Dornier Attempting To Resurrect Flying Boat

David Collogan
NBAA 2008, Orlando, Fla.
Coronado Dornier, the grandson of the man who developed the original flying boat nearly a century ago, said he plans to build a large twin-turboprop flying boat in the U.S.

Dornier said his family has invested more than $150 million in the Seastar project to date and achieved FAA Part 23 certification and approval by European certification officials in the early 1990s. But even though two flying aircraft were built, the unpressurized six-to-twelve passenger amphibian was never put into full-scale production.

The conforming aircraft, powered by two in-line Pratt &Whitney Canada PT6A-135 turboprops, each developing 650-shaft-horsepower, was maintained in flying shape in Germany where it was developed for the past decade. Late last month it was flown to Orlando ,Fla. It is on display at this week's National Business Aviation Association show.

Joe Walker, the former Gulfstream Aerospace marketing executive who headed Adam Aircraft before it encountered financial problems, is the new CEO of Dornier Seaplane Company. Walker did part of the flying on the flight from Germany to the U.S.. He described the Seastar as very docile, with a cabin 50 percent larger than a Cessna Caravan on floats and between the King Air 200 and King Air 350 in size.

The 10,000-pound Seastar has a maximum cruise speed of 180 knots. Dornier and Walker emphasized that the aircraft was a purpose-built seaplane, unlike many seaplanes now in service that are conventional airplanes mounted on floats. As a result, they said the Seastar is able to operate safely in rougher seas than other amphibians. And because it is built of composites, it is largely impervious to the corrosion problems that plague metal seaplanes.

Production models of the Seastar will be priced at $6 million and Walker said he believes there will be a market for 300 to 500 units over the first 10 years of production, noting that there is a current worldwide population of about 4,500 float-equipped aircraft. Potential uses include serving as an "island hopper" for commercial operators in the Caribbean and similar environments, for search and rescue missions, as a possible replacement for helicopters in serving over-water oil drilling rigs and for individuals who own homes near lakes, oceans and other waterways suitable for seaplane use.

Walker and Dornier say they have been reviewing possible factory sites in the U.S., probably in the Southeast U.S., for several months and hope to make a selection later this year or early in 2009. They believe the first new production Seastar could roll out of the new factory in 2010, with production building to 12 units per month by 2012 and as high as 24 the following year.