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.

Видео Seaplanes Learn to Play Nice Together: Searey and Aventura II канала THEDonMaxwell