It’s been a long road for the Seawind amphibian, but company officials say the project is alive and well and progressing through certification with two important milestones now behind them.
The amphibian completed flutter testing on March 24. With the successful completion of the flutter testing and a number of other developmental test flights, the design configuration of the airplane is now frozen, officials said.
Seawind’s engineering staff has just completed the installation of a Stall Prevention System, which prevents stalls and, without stalls, spins as well.
It was about a year ago that the Seawind flew to Ottawa to begin flight testing. The amphib, which has been in development for more than a decade, has had several setbacks, including the 2007 crash of its prototype, which shut the company down for about a year and a half. But President Dick Silva has never given up, and now with the configuration set, Seawind is looking to acquire funding to start assembling pre-production aircraft at its factory in Saint-Jean-sur-Richelieu, Québec, Canada. Company officials report there are 50 orders on the books.
For more information: 610-917-1120 or Seawind.net
