The major advantages provided by the Ocean seaplanes concept over existing seaplanes are typically:
1. Access to about FIVE TIMES as many coastal facilities
The wings can be folded to within the beam of the sponsons. Using a water-thruster, the Ocean seaplanes can be steered accurately, safely and quietly amongst other boats or to confined docks or into marina berths.
2. Operations in typically twice-as-large waves
Both a smooth ride in extreme waves and forgiving water handling qualities arise from the Ocean seaplanes' new hull forms.
3. Exceptionally high load capacity and payload range
New orders of hydrodynamic efficiency from the new hull concept combine with high-lift aerodynamics, reduced hull weight and high cruise efficiency, accumulating to offer substantially greater useful load advantages over any equivalent seaplanes. If these advantages are used for power storage, it enables typically 100% greater range-with-payload in relation to similarly powered aircraft.
4. Exceptional on-water platform
The Ocean stub-wings and sponsons offer the best operating features of both flying boats and floatplanes. They provide for easy cabin access for passengers and cargo, and a platform for all manner of on-water functions for either work or leisure.
5. Increased safety
The Ocean seaplane safety advantages include:
- Greater safety margins in common wave conditions and survivability in extreme waves
- Forgiving control response for ease of safe handling
- Reduced cockpit and cabin accelerations
- Stability in crash cases including impacting submerged objects
- Cabin that will not submerge in almost any water crash configuration
- Safe forced/emergency wheels-up landing on surfaces including sand, soft agricultural land, swamp and rough water.
- High levels of protection in a land crash due to disposable structure forward and below the cockpit.
These are significant life-saving advantages over both conventional seaplanes and landplanes.
6. Lower operating costs
Major cost savings in relation to conventional seaplanes are expected from:
- Low direct costs. The large load capacity and high cruise efficiency of the Ocean seaplanes enable them to achieve transport tasks with less energy.
- Low indirect costs. Major increases in airframe life and reductions in preventative and cyclical maintenance result from the use of composite materials, especially when operating in salt water.
- Lower insurance premiums. Favourable insurance premiums are expected from the Ocean seaplanes’ safety features (above).
- Spreading overheads. With the Ocean seaplanes increased competitiveness and operating advantages, they will tend to be used more than conventional seaplanes. This will spread overheads, further reducing hourly costs.
These advantages are expected to increase the competitiveness of fresh-water seaplane operators by at least 20 percent and over 30 percent for longer haul operations. On tropical salt-water, life-cycled costs-per-seat-mile are expected to be in the order of half those encountered by operators of current seaplanes.
