Plane onboard - with floats

We plan to make our vessel suitable for helicopters to land on the stern top deck. But, we ran into an interesting option last week: an amphibious plane.

Like for instance the Zenith CH 801 sport utility aircraft, a true 'bush plane' with STOL performance (short take-off and landing) that takes a pilot and 4 passengers, can be equipped with amphibious floats, a cargo pod and has wings that can be removed easily (during long voyages or Panama Canal transits (they would stick out one foot on each side).

As this drawing below shows, this plane would fit quite nicely on our vessel.

Compared to a helicopter, a plane is a lot cheaper to operate, easier to fly (which makes it easier to find pilots), has a higher payload and a real STOL plane also lets us get in and out of tight spaces. The Zenith CH 801 is made by Zenith Aircraft Company in Missouri.

The floats are now made by a Canadian company called Can-Zac Aviation Ltd., the Zenith distributor in Canada. Here a few pictures of Zenith aircraft equipped with their floats.

Zenair Floats™ are produced using proven design techniques with modern aviation aluminum alloys that are durable and corrosion resistant. The respected Heintz-designed floats have been installed on dozens of different kit and ultralight planes and are in use around the world.