An exciting age of flight followed Charles Lindbergh’s solo Atlantic crossing of 1927, and entrepreneurs introduced many aircraft designs in the window of time that predated the 1929 stock market crash.
Refining a not-quite-right prototype into a functional three- or four-seat flying boat, the Eastman company dubbed its creation the Sea Rover as it entered production in 1929.
The Eastman Sea Rover employed wings of traditional wooden structure, wrapped with aluminum leading edges and covered in fabric. The flying boat hull was a hybrid of wooden ash and spruce members and bulkheads that created five water-tight compartments, skinned in aluminum. Wooden-framed, metal-skinned floats attached to the lower wing did their intended purpose of keeping wingtips out of the water.
The wings were of vastly differing dimensions, making the Sea Rover basically a sesquiplane.
Unusual routing of struts put flying loads from the upper wing directly to the hull, much like a parasol monoplane, while the lower wing was tied to the top wing with N-struts.
This arrangement eliminated most wire bracing between the wings; some crossed wires can be seen in the fuselage and nacelle area.
Eastman opted to place the engine in a tractor configuration with a nacelle faired into the undersurface of the top wing. The chosen Curtiss Challenger radial engine mounted a forward-facing propeller ahead of the open cockpits, possibly to the detriment of occupant comfort.
The Sea Rover has been described as having good water handling traits, as well as decent flying characteristics, although its diminutive size limited its utility.
With a length of 26 feet, 3 inches, and a span of 36 feet, the E-2 Sea Rover cruised at 90 miles an hour and had a top speed of 110.
When a full 48 gallons of gasoline was tanked, the Sea Rover had a payload of 490 pounds, according to civil aircraft historian Joseph Juptner.
Built in a plant in Detroit, near the river of the same name, the appeal of a seaplane for operations in that environment was evident.
The Eastman company became part of the Detroit Aircraft conglomerate that sought, unsuccessfully, to weather the Depression by combining several aircraft manufacturers.
Though the Eastman Sea Rover and Sea Pirate had some favorable attributes, those good traits were not sufficient to keep the types viable for substantive production runs. Sea Rover prices started out at $8,750, later rising to $9,985 before being cut to $6,750 in March 1931.
With the closing of the Detroit Aircraft amalgamation, the demise of Eastman Aircraft followed.
About 15 Sea Rovers and four Sea Pirates, some modified from Sea Rovers, were built.
Thanks for sharing this comprehensive article combining structure and function. Timing is everything.
Gotta LOVE that 6-cylinder Curtiss Challenger radial engine.
Great story, and well written. There must be many more out there.
Quite a photo. A flying boat with sailing ships in the background. Great Article!!
Five watertight compartments, eh? Where have I heard something like that before?