The Seeker, a light utility airplane born in Australia in the early 1990s, has gained U.S. type certification allowing it to finally go on sale here in America.
If you’ve never heard of the Seeker you’re probably not alone. A two-seat, high-wing taildragger with the engine mounted high behind the cabin, it’s an odd bird. In Australia it’s long been known as the Seabird Seeker, built and sold by Seabird Aviation Australia.
With exceptional visibility and penny-pinching economics, it’s billed as a cost-effective alternative to a helicopter. And if you don’t need vertical takeoff and landing capability, there’s an argument to be made that the Seeker is just about the perfect alternative to a rotorcraft.
Seekers have been flying in limited numbers in the United States as sales demonstrators and with government entities, and now you too can own one after Seeker Aircraft America completed FAA validation flights allowing them to be shipped here, reassembled and sold as Part 23 certified airplanes.
Two versions will be offered in the U.S. market, the Seeker SB7L-360A and higher horsepower SB7L-360A2, both powered by Lycoming IO-360 engines.
With nearly seven hours of flight endurance and a stall speed of 48 knots, Seeker Aircraft America is hopeful this unique airplane can find a ready home in this country.
For our flight report on the Seeker, check out Peter Garrison’s write-up here.
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