I mentioned this airplane in a post about the Optica a number of years ago.
A dealer says it's a STOL bird, though a prior owner disagrees. Supposedly, it will be "manufactured" in this country, whatever the hell that means.
If an agency or a pipeline/powerline company doesn't need the ability of a helo to land in very small spaces, then this aircraft might have a role to play.
I think I'd go with the Vulcanair/Partenavia P68. The Saskatchewan government had one 20 years ago for anti-poaching patrols and as an FAC aircraft for the water bombers.
ReplyDeleteAl_in_Ottawa
If the idea of the Seeker (or Optica) was to have an observation aircraft that is cheaper to run than a helo, the P68 isn't going to be an answer.
ReplyDeleteThe big problem with the Seeker is lack of power, that's what limits its ability to take off on short fields. Maybe they've up-engined it? Not that I'd be in the market for one of these things... there's a *reason* why conventional aircraft are designed the way they're designed. And it's *not* all about tradition, otherwise the very non-traditional composite aircraft that have come out over the past couple of decades wouldn't be designed the way they're designed.
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