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If you have any Seabee News
to report, please contact
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2003 Nov 20
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Brazil News
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Seabee s/n 457 in VARIG Hangars.
Rio De Janeiro, Brazil, 13 November 2003
Photo: © Silivo T. Comenho
Mr. Silivio T. Comenho has sent some photos from the
restoration of his Seabee #457 (PP-DKU) in Brazil. The restoration
is progressing well, thanks to the skilled workforce at VARIG. The
photos suggest that a Lycoming engine will be installed? Silvio is
a Boeing 777 captain with VARIG. He hopes that #457 will fly again
in April. We look forward to Silvio's next report! For more
photos, please visit the Seabees in Brazil
page.
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2003 Nov 07
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Sea
Hornet on Water
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C-GNVS (s/n 465) "Sea Hornet"
California 24 October 2003
Photo: © Mark Ward
The Sea Hornet has made her first flight tests on
water, and she is performing well - and looking great. The Sea
Hornet has a Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6A-20 turbine engine, turning
a specially built Hartzell 3 blade full feather, reversing propeller.
The engine has been
de-rated to 400 SHP.
Mr. Mark Ward has promised to be back with more details on this project
soon.
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2003 Sep 10
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Turbine
Seabee!
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C-GNVS (s/n 465) "Sea Hornet"
California Sept. 2003
Photo: © Dave Saunders via John Cuny
Just when you thought you had seen it all...take a
look at this!! A Turbine Seabee! Mr. John Cuny reports that
this 'secret' Seabee project finally has been revealed to the
public. Not many details are know at this time. The subject
Seabee is registered on the Canadian Civil Aircraft Register as C-GNVS
(s/n 465). The listed owner is Mr. R. Wallace of Bellingham,
Washington, USA. However, the modifications and flight testing are
reported to be taking place in California. Reportedly the engine
installed is a PT6A turbine. From the photos it is also seen that
the Seabee has gotten a serious 'nose-job'! Also noted are the
struts on the tailplane. The Turbine Seabee project has been named The
'Sea Hornet'.
C-GNVS (s/n 465) "Sea Hornet"
PT-6A turbine engine!
Photo: © Dave Saunders via John Cuny
One of the people behind the Turbine Seabee project -
Mr. David Saunders - reports that they already have accumulated a few
hours on the 'Sea Hornet' and no problems have been experienced so far.
The first flights have been made for evaluating the handling and getting
familiar with the aircraft. The definitive flight tests start
soon. They hope to be on the water next week!! We look forward to
getting more details about this extremely interesting project soon!
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2003 Aug 12
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Simuflight - The Legacy Continues!
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Seabee enthusiasts will be glad to learn that Joe
McHugh's son Scott A. Henderson informs he and his sisters are going to
continue Joe's Seabee Legacy and that Joe's kits
and conversions will
continue to be available once they have sorted out the estate.
Like Joe, Scott is also an avid Seabee pilot as any
good son should be and he was trained to fly Seabee's by the man that
knew more than most about them - his father.
For any inquiries regarding Joe Simuflight or his kits, please contact
Scott at:
Mr. Scott A. Henderson
Finite Technologies Incorporated
3763 Image Drive, Anchorage, Alaska 99504
Phone: 907.337.2860, Fax: 907.333.4482
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2003 Aug 15
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Last
Norwegian Seabee...
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It is with some sadness that your (Norwegian) Webmaster
has been informed that the last Seabee in Norway, LN-IKK (s/n 270), has
been sold abroad...
LN-IKK was offered for sale more than a year ago, but
the Norwegian owner Torleif Disen failed to find a new owner in
Norway. The Republic Seabee was one of the most popular air taxi
aircraft in Norway from 1946/47 - when more than 10 Seabees were imported
to Norway. A total of 17 Seabees have been on the Norwegian Civil
Aircraft Register, and LN-IKK was the last.
Fortunately s/n 270 has found a happy new owner in
Sweden, where the Seabee amphibians still are very much appreciated. The new
owner is Mr. David Pajus, who lives in Linköping. S/n 270 was
flown from Norway to Sweden on 26 June, and she will be based at
Malmslätt airfield just outside Stockholm. She will still have the
Norwegian registration marks LN-IKK for a while.
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2003 Jun 19
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Joe
McHugh R.I.P.
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 All Seabee enthusiasts are shocked and saddened to learn that it was
Seabee legend Capt. Joe B. McHugh who was killed, when Seabee N6723K crashed in Yelm, Washington, on Monday 16 June 2003 (see News
2003-06-17).
Douglas Gentzkow of Redmond,
who had just
purchased the Seabee from the estate of late George Mojonnier. was seriously injured in the accident.
A witness to the crash, John Mayerl, died from heart attack when rushing
to the crash scene to help.
- The Seabee never
left the ground. As Gentzkow taxied down the grass runway of Western
Airpark in Yelm, it turned into the trees and fell down the 300-foot
embankment. The plane landed upside-down on the steep slope, making it
difficult and dangerous for investigators to reach it; NTSB
Investigator Tom Little said to local newspaper "King County
Journal".
