Sea Planes

The Von Karman-Gabrielli diagram attached below represents the current maximum transport efficiency for various transportation modes. The cruise power per unit weight, P/W ratio is very low for WIG boats as compared to other forms of transport.

As a matter of interest Bugatti the builder of Megayachts is currently advertizing WIG Boats for the super wealthy see attached images below

 

Wigs are obviously an exception. Nobody considers them 'real' airplanes; not even the gov't sanctioning bodies. We were talking about real airplanes in this thread. WIG type craft are more akin to fast watercraft.

 

1. No one may consider WIG's real aircraft, however I know first hand that some designs can go higher that 50 feet in the air and out of ground effect if they so choose to. Of course this is a big NO-NO, as most WIG's lack some of the control surfaces true aircraft seem to need - plus there is the FAA and all those rules intended to protect us from our foolish selves.

2. Taking off and landing a seaplane is similar to WIG behaviour and must adbide to all the same laws of physics. I see some relevancy to include them in any discussion, just as long as we all understand the context of their being mentioned.

 

WIGs: An Unclassifible Vehicle

I agree with those who state it not airplane and those who that state is not a boat. Or as I like to say, it is literally a flying boat with its wings clipped.

It operates in the regime of transition between true vessel that has contact with water and an aircraft that is free from the earth surface and its effects.

In addition, that in this regime the best transport efficiency can be obtained for maximizing payload weight and speed transported at the lowest possible cost. This is why I believe that the future looks bright for WIGs.

I've have been looking for a forum to discuss WIGs and Seaplanes. As a matter of fact, I tried AirplaneDesign.aero and found nothing when searching for posts on amphibians, seaplanes, flying boats or WIGs.

My main goal (when I retire shortly after 40 years in both the marine and aerospace industry as a mechanical design engineer) is to create and test different WIG's design as scale models. I've read all the NACA papers on flying boat tests and ground effect and everything I can find on the internet.

I am interested if anyone has any lessons-learned based on test or experiences, so that I may avoid any pitfalls. Also, would like to provide any assistance to anyone in the design or built of their Seaplane or WIG endeavours.

 

They all however have one thing in common, they cause Noise and Air pollution and waste hugh amounts of natural carbon fuels (except airships and they don't count, apparantly!)

 

Do an advanced seach using my user name "kach22i", you may find more posts in this forum that way.

May I suggest joining the Hovercraft Club of America, I'm a member and there are often articles on WIG's in our bi-monthly news letter.

Link-1:
http://www.hoverclubofamerica.org/

You can post as a guest, but once a member you can see all the images, post topics and download many pdf papers.

You could also try the UK site and do a seach or two.

Link-2:
http://hovercraft.org.uk/FUDforum2/index.php?t=i&cat=2&S=b392d539f3af10521ca0906a36277bf8

I think that to get started you will be building a few scale models, so you better bookmark this site too.

Link-3:
http://rc-hovercrafts.com/phpBB2/index.php

Universal Hovercraft has WIG's for sale, and Weber Hovercraft has a few old experiments posted on the Internet. The advantage of an air cushion landing system is safety, but it's higher air drag (mostly because of upward attitude pitch) means lower operating speeds in general. I've read that WIG mode actually consumes more fuel than hovercraft mode for the above mentioned reasons.

EDIT:
Above all else; Never fly higher than you are willing to fall.

Do some research, you will find that many WIG inventors/innovators have met an early death. Same can be said of Ultra-light operators. Hovercraft people live longer and have an excellent safety record.

EDIT II
Another UK RC model site.
Air & Marine
http://www.msuk-forum.co.uk/index.php?act=idx

Looks interesting.

 

Thanks kach22i

I appreciate the info & links and will investigate.

My plan is to design, build, and test some RC dynamic scale model WIGs and then maybe advance to an Unmanned Surface Vehicle of a WIG Type.

 

'And the another benefit is, the plane if it got into difficulties could be put down in any stretch of calm water'

what if there is no calm water? isn't it likely that more accidents will happen in bad weather?

Gr8 idea otherwise poida

 

I love Seaplanes. I especially love anything amphibious. That's why I spent three years working on DUKW-253 WWII amphibious landing crafts. Lots of people have them, but I loved actually taking passengers for cruises in them. It was fun work. Amphibious things that fly are better yet. A year or more ago I had some friends come by to stay a couple of days and let me fly their Spanish built seaplane they are importing. It was a Colyaer SL Gannet Light
Sport Seaplane. It's made from the same composite that Burt Rutan used in his X-Prize rocketship and mothership. It has two beautiful, thin layers like fiberglass (the outer one was kevlar or similar) with an inner corrugated matrix like the inside of cardboard, but of end-cut material. It is very light weight but looks like a boat or corvette finish. They import a new model now called the Freedom that is fully amphibious, with retractable landing gear. I want one -bad. Real bad. It's a hoot to fly with a sailplane high aspect wing that glides really good. It exhibits a sailplanes tendency to counter roll with yaw but responds readily to judicious rudder inputs. Fast taxi on the water at 85 MPH is thrilling. Runs on hi-test mo-gas or LL-100 avgas. Fast cruise about 115 MPH with 9.5 hr. range with the extended tanks. Usable performance for hopping 'round the keys - huh? Check it out at http://www.lightsportaircraft.ca/ColyaerS100Freedom.html or E-mail Don Langford at: LSA-Aero@att.net or phone# 256-348-9770 in Tanner, Ala. ( Friendly not business relation). Their website at www.LSA-Aero.com seems to be down for some reason right now. For now a more affordable alternative for me may be the Polaris Flying Boat. The new FIB 2001 version is pretty cool and can be transported on many boats or trailered to vacation sites. The boat is a great RIB by itself and a great airboat too! See it at http://www.polarismotor.it/ . I'll settle for one of these for now. HE-HE! Mark

 

I've been searching , but I can't find the link I had to the guys who now produce the old Grumman amphibs. Must be in my old computer. I'd do a Google search but you can too and I'm tired right now. They offer them with proper radial engines or turboprops. There has been a seaplane certified in the US lately. First one in decades. I'll have to flip through some of my back issues of Flying and/or Plane And Pilot Magazines to find it. It's in the ads a lot. Later - gotta sleep, Mark

 

You're thinking of Canadair, I believe. They're not the same as the old Grummans but they do look similar (in the way all flying boats look *sort of* alike). Good planes, I hear; I'd like to fly one someday.

 

The last image posted of a flying rubber boat looks similar to what Seair has done. I've been warned by others to stay clear of such designs.

Never fly higher than you are willing to fall, which is why I like hovercraft.

EDIT: I just found this..............
http://www.free-press-release.com/news/200808/1217947678.html

 

This is the seaplane I like.... http://www.fantasyofflight.com/aircraftpages/sunderland.htm

 

My father has a molded mahongany plywood boat that was bought around 1949. The boat only weighs like 50-60 lbs. He says it was build by Fairchild Aircraft Company, using up the plywood left over from building seaplanes during WWII.
Anyone know anything about such boats ?? What's it might be worth ? If anything ? He's talking about taking a chain saw to it, cause me and my brother both want the boat. <G>

Bill

 

The latest seaplane to be certified is the Beriev Be-103 See attachment

The link for the Replica of the Grumman G21 Goose is http://www.antillesseaplanes.com/about.htm