A Review of the Analytical Methods used for Seaplanes Performance Prediction

The present study aims to review the conventional analytical methods used to predict the performance of seaplanes and define the weaknesses in each method along with its applicability range. The study also addresses the main issues in the design of seaplanes and provides a brief description of their motion characteristics. The heave and pitch equations of seaplane motion are also discussed and the procedure of obtaining their solution is explained. After that, the results obtained from the most common two approaches are presented. The results show that the methods have many limitations and only applicable under certain conditions. There is insufficient work to define the motion of seaplanes in the ground effect region where the craft experiences nonlinear effects. As a result, no method is optimal for all speed regimes of seaplanes. Not only that, but also most of the methods do not study the stability of seaplanes which is a major issue in the design stage. Nevertheless, no method takes in consideration the nonlinear effects of motion of seaplanes in heave and pitch axes.