- Gentzkow recently
purchased the Seabee from a man who lived at Yelm's Western Airpark;
Little said. - He and McHugh were flying it to Crest Airpark in
Kent, where McHugh lived. It's possible the two were going to work on
the plane, although that has not been confirmed; Little said.
More details at:
http://www.kingcountyjournal.com/sited/story/html/134869
http://www.kingcountyjournal.com/sited/story/html/135021
Joe McHugh was a true Seabee enthusiast and an avid long-time Seabee
owner. For many years McHugh developed and sold some of the most
popular Seabee engine conversions and Seabee modifications available,
through his company Simuflight. The Simuflight GO-480 engine
conversions were installed on Seabee all over the World.
Born Aug. 27, 1931, in Tacoma, McHugh graduated from
Enumclaw High School and served in the Navy Reserves as a pilot. He
lived in the South County area for 70 years.
Mr. McHugh worked at Pacific Northwest Airlines as a
flight engineer and co-pilot; at Western Airlines as a co-pilot and
captain; and as a captain at Delta Airlines.
He is survived by his son, Scott A. Henderson of
Anchorage, Alaska; daughters, Penny Larson of Woodinville, Kris Goldman
of Salt Lake City, Utah, and Lynn Clark of Bothell; brothers, Jim McHugh
of Enumclaw and John McHugh of Olympia; sister, Barbara Jussila of
Sumner; and eight grandchildren.
NTSB
Report
[Updated 2003-06-20][Updated 2003-06-23][Updated 2003-07-24][Updated 2004-03-26]
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2003 Jun 17
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Seabee N6723K Crashes in Yelm, WA
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N6723K (s/n 1006)
Photo: © William T. Larkins
It is sadly reported that
Seabee N6723K (s/n 1006) crashed on take off from Western Airport, Yelm,
WA on Monday 16 June 2003. Two people were aboard the
aircraft at the accident. The 71 year old occupant was killed
and the 61 year old was seriously injured. A third
person, a 54 year old man, suffered a fatal heart attack when rushing to
the accident scene to help.
....
Two
men were aboard the plane as it attempted to take off from Western
Airpark shortly before 6:30 p.m.
The takeoff failed,
and seconds later, the plane crashed upside down near the Centralia
Canal at the base of a steep, 300-foot embankment off Cook Road
Southeast.
A bystander who
attempted to help the occupants of the plane had an apparent heart
attack and was found dead two-thirds of the way down the overgrown
embankment.
....
Because the crash site
was unreachable by helicopter, the Thurston County dive crew
transported the injured Redmond man along the creek using a Zodiac
watercraft so he could be airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in
Seattle. The effort took more than two hours to complete.
About 8:50 p.m., a
helicopter carrying the injured man took off for Seattle.
Yelm and Rainier fire
districts, the Thurston County Sheriff's Department, Medic One and the
Coroner's Office all responded to the accident. Representatives from
the Federal Aviation Administration also are investigating the crash.
"I've lived out
here a long time, and I can't even tell you the last time something
like this happened," Yelm and Rainier Fire Chief Rita Hutcheson
said. "It's not a frequent occurrence, thank god. It's just a
really unfortunate situation."
Carolyn Skye, who
lives on Cook Road Southeast, saw the takeoff attempt and said it was
obvious something was wrong with the plane, which she described as
beige with an oddly shaped nose. However, she said she did not hear
anything to indicate mechanical difficulties.
"It was going too
slow to take off and too fast to stop at the end of the runway,"
Skye said. "It kept going, so I knew it was in trouble. I heard a
lot of crashing into the trees, and there was a fir tree sheared off
at the top by the plane."
Lt. Steve Slater, of
the Yelm Fire District, made his way down to the crash site and said
the nose of the airplane was slightly smashed in. Both wings also were
damaged, he said.
The steep hillside
made it nearly impossible for rescue workers to complete what is
called a high-angle rescue, which involves strapping the victims to a
board and carrying them up the embankment. So instead, Thurston County
dive crews planned to use their boats to remove the two bodies that
remained at the crash site after the injured man was airlifted from
the scene.
"It's extremely
difficult because the hillside is very steep," Slater said.
"You wouldn't be able to walk down this except if you were
holding onto the trees and brush."
At 9:30 p.m., workers
still had not removed the two bodies from the site. The Thurston
County Coroner's Office was expected to take possession of the two
bodies.
"I've lived here
31 years, and I've seen five planes go down," said Lloyd Klumpp,
a Thurston County resident who lives near the crash site.
"Normally, nobody gets hurt."
[Heather Woodward, The
Olympian]
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2003 Apr 18
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Seabees at Sun'n'Fun 2003
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Sun'n'Fun 2003
Photo: © Scott Perkins
At least five Seabees visited EAA's Sun'n'Fun 2003 fly
in and the Splash Ins arranged on this event; N6240K flown by Jim Poel,
N6428K flown by Richie Brumm, N6144K flown by Henry Ruzakowski, N9042N
flown by Steve Mestler and N6356K flown by Jan Bem.
