Philippines: Clark ready to make seaplanes

MANILA, Philippines — It's back to the future for this German aircraft manufacturer.

Claude Dornier, grandson of Germany’s pioneer in amphibious seaplanes, is planning to introduce the same but upgraded model his forebear made in 1914, which could answer the air transportation needs of Filipinos living in remote islands without a runway.

Dubbed S-Ray 007, the two-seater, prototype single engine seaplane can be operated on both land and sea and is capable of short take-off and landing on runways or seas.

However, the company has also in its drawing board six-seat and 20-seat seaplanes ready to be manufactured if the market shows an interest in them.

“The two-seater is for export, the six-seater is convertible into an air ambulance and cargo, while the 20-seater is for tourists that can land right on the beach of any resort,” says Dornier, a longtime Philippine resident.

His factory is located at the Clark Aviation Economic Zone of the Diosdado Macapagal International Airport (DMIA). He has more than 100 Filipinos employed in the facility.

Dornier, grandson of Claude Dornier, the famous engineer and pioneering designer of military aircraft for Germany’s Luftwaffe in World War II, says his factory can turn out bigger aircraft that can land on the sea, “ideal for countries like the Philippines which are bounded by waters.”

He added that seaplanes do away with expensive passenger terminals.

The S-Ray 007 seaplane was manufactured based on a 1921 Dornier “Libelle” aircraft and was redesigned and built in modern light weight composite structures ideal for amphibious training and commercially sold as fun plane for export worldwide with a tag price of US $250,000.

The amphibious multi-purpose two-seat airplane, which behaves like a speedboat in the water, was flight tested recently in Boracay Island and El Nido in Palawan, where it registered consuming an average of 20 liters of aviation fuel per flying hour. The plane can fly for seven hours without refueling.

Dornier said that they plan to mass-produce the aircraft for export worldwide, adding that a bigger model is now on the planning stage that can be converted into an air ambulance ideal for airlifting passengers on land or in sea.

In an interview at his hangar at the Ninoy Aquino International Airport’s General Aviation area, Dornier said he considers the Philippines his second home and feels that he is more Filipino now than a German national, after staying here for more than 20 years.

http://www.mb.com.ph