The Seamax M-22, an amphibious Light-Sport Aircraft, has new wings, built of carbon fiber.
With more than 30 years of experience in seaplanes and “extensive knowledge” in carbon fiber structures, Seamax’s lead designer and COO Miguel Rosário redesigned the Seamax’s M-22 wings, according to company officials.
Although the existing aluminum wing had a successful history and track record, Miguel decided there were still a few points to optimize and modernize, including:
Weight
The replacement of materials with carbon fiber all along the the wings’ structure, flaps, and ailerons reduces the wings’ total weight by 25%.
Safety
Carbon fiber has been introduced because of its properties, such as high tensile strength, low specific weight, outstanding durability, resistance to chemical attacks, and zero corrosion susceptibility, according to company officials. Corrosion is the main villain in the useful life of materials and the cause of many failures, they add.
Aluminum Unibody Fuel Tanks
Inside the wing, the aircraft now features an aluminum unibody fuel tank built of just one aluminum piece in each wing to prevent fuel leaks, company officials report. The new tanks have a more extensive section and a smaller length.
This change allows a much more reliable and seamless production process using only one piece of the metal as a “skin,” company officials explain, noting there is only one join point on the top surface, making it “virtually impossible any fuel leak from the tanks.”
Geometry
The main structure’s geometry has increased the rigid airfoil area and created a flat region for the ribs’ attachment, meaning that the wings surface becomes cleaner and flatter, Seamax officials said.
Production Time
The new wings’ manufacturing process will optimize production time through a “much more seamless process which will reduce the labor time 40%, resulting in a better overall lead time of the Seamax’s production and quality control,” company officials added.
Every new aircraft produced starting in April 2021 will feature the new carbon-fiber wing structure as standard, Seamax officials note.
A new avionics panel lineup with three different trims is to be unveiled soon, along with a new price for the aircraft versions “to adjust and to reflect the new technology add-on,” company officials said.
However, they said that customers who commit to a purchase by the end of this week’s SUN ‘n FUN Aerospace Expo, will receive the new upgrades, including the new carbon-fiber structure wing, at the “old” price, which starts at $148,470.