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The Dornier Seastar is a
turboprop A turboprop is a Gas turbine, gas turbine engine that drives an aircraft Propeller (aeronautics), propeller. A turboprop consists of an intake, reduction drive, reduction gearbox, gas compressor, compressor, combustor, turbine, and a propellin ...
-powered
amphibious aircraft An amphibious aircraft, or amphibian, is an aircraft that can Takeoff, take off and Landing, land on both solid ground and water. These aircraft are typically Fixed-wing aircraft, fixed-wing, though Amphibious helicopter, amphibious helicopte ...
built largely of
composite material A composite or composite material (also composition material) is a material which is produced from two or more constituent materials. These constituent materials have notably dissimilar chemical or physical properties and are merged to create a ...
s. Developed by of
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, it first flew in 1984. The design is owned by Claudius Jr's son, Conrado, who founded Dornier Seawings AG (now Dornier Seawings) to continue work on the project after two previous firms, Claudius Dornier Aircraft and Dornier Composite Aircraft, both went into bankruptcy. Development of the aircraft was put on hold without any production Seastars being completed in 1991. Multiple attempts to put the Seastar into production, often as a
joint venture A joint venture (JV) is a business entity created by two or more parties, generally characterized by shared ownership, shared returns and risks, and shared governance. Companies typically pursue joint ventures for one of four reasons: to acce ...
with other aerospace companies, were made throughout the 1990s and early 2000s. However securing the necessary financing to proceed to the manufacturing phase proved challenging. After several false starts, in October 2009, Dornier Seawings announced that it was formally launching manufacturing of the type, although no aircraft were actually built. In November 2018 the company received
US$ The United States dollar (Currency symbol, symbol: Dollar sign, $; ISO 4217, currency code: USD) is the official currency of the United States and International use of the U.S. dollar, several other countries. The Coinage Act of 1792 introdu ...
170 million in funding from its Chinese backers to construct a manufacturing facility and one prototype for flight, with production to follow in 2021.


