Seaplanes Learn to Play Nice Together: Searey and Aventura II

This video is of a Searey Classic and an Aventura II flying together over---and on----a lake while their pilots tried to figure out how to make them play nice together.
Searey and Aventura II have a common ancestor, the Buccaneer II, so they look a lot alike and have other features in common. Both are two -place amphibious flying boats. That is, they can carry two persons and land on and takeoff from both water and land.
But a closer look shows that they're quite different airplanes. Seareys have sliding canopies that can be in any position in flight. Aventuras have doors that can be removed in mild weather but are either on or off, with no in-between position.
Aventuras are lighter, and their wings and tails are covered with fabric "socks" that are pulled onto the framework and then shrunk taut. Seareys have more rigid, traditional built-up wings and tail surfaces, and they're designed for somewhat higher speeds. (No flying boats are fast airplanes, however; flying fast is not the mission of seaplanes.) Most Searays have more powerful engines than most Aventuras. They fly faster and weigh more. Aventuras tend to fly slower and therefore may be somewhat more maneuverable.
These particular seaplanes are in the Experimental Amateur-built category. Both were purchased as kits and constructed by their purchasers, who are the official "Manufacturers" of the airplanes. Both were inspected by FAA representatives and found to be airworthy. Both require the pilots to be licensed and seaplane rated or endorsed.
This Aventura II is powered by a two-stroke 65 hp Rotax 582 airplane engine. (Most recent Aventuras have the same engine that most Seareys have, the Rotax 912S.) This Searey has a 115 hp turbocharged Rotax 914. The power, weght, airfoil, and other differences cause the two airplanes fly rather differently, so maneuvering them close together was sometimes a challenge--but great flying fun!
Flight conditions on this day were "interesting." It was a gorgeous fall afternoon in central Virginia, with blue sky and many fair-weather cumulus clouds at the tops of thermals.The wind was light, but the thermals made the air somewhat unsteady near the surface, and that sometimes complicated the landings.

[@Seafariireland]

Very interesting to see a pair of amphibians sharing air and water space!

[@edpaine7982]

What a terrific way to spend an afternoon! Can’t wait to get another Aventura UL, I sold my first one while renovating our house, big mistake….

[@JS-hz6dv]

Very cool! Beautiful views! Nice..

[@ruhrpicture5391]

Good video....thank's and nice greetings from germany 🙂

[@ibiufos]

I can't wait to be able to get 1 of these to take off from the land and land at my friends lodge on the water 2 1/2 hrs by car away should be able to do it in about a hour be truly fantastic. Can't wait.

[@jrbailey3208]

The Aventura looks like it might do what I need to do after I move up to Alaska, which is a tool to be used for crabbing, squidding, and shrimping! I would also use it for larger Lake fishing purposes as well. I like the mounting position of the motor on the Aventura far better than on the Sea Ray. Have you ever landed you're aircraft in salt water before, and if so how much different is that than on a lake? Thank you for your time.

[@THEDonMaxwell]

The Aventura and the Searey have almost identical dimensions, structures, and engine mountings. They differ mainly in two respects: 1. The Aventura's wings are covered by fabric "socks" that are pulled on over the framework the way a sock is pulled onto a foot, and there are flexible battens instead of rigid ribs. The Searey has rigid, "built-up" wings and ribs that are covered by glued-on fabric. The more rigid wings allow the Searey to fly about 25% faster than the Aventura, but they take longer to build. 2. The Aventura has large doors that can be removed, but they're either removed or they're closed. The sides of the fuselage angle up and inward from the bottom of the door openings to the bottom of the wings. The Searey on the other hand, has sliding canopies that can be opened to any position in flight, and the fuselage is connected to the wings by a narrow vertical pylon that allows the canopies to be slid all the way back. This gives the Aventura somewhat more room inside, both in the cockpit and the baggage compartment behind the seats. But the doors cannot be adjusted in flight the way the Searey canopies can be. Both airplanes have composite hulls and can be used in salt water; but their internal frameworks are aluminum, so it's important to get the salt off quickly and thoroughly to prevent corrosion.

[@falcn12]

Love the robots accent.

[@AndySjostrom]

It would take me about 3o. seconds to replace and lose that auto landing warning if I could turn it of or disable it.

