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USA FAR 103 Seaplane Riddle ?

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scottperk

Active Member
Joined
Mar 5, 2011
Messages
25
Location
Atlanta, GA
I dont think very many have ever figured out just what a jewel the FAA gave
the USA in that they took the regular 254 pound weight limit and 25 pound
parachute allowance and added a 30 pound allowance for a hull and two
10 pound allowances for sponsons.

Specifically there are some pusher ultralights that without a lot of trouble
or a lot of extra weight could convert the fuselage to a floating hull shape.
Further, if a flyer were willing to give up land operations I think on average
by removing their landing gear they could get back 25 pounds or more for a pure
seaplane operational mode. So lets assume you use ping pong balls for sponsons
you now have 50 pounds to convert/add a hull to your plane and 25 more pounds to increase the size of your motor and still be legal. Now this is of course a
simplification because you would want to use some of your allowance to also
strengthen the rest of the airplane so not all would go to motor and hull
but that increases the empty weight from 254 plus 50(hull) plus 25( wheels/axles)
plus 25 ( parachute ) to create a very substantial aircraft way moreso than
the commonly thought of 254 pound USA ultralight.
Essentially now 354 pounds!

What I call a best kept secret and probably the best deal in the world
yet only a hand full have ever taken advantage of this FAA generosity.

Specifically the riddle is what is the best design approach to creating
the best seaplane and whether to convert an existing design or
start from scratch and build a seaplane. The best hints and clues are
obtained by looking at what others have done in the last 35 years
 
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