Development


Origins

The first prototype, a proof-of-concept aircraft, using the metal wings from a
Dornier Do 28 Dornier Do 28 is a type designation that comprises two different twin-engine STOL utility aircraft, manufactured by German company Dornier GmbH, Dornier Flugzeugbau GmbH. Most of them served with the German Air Force and ''Marineflieger'' and othe ...
and with large struts bracing the wing to the sponsons, conducted its
maiden flight The maiden flight, also known as first flight, of an aircraft is the first occasion on which it leaves the ground under its own power. The same term is also used for the first launch of rockets. In the early days of aviation it could be dange ...
from
Hamburg Hamburg (, ; ), officially the Free and Hanseatic City of Hamburg,. is the List of cities in Germany by population, second-largest city in Germany after Berlin and List of cities in the European Union by population within city limits, 7th-lar ...
on 17 August 1984. A second prototype, which was more representative of the definitive design, featured several alterations; these included the adoption of a new composite wing, which connected with a set of
cabane strut In aeronautics, bracing comprises additional structural members which stiffen the functional airframe to give it rigidity and strength under load. Bracing may be applied both internally and externally, and may take the form of struts, which act in ...
s to the fuselage only, and was a larger aircraft overall. On 24 April 1987, the second prototype made its first flight from
Oberpfaffenhofen Oberpfaffenhofen is a village that is part of the municipality of Weßling in the district of Starnberg, Bavaria, Germany. It is located about from the city center of Munich. Village The village is home to the Oberpfaffenhofen Airport and a ...
. Development work on the project came to a close in 1991. A total of three aircraft had been produced at this point. In 1990, a European
certificate of airworthiness A standard certificate of airworthiness is a permit for commercial passenger or cargo operation, issued for an aircraft by the civil aviation authority in the state/nation in which the aircraft is registered. For other aircraft such as crop-spray ...
was received for the type; in 1991, American airworthiness was also granted to the Seastar. During the 1990s, the programme encountered severe organisational issues, including a lack of funding and backers who subsequently withdrew their participation.Lewis, Paul
"Seastar project could be sunk."
''Flight International'', 19 July 1995.
"Dornier Seastar plans India restart."
''Flight International'', 18 February 1998.
In November 1989, the company behind the Seastar, Claudius Dornier Aircraft, filed for
bankruptcy Bankruptcy is a legal process through which people or other entities who cannot repay debts to creditors may seek relief from some or all of their debts. In most jurisdictions, bankruptcy is imposed by a court order, often initiated by the deb ...
, amid claims that the German government had failed to support the project. Prior to this, more than 50 options and letters of intent had been received for the type. In 1990, Dornier Composite Aircraft acquired the Seastar program, but this firm was also bankrupt within two years. As a result, a new company, Dornier Seastar, was formed to complete the aircraft's development and to produce the type, and began to seek partnerships with Asian companies to achieve this. In 1993, Dornier Seastar and a consortium of
Malaysia Malaysia is a country in Southeast Asia. Featuring the Tanjung Piai, southernmost point of continental Eurasia, it is a federation, federal constitutional monarchy consisting of States and federal territories of Malaysia, 13 states and thre ...
n investors signed a
joint venture A joint venture (JV) is a business entity created by two or more parties, generally characterized by shared ownership, shared returns and risks, and shared governance. Companies typically pursue joint ventures for one of four reasons: to acce ...
agreement, under which assembly of the Seastar was envisioned to take place at a factory in Malaysia within the following year. However, in July 1995, a company spokesperson stated that Dornier Seastar's Malaysian subsidiary would be shelved until further notice, due a lack of capital investment; it has been allegedly that investors were concerned about the technical and financial viability of the project, such as the acquisition of internationally recognised production certification in Malaysia. By the time of the withdrawal, all of the manufacturing tools, moulds and
jigs The jig (, ) is a form of lively folk dance in compound metre, as well as the accompanying dance tune. It first gained popularity in 16th-century England, Ireland, Scotland, and other parts of the British Isles, and was adopted on mainland Eu ...
to produce that aircraft had already been transferred to
Penang Penang is a Malaysian state located on the northwest coast of Peninsular Malaysia along the Strait of Malacca. It has two parts: Penang Island, where the capital city, George Town, is located, and Seberang Perai on the Malay Peninsula. Th ...
, Malaysia, along with a prototype aircraft for sales demonstration purposes at
Subang Airport Sultan Abdul Aziz Shah Airport also known as Subang SkyPark, — formerly Subang International Airport/Kuala Lumpur International Airport, often called Subang Airport — is an airport located in Subang, Petaling District, Selangor, Malaysia. ...
,
Selangor Selangor ( ; ), also known by the Arabic language, Arabic honorific Darul Ehsan, or "Abode of Sincerity", is one of the 13 states of Malaysia. It is on the west coast of Peninsular Malaysia and is bordered by Perak to the north, Pahang to the e ...
.


