SEA PLANESin the Med

Cyprus March 21, 2014

SEA PLANES

Sea planes are small vessels. Commercial vessels can carry maximum 20 POB. Private ones are 2 or 4 seaters

So, they are not suitable for large scale commercial operations

They may use swallow waters, only 20 cm in depth, just like most ordinary boats.

They are heavily affected by weather conditions both when in the air and when on the water

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Legally, sea planes have two facesWhen in the air, they are considered as

airplanes and they are under the Rules of the Air legislation

When on the water, they are considered as boats and they are under the Rules at the sea legislation

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Sea planes appeared in the Med for the first time by late ‘20’s or early ’30’s.

It was the time aviation made its first steps into the world of commercial exploitation of air transport.

At that time there were not organized aerodromes, outside few countries in Western Europe

At that time, British Government had a pressing need for quick transportation of persons and mail between London and India and other colonies.

At that time, only seaplanes, or “flying boats” could overcome the lack of aerodromes

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A number of “giant” flying boats were builtThat means 15 to 30 POB, four propellers, piston

engines, flying low on VFR, at around 150 knots, day only, without navigation aids. Reliability was extremly low by today’s standards.

By night they had to stop over, passengers had to use a nearby hotel, and fly again next morning.

A trip from London to New Delhi could take 4 days or a week to complete. By ship same trip could take almost a month

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Flying boats stopped to operate during the outbreak of the 2nd World War

Technological advances created a different aviation environment the years after the war.

Large scale commercial transportation was the rule of the day. Seaplanes with low productivity were left behind technical development and almost disappeared.

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The picture started to change only recently. Extensive use of plastic that withstand sea corrosion , turboprop engines and glass cockpits are promising a new generation of efficient sea planes

This new generation will prosper supporting small communities, almost with no infrastructure at all. A task that is way out of the envelope of Boeing and Airbus

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Tasks a new generation sea plane could do in the future

Small volume transportation of people and cargo using minimum of infrastracture

Sightseeing flightsAir taxi fllightsFeeder liner flightsMedical flightsSearch and rescue operationsAnd many more

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Sea plane is not a cheap way to travel.Compared with Boeing or Airbus, sea plane cost more per

seat/mile than the established carriers.The advantage of sea plane is that they do not need expensive

airports consuming cost and more than that consuming timeA small team from Israel, wishing to spend a week end in Cyprus

may land directly in front of the hotel. Hotel employees may take care for the luggage and entry/exit formalities, avoiding thus airports and nasty land transportation

For a sea plane any suitable coast is an airport

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In the same way, a couple living in Bucharest may board a seaplane in Otopenny on a Saturday morning and land one hour later in front of a hotel in say, Thasos Island. This is a small island, without an airport and without a port for big ships.

They may return back to Romania, on Sunday evening, after an exceptional weak end. It will not be a cheap one. But it will be within an affordable level

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Sea plane is not a cheap transportation meansAs a rule, in air transportation the greatest the

number of passengers you can carry, the smaller the cost per seat/mile

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Regarding a trip from Rode’s to Athens

Airbus and Boeing are the fastest and cheapest transportation means per seat mile. But they require expensive airports, and they need at least 100 passengers per flight to operate efficiently.

A sea plane is slower and more expensive per seat mile, but they require almost no infrastructure and they may fly with minimum passengers.

The helicopter is slower and most expensive of all.

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In the futureA team of Canadian sea plane experts visited Greece some time agoTheir report said that modern sea planes making extensive use of plastic material,

turboprop engines and glass cockpits could find a fortune in Greece.The Aegean is a pit of gold for sea planes. Up to 40 planes, with 20 seats each,

could operate profitable the year round.

Μια επιτροπή από Καναδούς εμπειρογνώμονες που μελέτησε ειδικά τα θέμα των υδροπλάνων στο Αιγαίο κατάληξε στο συμπέρασμα «The Aegean is a pit of gold»

Κατά τη γνώμη τους το Αιγαίο μπορεί να συντηρήσει επικερδώς ένα στόλο από 40 Twin Otter που θα λειτουργούν όλο το χρόνο.

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Tomorrow Greece will be the first sea plane country in Europe.

Commercial flights with20 seaters, air taxi operations with aircraft with 4 to 10 seats And private ones with 2 to 4 seats

All will be abundant in the Aegean in some years.

The good or the bad low, the good or the bad person in a critical position, all may affect the speed and the efficiency of the development.

One thing is certain

Greece is a country ideally suited for sea plane operations

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