WARRIOR: THE OPPORTUNITY
For decades the seaplane population, including both flying boats and float planes, has been treated as a poor relation to the mainstream General Aviation industry. No wonder. The hull forms all stem from the 1930's. New seaplanes have little or no better handling characteristics or performance than seaplanes designed 50 years ago. They corrode in salt water, can not handle common sea conditions and generally cannot go where boats dock.
A major replacement potential lies in improving the qualities of existing seaplanes. The market
also extends to landplane replacement and growth in applications for aviation independent of airfields
The corrosion-in-salt-water issue can be corrected in the next generation of seaplanes by using composites. However, even that is of little value when the aircraft can still neither handle common coastal wave conditions, nor access common dockside facilities due to their fixed wing-spans (…a boat that is 20% wider than it is long!?)
Despite these limitations, there are more active civil seaplanes in the world than there are active civil helicopters and the market pays twice as much per seat in amphibians than in landplanes.
If the impediments and debilitating "ball-and-chain" (that every current seaplane flies with) can be removed, then a massive upgrade of the existing seaplane population can be expected in high-value products. These would provide the first effective transport system to serve between marine and aviation sectors. They would expand the opportunity for aviation throughout the maritime sector on sea, lakes and rivers, from down town docks to luxury resorts, yachts, remote coasts and islands - entirely independent of the constraint of airfields.
The same principles apply to unmanned seaplanes. Ship masters are averse to flying aircraft to and from decks, needing to shut the airspace down, turn in to wind and bolt on substantial launch and recovery gear. A seaworthy seaplane can interface just as a boat. Further, it enables boat functions with typically four or five times cruise speed and range. At destination, it offers dual airborne/surface functions. These together massively increase effect, reach and ease of operation.
Every book discussing their design explains how seaplanes require the very features that prevent the improvements needed to reach out for this opportunity. But with a different approach it can and has been done…