Seeking partners

Following the collapse of the Malaysian joint venture, Dornier Seastar promptly set about attracting new investors to finance the program into the manufacturing phase. While the company focused its search on the Asian market, representatives stated that they were considering relocating production of the type to another country; Dornier Seastar also dismissed claims that a further $100 million were required to complete development of the aircraft's design. In early 1998, Dornier Seastar proposed the formation of a partnership with
Hindustan Aeronautics Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) is an Indian Public sector undertakings in India, public sector aerospace and defence (military), defence company, headquartered in Bengaluru. Established on 23 December 1940, HAL is one of the oldest and lar ...
(HAL), with the goal of producing the type as a joint venture. HAL confirmed that it was examining the viability for the Seastar in the Indian market. By 2003, one of the two Seastar prototypes had been restored and received public transport certification in December of that year. In February 2004, the company stated that, in addition to seeking investment, it had been evaluating potential manufacturing sites in Europe and Asia prior to initiating a planned development phase later that year.Wastnage, Justin
"Investors sought to bring Seastar back to market."
''Flight International'', 10 August 2004.
It was said that feasibility studies and market analysis indicated that there was a global demand for around 250 such aircraft over the next ten years; furthermore, that it was proposing three different versions of the aircraft, each one for a different market segment: A
surveillance Surveillance is the monitoring of behavior, many activities, or information for the purpose of information gathering, influencing, managing, or directing. This can include observation from a distance by means of electronic equipment, such as ...
variant for government agencies, a 12-seat
regional airliner A regional airliner, commuter airliner or feeder liner is a small airliner that is designed to fly up to 100 passengers on short-haul flights, usually feeding larger carriers' airline hubs from small markets. This class of airliners is typically ...
configuration aimed at
charter A charter is the grant of authority or rights, stating that the granter formally recognizes the prerogative of the recipient to exercise the rights specified. It is implicit that the granter retains superiority (or sovereignty), and that the ...
operators, and a six-seat layout that was suited to VIP customers. In August 2006, there were claims made that the project was close to being relaunched with backing from firms in
Singapore Singapore, officially the Republic of Singapore, is an island country and city-state in Southeast Asia. The country's territory comprises one main island, 63 satellite islands and islets, and one outlying islet. It is about one degree ...
and
Abu Dhabi Abu Dhabi is the capital city of the United Arab Emirates. The city is the seat of the Abu Dhabi Central Capital District, the capital city of the Emirate of Abu Dhabi, and the UAE's List of cities in the United Arab Emirates, second-most popu ...
, the latter being contingent upon the Seastar being manufactured in Abu Dhabi. In October 2008, the company announced its intentions to produce the Seastar in the US, in part due to favourable currency
exchange rate In finance, an exchange rate is the rate at which one currency will be exchanged for another currency. Currencies are most commonly national currencies, but may be sub-national as in the case of Hong Kong or supra-national as in the case of ...
s."NBAA 2008: Dornier plans to build revived Seastar in US."
''Flight International'', 6 October 2008.
Fabrication was to be
outsource Outsourcing is a business practice in which company, companies use external providers to carry out business processes that would otherwise be handled internally. Outsourcing sometimes involves transferring employees and assets from one firm to ...
d to other companies, and was intended to use mainly American suppliers. The firm viewed the aircraft as having a niche role among private owners, airlines, and
search and rescue Search and rescue (SAR) is the search for and provision of aid to people who are in distress or imminent danger. The general field of search and rescue includes many specialty sub-fields, typically determined by the type of terrain the search ...
operators. Dornier Seawings stated that it was seeking an additional $150 million to bring the type into mass production; it was also said that, in the event of 25 or more sales being secured, the Seastar could be in production as early as March 2009.Sarsfield, Kate
"Buoyancy returns to seaplane market."
''Flight International'', 10 October 2008.
In March 2009, the firm stated that it was pushing back its planned launch to the third quarter of that year, attributing this to the effects of the
Great Recession The Great Recession was a period of market decline in economies around the world that occurred from late 2007 to mid-2009.
, but remained optimistic about market demand for the type; it was also said that Dornier required only an additional $65 million, rather than the $150 million figure given in an earlier business plan, to establish full production status and to begin manufacturing work.Sarsfield, Kate
"Dornier pushes back Seastar amphibian aircraft relaunch."
''Flight International'', 17 March 2009.