For Steve Mestler's account of this great event, please visit the IRSOC
News pages. More Sun'n'Fun 2003 Seabee photos can also be found here.
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2003 Apr 14
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Trigull
in Production - Finally?
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C-FTRI in Viking Air hangar on 11 April 2003
Photo: © Jim Jackson
In the late 1960ies and the early 1970ies the Trident
Trigull amphibian was designed and developed by Chuck Y. Herbst and P.
H. Spencer to be a modern replacement for the Seabee. For more
than three decades attempts have been made to put the Trigull amphibian
into production in Canada. They have all failed for a number of
unfortunate reasons.
Brent Wallace now sent this very exciting news on the
Trigull, from Flight International magazine:
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Beaver
to bring back bush aircraft
KATE
SARSFIELD / LONDON
Canadian
manufacturer reveals goal of reviving production of
35-year-old utility lines and refloating amphibian
A
Canadian company is planning to restart the de Havilland Canada DHC-2
Beaver and DHC-3 Otter utility aircraft lines, 35 years after
production ended.
Beaver
Aircraft Canada also intends to breathe life into the four-seat
Trident Aircraft Tri-Gull amphibian. This programme, now owned
by Canada's Viking Aircraft, was shelved during development in
the 1970s due to lack of funding.
The
all-metal, single-engined, high-wing Beaver made its first
flight in August 1947 and around 1,650 of the six-seat aircraft
were built. Of these more than half are still flying, says
Beaver Aircraft director Mark Sager.
The
larger, 16-seat Otter entered service in 1953 and when
production ceased in 1968, around 460 aircraft had been built.
Sager says: "We have an overwhelming response from the
market worldwide, which is keen to see these rugged short
take-off and landing bush aeroplanes back in service,
particularly the Beaver, which is widely regarded as one of the
most perfectly designed and robust small utility aircraft ever
built."
Beaver
Aircraft has acquired Viking Air, which owns the production jigs
and drawings for all three aircraft. The Victoria, British
Columbia-based company builds spare parts and specialises in the
reconstruction and modification of Beaver and Otter designs.
Although
development details are being kept under wraps, Sager says the
Otter will be offered only with a modern turbine engine. The
Beaver will be available in two variants. One will be faithful
to the old design, perhaps powered by second-hand radial engines
such as the Pratt & Whitney R-985 Wasp, while the other
could encompass a number of modifications added to the aircraft
over the years such as new avionics, engines and doors. The
Beaver is likely to be stretched to accommodate nineseats, Sager
says. The Tri-Gull will also be turbine-powered and is likely to
be renamed, he adds.
"There
are still a few balls to go through the hoops before we can turn
the light back on in the factory. But when that day comes, we
expect prototype, flight testing and certification [for all
three models] will take about two to three years," he says.
The first aircraft to enter service could be the Otter, followed
by the Tri-Gull and the Beaver.
The company
is predicting sales of around 600 Beavers, 490 Otters and 365
Tri-Gulls in the first 10 years, Sager says. "There is a
large market for the Beaver and Otter from private owners,
through to maritime surveillance, and passenger/commuter
operators. The Tri-Gull will mainly be targeted at recreational
flyers," he adds
Source:
Flight International 08 April 2003 |
You can read more at www.canada.com.
Visit Beaver Aircraft Canada at www.beaveraircraft.com
for latest official Trigull information. For more information on the Trigull amphibian
you can also visit my unofficial Trigull
web-pages.
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2003 Jan 30
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George
Mojonnier R.I.P.
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It is sadly reported that Mr. George Mojonnier passed
away a few weeks ago, 85 years old. George was a well known and true
Seabee enthusiast, and in the early 1970ies he published Seabee
Newsletters that were very much enjoyed by all Seabee enthusiasts
receiving them. George lived in Washington, and owned a number of
Seabees. If you can tell me more about George and his flying career,
and his Seabee stories, I would very much appreciate hearing from
you. Please e-mail me.
Thank you!
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2003 Jan 26
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Trigull
C-FTRI
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Brent Wallace reports that he spotted Trigull
prototype C-FTRI in one of Viking Air's hangars at Victoria
International Airport, BC, Canada - on his visit to Viking Air on 2003-01-23.
C-FTRI was hangared together with Republic Seabee N6483K (s/n 727) and
the DHC-3T Otter turbine engine conversion C-GVTO. The Trigull
looked magnificent! Brent sent these great photos;
C-FTRI at Viking Air 2003-01-21
Photo: © Brent Wallace
Instrument panel of C-FTRI
Photo: © Brent Wallace
Thank you so much, Brent!
Viking Air's plans for the Trigull are not
known... If you have any Trigull news or know anything about
Viking Air's plans, please e-mail
me!
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