English name: Masked Duck
Export marketing name: SeaStar
TYPE: Two-seat amphibian/kitbuilt.
PROGRAMME: Derived from Claude Tisserand's Hydroplum II, prototype of which first flew 1 November 1986; SMAN bought design rights in 1987; construction of Pétrel prototype began January 1989; first flight July 1989. At least 70 built in France; rights passed to Billie Aero Marine. Production transferred to Brazil by 1997.
CUSTOMERS: Total of 135 produced by Edra by late 1999 (latest data known). Production rate five kits and one factory-built aircraft per month in 1999. Customers in Europe, Africa, Canada, Australia, USA and Brazil.
COSTS: Kit, less engine, US$18,500 with basic items only, or US$26,000 for complete components set; fly-away US$43,000 (2003).
DESIGN FEATURES: Experimental category pusher-engined biplane; road-towable on custom-designed trailer with assembly/disassembly time of 10 minutes. Quoted kit build time 500 hours (fast-build kit).
Equal-span, constant-chord wings, upper unit mounted on cabane; V-type interplane struts, with diagonal strut brace to fuselage from upper plane. Single-step hull. Boom-mounted empennage, wire-braced. Floats at mid-span of lower plane. (French-built Pétrels have shorter lower span with floats at tips.)
Wing section NACA 2412; dihedral 2° 13' on upper wings, 3° 26' on lower; sweepback 4° upper, 2° lower.
FLYING CONTROLS: Conventional and manual. Ailerons on upper wing only. No flaps. Actuation by wires (rudder) and pushrods. Electric trim.
STRUCTURE: Moulded monocoque single-step hull of epoxy/carbon fibre foam with carbon fibre tailboom; wings have 2014-T6 aluminium alloy tubular main spar with PVC foam ribs and glass fibre/epoxy leading-edge and tips covered with fabric and braced by single diagonal strut and V interplane struts of 6061-T6 aluminium. Wings fold for ground transportation. Tail surfaces of glass fibre spars and PVC foam ribs, with fabric and glass fibre covering, stainless steel wire braced.
LANDING GEAR: Retractable tricycle type; based on Mooney design, with Johnson bar actuation; main units retract upwards into hull and undersurface of lower wing; nosewheel retracts upwards and forwards, tyre remaining partially exposed to serve as docking bumper when operating on water. Nosewheel maximum steering angle 80°. hydraulic disc brakes on main units. No water rudders.
POWER PLANT: One 59.6 kW (79.9 hp) Rotax 912 UL or 73.5 kW (98.6 hp) Rotax 912 ULS four-stroke piston engine driving an Airplast 175 three-blade pusher propeller. Optional Airplast PV 50 in-flight adjustable pitch propeller with electric or manual control. Fuel capacity 50 litres (13.2 US gallons; 11.0 Imp gallons), of which 45 litres (11.9 US gallons; 9.9 Imp gallons) usable. Optional auxiliary tank, capacity 106 litres (28.0 US gallons; 23.3 Imp gallons).
ACCOMMODATION: Two, side by side in open or enclosed cockpit, with windscreen or single-piece forward-hinging canopy. Dual controls.
EQUIPMENT: Optional BRS ballistic parachute. Bilge pump.