Production

In October 2009, Dornier Seaplane announced that it would launch production of the Seastar. According to Dornier Seaplane chief executive Joe Walker, the aircraft had been well received by a variety of public and private operators, and had received more than 25 letters of intent to procure the Seastar; he also stated that 2010 would be dedicated to selecting a final assembly site and major suppliers for the aircraft's manufacturing, and the first aircraft was then scheduled to be rolled out by the end of 2011.Sarsfield, Kate
"Dornier nears decision on Seastar final assembly base."
''Flight International'', 7 January 2010.
In May 2010, Dornier Seaplane announced that it would build the Seastar in
Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu () is a city in eastern Montérégie in the Canadian province of Quebec, about southeast of Montreal, located roughly halfway between Montreal and the Canada–United States border with the state of Vermont. It is sit ...
, about half an hour away from
Montreal Montreal is the List of towns in Quebec, largest city in the Provinces and territories of Canada, province of Quebec, the List of the largest municipalities in Canada by population, second-largest in Canada, and the List of North American cit ...
,
Quebec Quebec is Canada's List of Canadian provinces and territories by area, largest province by area. Located in Central Canada, the province shares borders with the provinces of Ontario to the west, Newfoundland and Labrador to the northeast, ...
, Canada. The site was picked due to the strength of the local supply chain and presence of skilled aerospace workers, as well as its proximity to
Lake Champlain Lake Champlain ( ; , ) is a natural freshwater lake in North America. It mostly lies between the U.S. states of New York (state), New York and Vermont, but also extends north into the Canadian province of Quebec. The cities of Burlington, Ve ...
for flight operations. At this point, the company aimed to deliver their first production aircraft in 2012; production was projected to rise from a single aircraft in 2012, to six in 2013 and to 12 in 2014; dependent on demand, as many as 50 Seastars per year could eventually be built.


Wuxi acquisition

In 2013, the Seastar was acquired by Chinese companies Wuxi Communications Industry and Wuxi Industrial Development with the Dornier family retaining a minority stake. The company became a
joint venture A joint venture (JV) is a business entity created by two or more parties, generally characterized by shared ownership, shared returns and risks, and shared governance. Companies typically pursue joint ventures for one of four reasons: to acce ...
with these two state-owned companies, and plans to produce the aircraft in two locations, with one site in
Oberpfaffenhofen Oberpfaffenhofen is a village that is part of the municipality of Weßling in the district of Starnberg, Bavaria, Germany. It is located about from the city center of Munich. Village The village is home to the Oberpfaffenhofen Airport and a ...
, Germany and another in
Wuxi Wuxi ( zh, s=无锡, p=Wúxī, ) is a city in southern Jiangsu, China. As of the 2024 census, it had a population of 7,495,000. The city lies in the southern Yangtze delta and borders Lake Tai. Notable landmarks include Lihu Park, the Mt. Lings ...
, China. In January 2016, Dornier Seaplane announced that Seastar airframes would be built by
Diamond Aircraft Industries Diamond Aircraft Industries is a manufacturer of general aviation aircraft and motor gliders, based in Wiener Neustadt, Lower Austria, Austria. It has been a subsidiary of the Chinese company Wanfeng Aviation since 2017. It is the third lar ...
. In February 2016, Dornier launched the improved CD2. The first new-generation Seastar rolled out on 18 August 2017 in Oberpfaffenhoffen and is prepared for its first flight in the first half of 2019, for a 2020 type certification. It includes a redesigned and upgraded interior,
Honeywell Primus Honeywell Primus is a range of Electronic Flight Instrument System (EFIS) glass cockpits manufactured by Honeywell Aerospace. Each system is composed of multiple display units used as primary flight display and multi-function display. Primus ...
avionics, a stern thruster, new Sumitomo
corrosion-resistant Corrosion is a natural process that converts a refined metal into a more chemically stable oxide. It is the gradual deterioration of materials (usually a metal) by chemical or electrochemical reaction with their environment. Corrosion enginee ...
landing gear, hydraulic electrically steerable nose gear, five-blade composite propellers and Pratt & Whitney Canada engine. By November 2018, the Chinese shareholders invested €150 million to develop and produce the CD2, to construct a new facility in Wuxi and to expand its Oberpfaffenhofen base. It first flew on 28 March 2020.


