Story ID: 
Flight Demo: Searey Elite Amphibian
By: Matt Thurber
Caption: Flying the Progressive Aerodyne Searey amphibian highlighted the versatility and pure fun of this type of aircraft.
Word Count: 624
At this year’s EAA AirVenture show in Oshkosh, Wis., I was invited for a demo flight in Progressive Aerodyne’s Searey amphibious light sport aircraft. The Searey isn’t new on the scene; in fact, since 1992 the two-seater has been sold as an experimental amateur-built kit and more than 500 are already flying. In 2010, Progressive Aerodyne moved to its new facility in seaplane-friendly Tavares, Fla., and in 2012 it received FAA approval for the factory-built light sport aircraft version of the Searey amphib.

Progressive Aerodyne founder and president Kerry Richter welcomed me at the Oshkosh Seaplane Base, and we were soon strapped in and taxiing the short distance from the beach into the cool waters of Lake Winnebago. We flew in the $160,000 top-of-the-line Searey Elite, which is powered by a 115-hp turbocharged Rotax 914. 

The 44-inch-wide cockpit is plenty comfortable for two people. With a gross weight of 1,430 pounds (amphibious LSAs have a higher gross weight limit than fixed-gear LSAs at 1,320 pounds), the Searey Elite needs just 350 feet to get off the water and can climb at 1,100 feet per minute. With fuel consumption of 5.5 gallons per hour and a 22-gallon fuel capacity, the Elite can fly 330 nm with a 30-minute reserve. Cruise speed at 75-percent power is 85 knots. With a low flaps-down stall speed of 33 knots, landing roll on water is just 350 feet and on land 325 feet. Over a 50-foot obstacle, takeoff on water is 1,250 feet and landing 1,100 feet. 

The Elite and the Searey Sport both feature the Advanced Flight Systems 8.4-inch AFS-5500 electronic flight display, which in my opinion is overkill for this kind of airplane. The Elite adds Garmin’s 696 portable GPS mounted in the center panel, while the Sport offers the Garmin aera 500. Both the Elite and Sport include electric landing gear. Folding wings offer a convenient way to transport and store the Searey.

We left the dual sliding canopies slightly open, and even during takeoff and landing water didn’t spray inside the cockpit. The Searey lifted smoothly off the water with 20 degrees of flaps, and although it performs well enough in cruise to fly long distances, it was clear shortly after we took off that this airplane is designed for fun low-level flying.

We climbed no higher than 400 feet and mostly hung around at 200 feet or lower, exploring islands, bird-watching and skimming just above the water. I tried some landings and takeoffs and found the Searey extremely easy to fly, with solid handling and excellent slow-speed characteristics. 

I didn’t get to land the Searey, which has a taildragger landing gear configuration, on a runway, but it has a steerable tailwheel and should be easy to handle on the ground.

The Advanced Flight Systems display includes an angle-of-attack indicator, which I would prefer to be a little larger. I was sitting in the right seat, and it might look better from the left side. The system also provides landing gear warnings, a useful feature for an amphibian, where the pilot must consider the position of the gear for every landing. The system works by prompting the pilot to select “runway” or “water” for each landing, and it then gives aural warnings based on the position of the landing gear. 

Our flight was over too soon, and we eased the Searey down to the smooth surface of Lake Winnebago. It feels a little bit like the hull of the airplane is skipping over the water at first, but then you just pull the power back and the hull settles with a little splash and you’re down. Then it’s just a matter of extending the landing gear and taxiing up onto the beach.