'Dream Machine' - N3500G (s/n 631)
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350 hp TIO-540 engine, extended
wings, composite wing floats, droop tips, extended spray rails, large
rear windows, etc. by Transition Aircraft (Randy Komko). |
More than 60 years after the production ended, the Republic Seabee is still one of most popular amphibian aircraft on the used market. Many amphibian pilots agree that the Seabee is the best single engine amphibian ever built, in terms of utility, ruggedness and water handling. More and more pilots are realizing this and quite many Seabee 'hulks' have been taken out of barns and the hangar backyards to be restored or rebuilt. The last two decades the number of Seabees on the US Civil Aircraft Register has been increasing, from 260+ in 1972 to 320+ in 2002! Several attempts have been made to put the Seabee into production again, unfortunately without success. Meantime, Seabee owners do what they can to keep their Seabees flying. There have undoubtedly been advances in the aviation industry the last 50 years, especially when it comes to avionics and engines... Therefore most Seabees flying today have been modified in some way or another to increase performance and to modernize the equipment aboard. Listed below are the all known Seabee modifications and conversions.
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Seabee Engine ConversionsEngine conversions therefore have been the most popular of the many modifications developed for the Seabee. Several experimental one-of-a-kind engine installations have been developed, including gas turbine engines. A number of engine conversions have also been STC'ed, and been offered commercially by a few companies. Probably more than two-thirds of the World's Seabee population have an engine conversion installed.
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Seabee Airframe ModificationsThe Seabee has never been, and will never be a speed queen... The original Seabee is slow and has the glide ratio of a brick. This is due to high wing loading and parasite drag from the beaded wing surfaces and all things sticking out. Several modifications have been developed by Seabee owners and engineers to improve the aerodynamic performance of the Seabee, including extended wings, droop wing tips, wing tip end plates ('splates'), inboard 'splates'. Other modifications, such as extended spray rails, will improve the water performance and reduce water spray into the propeller.
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Seabee STCsHere is a summary of STCs issued for the Republic Seabee.
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STOL UC-1 Twin BeeThe most dramatic conversion of the Republic Seabee is the UC-1 Twin Bee twin engine amphibian. The Twin Bee conversion is so extensive that it has been awarded a new Approved Type Certificate (# A13EA). The Twin Bee was developed in the early 1960s by Joseph Gigante, Norwood, Massachusetts. Twenty-three Twin Bee conversions have been built to this date.
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