Wayne Farley's Aviation Blog - Air Traffic Management

The Dornier Seastar is an ALL-COMPOSITE 12-seat, 10,000-lb. amphibious flying boat. The Seastar CD 2 aircraft is powered by two inline Pratt & Whitney PT-6 turboprop engines. It features state-of-the-art cockpit avionics, exterior and interior design, layouts, accessories, and comfort systems. This advanced Seastar design is backed by more than 90 years of Dornier engineering and experience in the operation of seaplanes.
The Seastar first flew in 1984 and only three were built before production was halted in 1991 due to a lack of funding. With the resurgence of the seaplane market, the Seastar is getting a second lease of life.
In May 2010, Dornier announced that it would build the Seastar in St-Jean-sur-Richelieu, about half an hour away from Montreal, Canada. The first Seastar is scheduled to roll off the production line in 2012 and carries a price tag of $6 million.






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 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)