Design

The Dornier Seastar is a
parasol wing A monoplane is a fixed-wing aircraft configuration with a single mainplane, in contrast to a biplane or other types of multiplanes, which have multiple wings. A monoplane has inherently the highest efficiency and lowest drag of any wing confi ...
flying boat A flying boat is a type of seaplane with a hull, allowing it to land on water. It differs from a floatplane in having a fuselage that is purpose-designed for flotation, while floatplanes rely on fuselage-mounted floats for buoyancy. Though ...
, powered by a pair of Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-112 engines, mounted in a single
nacelle A nacelle ( ) is a streamlined container for aircraft parts such as Aircraft engine, engines, fuel or equipment. When attached entirely outside the airframe, it is sometimes called a pod, in which case it is attached with a Hardpoint#Pylon, pylo ...
over the wings in a
push-pull configuration An aircraft constructed with a push-pull configuration has a combination of forward-mounted Tractor configuration, tractor (pull) Propeller (aircraft), propellers, and backward-mounted (pusher configuration, pusher) propellers. Historical The e ...
. In general layout, it strongly resembles both the innovative Dornier Do J ''Wal'' all-metal monoplane flying boat of the 1920s, of which over 250 examples were built, and its direct successor, the larger
Dornier Do 18 The Dornier Do 18 was a development of the Do 16 flying boat. It was developed for the ''Luftwaffe'', but '' Deutsche Luft Hansa'' received five aircraft and used these for tests between the Azores and the North American continent in 1936 and o ...
of the 1930s. Locating both of the engines in the center of the wing enables the weight of the engines to be more effective in reducing any induced rolling motions; it also protects the engines from water spray, reducing
corrosion Corrosion is a natural process that converts a refined metal into a more chemically stable oxide. It is the gradual deterioration of materials (usually a metal) by chemical or electrochemical reaction with their environment. Corrosion engine ...
, and eliminates asymmetric thrust when operating. The Seastar's
fuselage The fuselage (; from the French language, French ''fuselé'' "spindle-shaped") is an aircraft's main body section. It holds Aircrew, crew, passengers, or cargo. In single-engine aircraft, it will usually contain an Aircraft engine, engine as wel ...
is composed of a
fiberglass Fiberglass (American English) or fibreglass (English in the Commonwealth of Nations, Commonwealth English) is a common type of fibre-reinforced plastic, fiber-reinforced plastic using glass fiber. The fibers may be randomly arranged, flattened i ...
composite material A composite or composite material (also composition material) is a material which is produced from two or more constituent materials. These constituent materials have notably dissimilar chemical or physical properties and are merged to create a ...
, which is corrosion-proof as well as being less prone to leaks in comparison to
rivet A rivet is a permanent mechanical fastener. Before being installed, a rivet consists of a smooth cylinder (geometry), cylindrical shaft with a head on one end. The end opposite the head is called the ''tail''. On installation, the deformed e ...
ted metal hull counterparts. Unlike typical
floatplane A floatplane is a type of seaplane with one or more slender floats mounted under the fuselage to provide buoyancy. By contrast, a flying boat uses its fuselage for buoyancy. Either type of seaplane may also have landing gear suitable for land, ...
s, which are often conversions of land-based aircraft, the Seastar has a low vertical center of gravity, achieved in part by carrying all of its fuel within its
sponson Sponsons are projections extending from the sides of land vehicles, aircraft or watercraft to provide protection, Instantaneous stability, stability, storage locations, mounting points for weapons or other devices, or equipment housing. Watercra ...
s instead of the wings.McClellan, J. Mac
"The Flying Boat is Back."
''FLYING Magazine'', 15 January 2010.
The sponsons, which provide stability while submerged on the water, are shaped to break
surface tension Surface tension is the tendency of liquid surfaces at rest to shrink into the minimum surface area possible. Surface tension (physics), tension is what allows objects with a higher density than water such as razor blades and insects (e.g. Ge ...
and to generate considerable lift during the acceleration performed during takeoff; they also accommodate the main
landing gear Landing gear is the undercarriage of an aircraft or spacecraft that is used for taxiing, takeoff or landing. For aircraft, it is generally needed for all three of these. It was also formerly called ''alighting gear'' by some manufacturers, s ...
. Other flying boats often retract the landing gear into the
hull Hull may refer to: Structures * The hull of an armored fighting vehicle, housing the chassis * Fuselage, of an aircraft * Hull (botany), the outer covering of seeds * Hull (watercraft), the body or frame of a sea-going craft * Submarine hull Ma ...
instead. The landing gear can be optionally removed and reinstalled when needed; a special 'water mode' for the landing gear is also present which prevents their deployment during a water-based landing. The hull of the Seastar features complex angling and shaping, as the result of extensive water tank testing. Pilots exit and enter the Seastar through a single door on the left-hand side of the aircraft from the sponson, and passengers board via a separate hatch located aft of the wing, also stepping from the sponson. This approach enables the aircraft to close to a relatively short distance from docks or boats for boarding purposes. The cabin can house up to 12 passengers, in addition to the crew in high-density seating, or can alternatively accommodate six-nine passengers in more spacious configurations; an aft baggage compartment is also present. A series of improvements have been projected for the aircraft, such as the integration of an
autopilot An autopilot is a system used to control the path of a vehicle without requiring constant manual control by a human operator. Autopilots do not replace human operators. Instead, the autopilot assists the operator's control of the vehicle, allow ...
to enable single-pilot operations. Other prospective improvements include the adoption of a
glass cockpit A glass cockpit is an aircraft cockpit that features an array of electronic (digital) flight instrument display device, displays, typically large liquid-crystal display, LCD screens, rather than traditional Analog device, analog dials and gauges ...
,
deicing De-icing is the process of removing snow, ice or frost from a surface. Anti-icing is the application of chemicals that not only de-ice but also remain on a surface and continue to delay the reformation of ice for a certain period of time, or pr ...
equipment, and
air conditioning Air conditioning, often abbreviated as A/C (US) or air con (UK), is the process of removing heat from an enclosed space to achieve a more comfortable interior temperature, and in some cases, also controlling the humidity of internal air. Air c ...
systems. Early production aircraft are intended to be compatible with the retrofitting of these improvements later on. According to Dornier Seawings, for surveillance missions the Seastar's flight endurance can be extended to around 11 flight hours by cruising on only a single engine. It is also claimed that the Seastar is one of the fastest flying boats on the market.


