Super Petrel XP makes its debut

After eight years of development, much of it in secret, the new XP model of the Super Petrel Light Sport amphibian made its debut at the 2024 SUN ‘n FUN Aerospace Expo.

Although the unique S-LSA biplane looks similar to previous Super Petrel models, which have been manufactured in Brazil by Scoda Aeronautica for 20 years, the new XP was completely redesigned to address feedback from owners and to take full advantage of the new 141-horsepower Rotax 915iS turbocharged engine and five-blade prop, according to company officials.

Although a 115-horsepower Rotax 914 turbocharged engine was available in the past, most of the legacy Super Petrel LS models were equipped with a normally aspirated 100-horsepower Rotax 912iS.

“The 40% increase in horsepower available from the new 915 engine greatly improves land and water takeoff performance,” said Dan Pedersen, Super Petrel USA’s chief pilot.

He should know, because as soon as the first new factory demonstrator was removed from a shipping container in late March 2024 and reassembled at Super Petrel’s Ormond Beach, Florida, headquarters, he quickly put 30 hours on the plane prior to flying it to Lakeland for the show.

Improvements

Contributing to the improved performance is the surprising fact that the new XP model, even with the larger engine, does not weigh significantly more than the original plane.

Several design features and the liberal use of carbon helped save weight, company officials explained. The maximum gross weight is 1,430 pounds for land and water operations and the typical useful load is 550 pounds.

“The Super Petrel’s wings were originally fabric-covered, but now they are fully composite and feature a new airfoil,” said Roger Helton, president of Super Petrel USA. “Also, LED landing and position lights are built into each wing for less drag … and they look great.”

To overcome a common tendency for seaplanes to porpoise during water takeoffs, the XP features a 10-inch longer carbon/aramid composite hull designed for improved hydrodynamics.

The original Super Petrel had dual cockpit entrance doors which could be removed for flight if desired. However, speaking from experience, flying without the doors was unpleasant due to wind and noise.

The new canopy design can’t be removed for flight, but it is much larger and offers much better visibility than the old design. The rear-hinged one-piece canopy opens almost vertically for easy access to the cockpit.

The nose structure of the fuselage is reinforced to allow walking in and out of the plane while beached without getting your feet wet.

Although the “armstrong-type” manually operated Johnson Bar gear actuating system of previous Super Petrels offered simple and foolproof retraction and extension of the landing gear, some pilots found the gear hard to operate, particularly during climb-out.

Therefore, the new plane has an electrically actuated, hydraulically-operated landing gear system. Also, the tire size has been increased to improve operation on rough airstrips and sandy beaches, company officials pointed out.

The Super Petrel is unique among seaplanes because it will not flip or cause damage to the plane if it is landed accidentally on the water with the gear extended. Similarly, a runway landing with the gear retracted will do only minimal damage to the hull’s keel, according to company officials.

The addition of a parking brake was a direct response to owner input because, after coming out of the water on a boat ramp, the plane might need to be parked on an incline, company officials said.

The XP model has 60% more baggage space than previous Super Petrels, which only had space for a couple of small duffle bags stuffed behind the seats. Now, with a 29 gallon usable fuel capacity, increased from 24, the new Super Petrels are better suited for cross-country flights, company officials noted.

Additionally, niches are included in the cockpit to store headsets, while the new four position seat back adjustment mechanism is a big improvement.

Dual control sticks are standard, and the throttle and all switches are located in a handsome central console.

The plane is designed to be flown from either seat, so the avionics are centralized and easily operated from both sides. A large Garmin G3X touch screen dominates the center of the panel, along with a Garmin G5 display.

Since most pilots now fly with an iPad, there’s room on each side of the center console to install one or two large iPads with quick release mounts.

Previous Super Petrels had a water ballast tank in the nose, which the XP design team eliminated in favor of a small storage compartment.

Although ballast is still needed to satisfy weight and balance requirements when the total weight of the occupants is less than 310 pounds, this is now accomplished with a custom-designed lead weight that is easily added or removed from the nose as required, company officials said.

Ask The Man Who Owns One

Like the Packard automobile ads of old, most Super Petrel owners are raving fans of their planes, and this will only increase as the new XPs are delivered, company officials believe.

“A total of 19 aircraft are currently on order, and once production is ramped up, the goal is to deliver two planes to the U.S. every six weeks,” Helton said.

Delivery of a new order placed in spring 2024 is currently estimated to be 14 months, he continued, adding the XP is priced at $299,000.

Helton, a retired UPS pilot, said he heads up a “dream team” of sales and maintenance personnel, all of whom have owned Super Petrels for many years.

Pedersen, a Naval Academy grad and former Navy fighter pilot, has put several hundred hours on his personal Super Petrel LS, as have retired four star admiral Bill Gortney and former Blue Angel Mark Ziegler.

Gortney and Ziegler have shared a Super Petrel LS for many years, and they were the launch customer in the U.S. for the new XP. Their plane joined the factory demonstrator at Super Petrel’s SUN ‘n FUN display.

Ziegler, who is known by his Navy call sign of “Ziggy,” is a Super Petrel flight instructor and one of the maintenance instructors at the annual “Trifecta” event for Super Petrel owners, which is held each fall at the company’s Ormond Beach headquarters. As an example of customer loyalty, last year the company had a good turnout for the event in spite of a hurricane, company officials noted.

Even More Power

Stay tuned to see if Scoda Aeronautica decides to offer the new 160-hp Rotax 916iS engine in the Super Petrel XP.

“As we all quietly anticipate the changes to come when MOSAIC rules are finalized, the XP’s maximum takeoff weight could be increased with no changes to the aircraft,” said Helton. “Because the prototype XP in Brazil is already certified to 1,500 pounds under the Brazilian MOSAIC rules, this would include aircraft already delivered.”

MOSAIC — Modernization of Special Airworthiness Certification — has already been through the comment period for a Notice of Proposed Rulemaking, with industry experts predicting a final rule from the FAA sometime in 2025.

For more information: SuperPetrelUSA.com