AOPA Pilot Magazine - August 2016 - 85

THE CENTER console (opposite page, top left) is in a

comfortable position for the pilot. Three fins (upper
and lower right) were added to overcome yaw and
keep the aircraft perfectly on course with feet off the
rudder pedals. Since these photos were taken, the
Seeker cockpit has been upgraded with the Garmin
GTN 650 or the larger GTN 750 touchscreen
avionics systems. The six-inch screen of the 750
projects up into the bottom of the instrument panel,
where you now see a row of switches (lower left).
Another new goal was to design the cockpit for night
vision goggles, including special cockpit lights.

SEEKER'S CHALLENGE

"The aircraft is specially for surveillance. It is a niche market
low-speed platform. Because it's a strange pusher aircraft with a
helicopter front, and it's different, everybody looks at it and says,
'Oh, should we do it?' When you manage to break through to that
first large customer, that's going to change the story to, 'Goodness, why aren't we also using it?'"
-Seabird Aviation
General Manager Francois Van Teijlingen

SPEC SHEET
Seeker SB7L-360A2
BASE PRICE: $484,500
SPECIFICATIONS

@ 45% power, best economy | 78 kt/

Powerplant | 210 hp Lycoming

6.1 hr

IO-390-A1A6
Recommended TBO | 2,000 hr
Propeller | 70 in dia 2 blade Bishton
Length | 23 ft
Height | 6 ft 7 in
Wingspan | 36 ft 4 in

7,000 ft (39.6 pph/6.6 gph)
Max operating altitude | 15,000 ft
Service ceiling | 15,000 ft
Landing distance over 50-ft obstacle |
1,607 ft
Landing distance, ground roll | 654 ft

Wing area | 141 sq ft
Wing loading | 15.2 lb/sq ft
Power loading | 10.2 lb/hp
Seats | 2
Cabin length | 3 ft 8 in
Cabin width | 3 ft 8 in
Cabin height | 3 ft 10 in
Empty weight | 1,342 lb
Max gross weight | 2,147 lb
Useful load | 805 lb
Payload w/full fuel | 533 lb
Max takeoff weight | 2,147 lb
Max landing weight | 2,039 lb
Fuel capacity | 48.6 gal (45.4 gal usable)

LIMITING AND RECOMMENDED AIRSPEEDS

VX (best angle of climb) | 75 KIAS
VY (best rate of climb) | 77 KIAS
VA (design maneuvering) | 107 KIAS
VFE (max flap extended) | 95 KIAS
VNO (max structural cruising) | 107 KIAS
VNE (never exceed) | 134 KIAS
VR (rotation) | 68 KIAS
VS1 (stall, clean) | 58 KIAS
VSO (stall, in landing configuration) | 48
KIAS
FOR MORE INFORMATION

291.6 lb (272.4 lb usable)

Contact Seeker Aircraft, Post Office Box

PERFORMANCE

505-341-7285; e-mail info@seekeraircraft.

Takeoff distance, ground roll | 870 ft

com; www.seekeraircraft.com.

25844, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87125;

Takeoff distance over 50-ft obstacle |
1,670 ft
Max demonstrated crosswind component |
12 kt

All specifications are based on manufacturer's calculations. All performance figures
are based on standard day, standard atmo-

Rate of climb, sea level | 1,200 fpm

sphere, sea level, gross weight conditions

Max level speed | 5,000 ft, 114 kt

unless otherwise noted.

Cruise speed/endurance w/45-min rsv, std
fuel (fuel consumption)
@ 75% power, best economy | 114 kt/
3.2 hr
5,000 ft (68.4 pph/11.4 gph)
@ 65% power, best economy | 104 kt/
4 hr
5,000 ft (57 pph/9.5 gph)

EXTRA

This aircraft can loiter for more than six
hours and still have a 45-minute fuel
reserve.

When retired Marine Col. Allen E.
Weh spotted a Seeker on the ramp in
Jordan on his way to Iraq, he instantly
knew its purpose. He took a quick ride
with the pilot and was impressed enough
that years later, when Australian manufacturer Seabird Aviation hit a rough financial
patch, he bought the business and added
it as a branch of his air service company
in Albuquerque, CSI Aviation. The FAA
approved the Seeker under an international
reciprocal agreement on June 7. Erickson,
maker of the flying crane, will become the
North American Seeker manufacturer.
As the aircraft was parked behind a
hangar one day with only its bulbous nose
visible from around the corner, a nearby
pilot asked if it was a helicopter. That's
exactly how it is marketed: a helicopter with
wings that is less expensive to operate. Of
all the aircraft on the Moriarty Airport 30
miles east of Albuquerque, visiting kids ran
straight to the Seeker, ignoring all others.
The Seeker is tough, almost tank-like.
Entering the cabin is like boarding a Piper
Cub-pilot's rear end in first, then lower the
head, collect the legs and place everything
in the cockpit. Once inside there's plenty of
room for all those body parts without bumping into the pilot in the other adjustable seat.
You're in a fishbowl made of windows.
The $449,500 A model has a 168-horsepower Lycoming O-360 engine good for
altitudes from sea level to 8,000 feet, but
the $484,500 A2 (see spec sheet) has a
210-horsepower Lycoming IO-390. The A
was at a disadvantage in New Mexico-a
mile-high state-where it has slower speeds
and climb rates. The two aircraft are essentially identical except for the engine.
David Pohlman, president of CSI
Aviation subsidiary Seeker Aircraft, is constantly busy with demonstration flights but
knows he is at a disadvantage using an A
model. While the derating of the engine
allows use of mogas, it is frequently flown
from Moriarty Airport, where the elevation is more than 6,000 feet. Any normally
aspirated aircraft is a bit anemic at that
www.aopa.org/pilot AOPA PILOT | 85


http://www.seekeraircraft.com http://www.aopa.org/pilot

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of AOPA Pilot Magazine - August 2016

https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202404
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202403
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202402
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202401
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202312
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202311
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202310
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202309
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202308
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202307
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202306
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202305
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202304
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202303
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202302
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202301
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202212
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202211
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202210
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202209
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202208
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202207
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202206
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202205
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202204
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202203
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202202
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202201
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202112
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202111
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202110
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202109
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202108
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202107
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202106
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202105
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202104
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202103
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202102
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202101
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202012
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202011
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202010
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202009
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202008
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202007
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202006
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202005
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202004
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202003
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202002
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_202001
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201912
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201911
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201910
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201909
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201908
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201907
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201906
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201905
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201904
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201903
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201902
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201901
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201812
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201811
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201810
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201809
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201808
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201807
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201806
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201805
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201804
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201803
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201802
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201801
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201712
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201711
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201710
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201709
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201708
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201707
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201706
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201705
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201704
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201703
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201702
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201701
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201612
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201611
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201610
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201609
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201608
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201607
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201606
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201605
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201604
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201603
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201602
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201601
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201512
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201511
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201510
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201509
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201508
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201507
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201506
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201505
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201504
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201503
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201502
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201501
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201412
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201411
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201410
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201409
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201408
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201407
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201406
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201405
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201404
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201403
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201402
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201401
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201312
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201311
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201310
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201309
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201308
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201307
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201306
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201305
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201304
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201303
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201302
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201301
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201212
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201211
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201210
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201209
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201208
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201207
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201206
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201205
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201204
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201203
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201202
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201201
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201112
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201111
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201110
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201109
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201108
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201107
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201106
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201105
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201104
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201103
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201103_test
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201102
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201011demo
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot_201011
https://www.nxtbook.com/nxtbooks/aopa/pilot0308
https://www.nxtbookmedia.com