Forum: Civil and General Aviation

Yep, some unlikely coincidences indeed Smile

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I like the looks and versatility of the Seawind myself and it never hurts to know I'm not alone as a fan of that plane.

The Dornier is very cool and your friend was very lucky! It's got a certain amount of "old school" charm about it, but it sounds so weird with those turboprops. I can only imagine what the three round engines would have sounded like!

If you get to see it again, ask the guys what it was like flying from San Diego bay Laughing

! Confined airspace, proximity to airliners, and a leak on one side overnight to the point of nearly sinking should give you a few ideas Wink

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Have fun!

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Good info! I'll ask. My buddy actually speaks regularly to Iren Dornier.

Huggy,

No problemo Wink

. Funny the connections you can make on a forum like this Cool

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My favorite civilian airplane is the good old stiff-legged Cessna 182. No better combination of looks, speed, load-carrying ability and economy exists. My second choice would be a 180-hp fixed gear Cessna Cardinal. Now THERE is a good-looking airplane! It's almost as fast as a 182, too.

I'm not a slave to Cessna--just think that those two airplanes make the most sense for a pilot who is not rich (but obviously wealthy enough to afford to fly). I'm drooling over the Cardinal that AOPA is giving away this year. Brings back a lot of memories!!

parrothead wrote:

I like the looks and versatility of the Seawind myself and it never hurts to know I'm not alone as a fan of that plane.

FYI: Seawind just announced they are closing their doors, due to a loss of financial sponsors following their certification demo aircraft's crash last month. Go to avweb.com for more details.

While I was sorry to hear about their loss, this is even worse. The part I don't understand is why this would be the case when the cause was reported as engine failure - and it's a well known engine?

There goes another one of my plans - right along with that Concorde flight and watching SR-71s shoot touch and goes...

Thanks for the tip, Huggy.

New update today via AOPA:
SEAWIND REAFFIRMS INTERRUPTION IN OPERATIONS
Given a recent fatal crash and the withdrawal of funds by the Canadian government, Seawind Aircraft has been forced to interrupt development of the amphibious aircraft. Development will be on hold until the cause of the fatal crash of a certification test airplane in Canada last month is known and at least $2 million in funding is secured. This week rumors emerged that the company would terminate efforts to develop the aircraft. "We never said that," said Seawind President Richard Silva. The Canadian government withdrew funding based on delays in certification and the accident, but it is not known if the withdrawal is permanent, Silva said.

Finally - some GOOD aviaion news Very Happy

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No matter how this turns out, I'm thinking that Dornier's plan to enter the seaplane/amphib LSA market is going to make a big hit. If Seawind does make a comeback, the Dornier S-Ray is going to be some serious competition. If Seawind doesn't make it, the S-Ray will OWN the market.

S-Ray

???

Dude - I hadn't heard about that one - and I LOVE seaplanes!!!

Must go research...

I think I could live with this Cool

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http://www.flickr.com/photos/observethe ... 969382636/

Of course, the Sea Wind seats four... But the S-Ray only takes a Sport Pilot ticket...

That is nice, I'd like to pilot that myself....cool design, foldable wings too...not bad at all

Forum: Civil and General Aviation

Favorite civilian airplane.