Variants

;Seastar CD-2 : ;Orca :Proposed 2019 maritime patrol variant for government customers in the security,
search and rescue Search and rescue (SAR) is the search for and provision of aid to people who are in distress or imminent danger. The general field of search and rescue includes many specialty sub-fields, typically determined by the type of terrain the search ...
, and
environmental monitoring Environmental monitoring is the processes and activities that are done to characterize and describe the state of the environment. It is used in the preparation of environmental impact assessments, and in many circumstances in which human activit ...
roles.


Specifications (Seastar CD-2)


See also


References


Citations


Bibliography

* "Dornier re-invents the Wal...and a Seastar is born". ''
Air International ''AIR International'' is a British aviation magazine covering current defence aerospace and civil aviation topics. It has been in publication since 1971 and is currently published by Key Publishing Ltd. History and profile The magazine was fir ...
'', October 1988, Vol 35 No 4. pp. 184–192. * Taylor, John W. R. ''Jane's All The World's Aircraft 1988-89''. Coulsdon, UK:Jane's Defence Data, 1988. .


External links


Dornier Seaplane Company

"SEASTAR"
Aviation&Weekly Video {{Dornier aircraft Seastar 1980s German civil utility aircraft Flying boats Amphibious aircraft Twin-engined push-pull aircraft Twin-engined turboprop aircraft Parasol-wing aircraft Aircraft first flown in 1984 Aircraft with retractable tricycle landing gear