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A heavily loaded plane flying off calm water in hot humid,
muggy conditions, are not ingredients for great performance in an
underpowered airplane. These conditions provide reduced lift, poor
engine performance, and substantially less thrust from a prop than they
would at other times of the year. Thus the more
power the better!
The Rotax 914 engine sits on a very substantial motor
mount at the rear of the plane, with the turbo tucked up under the
engine. The whole engine is out in the open for easy preflight, but does
require a ladder to get up to it. The radiator is hidden in a cowl
located at the leading edge of the wing, and the oil cooled is mounted
below the engine in front of the turbo charger.
Checking the oil is a little tricky as the tank is
located in front of the engine, but has to be accessed from the rear of
the engine. Changing the oil is made a lot easier by the the addition of
a drain valve to the bottom of the oil tank which can be connected to a
draining tube. Without this things can get a little messy during an oil
change.
Oil filter, spark plugs, spark plug caps, coolant
level are all easily accessed from the ground or a short step ladder.
Ground Handling
It will take most pilots a couple of minutes to get
use to laying back in the sling style seats, rather than sitting up in
the straight back style found in most craft. But after a few minutes it
will become very natural and comfortable.
The main control systems are very comfortably located.
With the throttle sitting in your hand at arms length between the seats.
The manual trim is just centrally above your head, and the flap handle
in the center section between the seats, at shoulder level, can be
reached by either pilot.
Throttle response is very smooth, but you have a lot
of power above and behind you, in a very heavy aircraft. Power should be
applied slowly and gradually until the craft starts to move.
Ground Handling is via a steerable tail wheel
connected to the rudder cables. The plane reacts well to input BUT does
take a little bit of getting use to, as most tail draggers do. Visibility while taxiing is
excellent as there is nothing blocking your view forward, or to the
side, and a pilot can stick his head out to view rearward.
The cable operated brakes drum brakes are engaged via
a brake lever on the pilots joy stick. These are effective up to a
point. That is they will slow you down and stop you, just not as quickly
as some might want. Pilots will find that they do not work if the plane
has just come out of the water or is just going back in from coming out.
The tailwheel steering system on the SeaRey is a very
strong and reliable unit, especially when you take into consideration
that unlike land planes where the gear is fixed, the tail wheel has to
retract and isn't able to take advantage of using main fuselage
components for additional strength.
An added feature is that it is able to rotate around
180 degrees, which allows the SeaRey to be be pushed or pulled backwards
for easy of parking etc. However pilots should be made aware that the SeaRey does
not like to be pushed or pulled backwards abruptly! This can result in the tail wheel
retract cable breaking!
The main gear suspension for the plane is provided by the two
very hefty steel landing gear tubes, and tires. The plane has a very
wide stance. This and the heavier weight of the craft make it a plane
that is very stable to taxi on the ground. With no tendency to lift it's
wings, or tail. |
