane Company's 'Seastar' at Oshkosh 2010. It was a hard airplane to miss since it's pretty large and rather unusual. Well, unusual since we don't see very many new production seaplanes these days. But, there was a time when much of the really amazing stuff going on in the world of aviation was happening on the water. From the mid 20's to the mid 30's, all the aircraft speed records were set by seaplanes... really fast seaplanes! During the same time period, the large and comfortable commercial transport aircraft for overseas travel were elegant flying boats. And, the largest airplane in the world in 1929 was the Do X, built by: Dornier.
The Dornier Seaplane Company has its roots in the amazing legacy of the Dornier flying boats, but it's interesting to note that DSC is actually an American corporation owned by the family of Conrado Dornier, heir to a three-generation family tradition of designing and building flying boats. You may already know that the Seastar has actually been around for a while now. The first flights were in the mid 80's and the design was certified in the early 90's, but it's only been recently that a commitment to producing the aircraft has been made.
(click pic to enlarge) Seastar amphibious flying boat in flight (photo: Dornier Seaplane)
When I saw the airplane at Oshkosh, I thought, hmm, that's interesting... looks like fun. But I didn't really think thru all that this unique airplane has to offer. It's only been recently that it's struck me; wow, this Seastar is a really awesome idea! The vision that Conrado's father, Professor Claudius Dornier Jr. (son of the Dornier founder Claude Dornier) had for the Seastar was to use composite materials to alleviate the two big problems of seaplanes: corrosion and leakage. The result is an airplane with vastly superior reliability on the harsh environment of the sea.
It's hard to believe, but it's not uncommon for hardcore operators of older aluminum seaplanes (mostly floatplanes) to spend the equivalent of their used aircraft's value each year on extensive overhaul work due to exposure to salty sea water. Composite seaplanes are likely to revolutionize they way operators are able to reduce long-term costs.