[@THEDonMaxwell]

Ha! Yes, it's intended to be annoying, and it is--but for good reason. Incorrect landing gear position is THE leading cause of amphibian accidents, and many of those accidents are fatal. (The leading cause of death in seaplane accidents is drowning.) All amphibian pilots are taught to be extra vigilant about the landing gear--to check the position several times during every landing, and to say aloud (even when alone) something like, "This is a WATER landing, so the landing gear is UP." Unfortunately, even that practice may not be sufficient when a pilot gets busy or distracted. The ACI Searey Landing Gear Alert requires the pilot to indicate whether the landing is to be on water or land, and then it either confirms that the landing gear is in the correct position for that choice, or else it objects very stridently that something is wrong. But its strongest feature, I believe, is that about 50 seconds after every takeoff it checks the landing gear position. If the gear is up, it flashes the lights once to let the pilot know that it's working. But if the gear is still down, it says, "Raise gear. Raise gear." That is, it doesn't merely name a condition, it reminds the busy pilot what to do. Amphibian pilots all recognize that we can't do a gear-down water landing if the gear is up, so we always intend to fly that way. Landing an amphibian on land with the gear up, on the other hand, is usually not a big deal. It might help to know that the developer, John Dunlop, flew F-100s and then had a second career as an airline captain, until the age requirement forced him to retire, whereupon he became a Searey builder and dealer. In other words, it's not a device developed casually by an amateur. It might amuse you to know that several years before Dunlop developed the gear alert, I let my concentration lapse and landed in the water with the wheels down and came to upside down, under water. So this is very serious business for me.

[@tlifosjoe]

Great video. Where can I purchase the robot? Is the installation complex?

[@THEDonMaxwell]

I'm glad you enjoyed the video. It was a lovely afternoon of seaplane flying. The robot is an ACI 2070A SeaRey Landing Gear Alert. (The "A" is significant--it's for amphibians.) The Gear Alert monitors flap position, airspeed, and landing gear position. It requires the pilot to decide whether each landing will be on water or land and to press the appropriate button. If the airplane is configured correctly for a water landing, a woman's voice says "Water landing, okay." If correct for a land landing, a man's voice says, "Runway landing, okay." If anything is wrong, the woman says, "CHECK LANDING GEAR! over and over again until the condition is corrected. She's VERY hard to ignore. The most important check of all comes after takeoff: if the landing gear is still down after the flaps are retracted, the Alert says, "RAISE GEAR, RAISE GEAR." That's essential because you can not do a gear-down water landing if the gear is up. (You'd be surprised by how often amphibian pilots forget to raise the gear after takeoff.) Installation is easy: Attach the little box to the airplane and install the two lighted push button switches where you can see and reach them easily. Connect a hose to the pitot hose (or tubing) using a T fitting. Connect wires to aircraft power, the flap position indicator, the landing gear position switches, and to the intercom. There's a simple calibration test to adjust the activation speed and to make sure everything works right. The best price is US$708. (That may seem expensive; it's not--especially compared to the high cost of drowning.) For more info and to purchase: www.seareycanada.com/searey_gear_alert.htm

[@donzioldbuddy]

Imagine flying a wheeled plane like this…head to cool airports, land and taxi back to take off never getting out…all the great things about being on the water like fishing, swimming, picnicking are missed…shame

[@jangwoojun]

Good... select landing

[@tonydavis5053]

We had a local Dr. that attempted a water landing and forgot to retract his wheels when he touched down he immediately flipped over and killed him self,wife, and dog? New plane and certification.

[@Sokeresa]

How do you do a water run up before take off, doesn't the plane move?

[@THEDonMaxwell]

Yes, the plane moves on the water as soon as the engine starts. But ordinarily that isn't a problem, unless the takeoff area is very small or congested. Run-up rpm is much lower than takeoff rpm, and the run-up takes only a few seconds, so the airplane doesn't move very far. And an amphibian on shore can run up before entering the water.

[@wernerdanler2742]

When it asks you to select landing, if you say land or ground does it bring the gear down automatically or does it advise you to do it?

[@THEDonMaxwell]

It's checking up on me: When the flaps are down in the landing position and the airspeed is below a certain setpoint, it asks me to press either the "water" button or the "runway" button. If the wheels are in the correct position for the landing surface I select, it tells me I'm okay. If not, it warns me to re-check the landing gear position before landing. Its most important check, however, happens about 40 seconds after takeoff. If the wheels are still down then, it reminds me to raise them. That's especially important because with the wheels up it's impossible to land on water with the wheels down. Landing on land with the wheels up is embarrassing in a Searey; but landing on water with the wheels down is always very, very bad.

[@wernerdanler2742]

@@THEDonMaxwell so u have to operate them manually, right? At least it reminds. Most non-sea planes don't do that. I have seen several vids of gear up landings. Beyond embarrassing.

[@andygo9704]

If my memory serves me correctly, this system is called "foolproof". Right? Convenient control over the position of the chassis. Very relevant, especially after takeoff and before landing. Cool for such a small plane!

[@smithcha1]

How much is the AventuraII??????

[@THEDonMaxwell]

Used Aventuras and Seareys come up for sale now and then. For kits and factory-built airplanes, see these sites: www.searey.com/ www.sea-plane.com/

[@frederickbecinaencio8161]

how about a 300 hp car engine on that?

[@peter6782]

you have a problem at that height and it's going to go wrong very fast for you!!!!

[@THEDonMaxwell]

Hm... I don't understand what you're referring to. What problem? There's nothing in the video that isn't standard amphibious seaplane practice. Maybe you can explain what you mean.

[@gg5115]

Yer robot... sux

[@view2sight]

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