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Meet the aircraft
The Seastar uses two turboprops in a tandem tractor-and-pusher installation above the fuselage. Its boat hull and stabilising sponsons follow a recognisable Dornier flying-boat tradition, while retractable landing gear allows runway operations as well. The programme has had a long development history since its first flight in the 1980s. Its layout is a useful contrast with aircraft that place one engine on each wing.
Aircraft background
Wikipedia contributors · Read more ↗A landing offshore becomes a conversation with the chairman
McClellan’s introduction to the Seastar included landing a few miles off Florida in the Gulf of Mexico. With the engines shut down, the group sat above the cabin enjoying the view and wishing they had brought a fishing rod. The aircraft had become a place to spend time on the water. Company chief Joe Walker telephoned chairman Conrado Dornier, who answered from Europe and remarked on the boat beneath them.
FLYING · January 2010. Earlier Seastar off Florida; summary uses the publicly accessible opening of his report, not the restricted remainder.
FLYING · Read more ↗Into the cockpit
YouTube Dornier Seawings · 2 min ·
First Flight of MSN1004 Seastar Prototype
Dornier Seawings shares the first flight of its MSN1004 Seastar prototype.
Real aircraft · Dornier Seastar
Watch on YouTube ↗Preview images are served by AirframeDB. Videos open on YouTube only when you choose to watch.
Meet Dornier Seastar
The Seastar uses two turboprops in a tandem tractor-and-pusher installation above the fuselage. Its boat hull and stabilising sponsons follow a recognisable Dornier flying-boat tradition, while retractable landing gear allows runway operations as well.
The programme has had a long development history since its first flight in the 1980s. The simulator manual identifies the equipment modelled, with prototypes and later developments described separately.
Dornier Seastar
Dornier → · Explore the family →
Dornier Seastar
Wikipedia contributors · Dornier Seastar ↗Microsoft Flight Simulator · MSFS 2024 →Aircraft type designators
Use the code for the model you are flying. The linked authority lists the applicable aircraft.
History & design
Development milestones
Designer: Claudius Dornier Jr
First flight: 17 August 1984
Wikipedia contributors · Dornier Seastar ↗Dornier Seastar · family/variant named by the source · Wikipedia revision 1362414308
Pilot accounts
A landing offshore becomes a conversation with the chairman
McClellan’s introduction to the Seastar included landing a few miles off Florida in the Gulf of Mexico. With the engines shut down, the group sat above the cabin enjoying the view and wishing they had brought a fishing rod. The aircraft had become a place to spend time on the water.
Company chief Joe Walker telephoned chairman Conrado Dornier, who answered from Europe and remarked on the boat beneath them. For McClellan, an aviation writer, that was the revealing part of the exchange. Sitting offshore made the hull’s role immediate and tangible: he was experiencing an aircraft whose usefulness on the water was central to the trip, rather than simply a way to reach a runway.
FLYING · January 2010. Earlier Seastar off Florida; summary uses the publicly accessible opening of his report, not the restricted remainder.
Read the full account · FLYING ↗An experienced demonstrator explains the tradeoffs on the water
Holcombe described being comfortable flying the Seastar from choppy water, where only small corrections had been needed to maintain its attitude on the step. That experience also made him relaxed about letting a less experienced seaplane pilot try the aircraft. His enthusiasm came through strongly in the interview.
He still acknowledged a practical difference from twins with engines spread across the wings. The Seastar’s centreline arrangement could not use asymmetric thrust in the same way for manoeuvring on the water. For him, the water rudder and appropriate training made that a manageable tradeoff. These are the favourable impressions of a company representative who had flown the aircraft, tied to the conditions and configuration he described.
Peter Pigott, Wings · April 2010. Dornier sales and marketing head with firsthand Seastar water-operation experience; earlier CD2, not the 2020 new-generation prototype.
Read the full account · Wings ↗A new cockpit accompanies a familiar favourable impression
Cornelius reported a successful first flight for the new-generation Seastar after its crew spent thirty-one minutes airborne from Oberpfaffenhofen. He described pleasant handling and said the systems had functioned correctly during the outing. The updated avionics also stood out in his short assessment of the cockpit.
The aircraft represented another stage in a programme with much older roots. Dornier’s release described changes that included a digital flight deck, revised propellers and additional equipment, distinguishing this prototype from the earlier Seastar. Cornelius’s comments provide the crew’s initial response to that particular flight. The release contains no longer operational evaluation.
Dornier Seawings first-flight report · March 2020. New-generation prototype SN1003 at Oberpfaffenhofen; brief chief-test-pilot remarks relayed by the manufacturer.
Read the full account · Dornier Seawings ↗In your simulator
Systems, equipment and documentation for each developer’s aircraft.
MSFS 2024Seastar
Microsoft Flight Simulator · Released
Seastar
Microsoft Flight Simulator · Released
Aircraft specifications
Published figures for the named real-aircraft variant. Simulator equipment and performance can differ.
| Specification | Published value |
|---|---|
| Length | 12.70 m (41 ft 8 in) |
| Wingspan | 17.74 m (58 ft 2 in) |
| Height | 4.83 m (15 ft 10 in) |
| Wing area | 30.6 m² (329 sq ft) |
| Empty weight | 2,900 kg (6,393 lb) |
| Max takeoff weight | 4,600 kg (10,141 lb) |
| Powerplant | 2 × Pratt & Whitney Canada PT6 A-112/A135A turboprop, 478 kW (650 shp) each |
| Propellers | 4-bladed McCauley 4HFR34C760/95DA (Five-blade MT-Propellers on new Gen), 2.4 m (7 ft 10 in) diameter front, 2.35m aft |
| Cruise speed | 330 km/h (210 mph, 180 kn) |
| Stall speed | 120 km/h (75 mph, 65 kn) flaps 40° |
| Service ceiling | 4,500 m (14,800 ft) |
Manuals & resources
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Pilot account
A landing offshore becomes a conversation with the chairmanFLYING · January 2010. Earlier Seastar off Florida; summary uses the publicly accessible opening of his report, not the restricted remainder.
McClellan’s introduction to the Seastar included landing a few miles off Florida in the Gulf of Mexico. With the engines shut down, the group sat above the cabin enjoying the view and wishing they had brought a fishing rod. The aircraft had become a place to spend time on the water. Company chief Joe Walker telephoned chairman Conrado Dornier, who answered from Europe and remarked on the boat beneath them. For McClellan, an aviation writer, that was the revealing part of the exchange.
J. Mac McClellan
FLYING · Read the source ↗An experienced demonstrator explains the tradeoffs on the waterPeter Pigott, Wings · April 2010. Dornier sales and marketing head with firsthand Seastar water-operation experience; earlier CD2, not the 2020 new-generation prototype.
Holcombe described being comfortable flying the Seastar from choppy water, where only small corrections had been needed to maintain its attitude on the step. That experience also made him relaxed about letting a less experienced seaplane pilot try the aircraft. His enthusiasm came through strongly in the interview. He still acknowledged a practical difference from twins with engines spread across the wings.
Jim Holcombe
Wings · Read the source ↗Read the original documentation from the people who created it. Manuals open on their publisher’s website.
Manual
Microsoft Flight Simulator aircraft manualsMicrosoft / aircraft developersAircraft background
Dornier SeastarWikipedia contributors · Research background · Wikipedia revision 1362414308 · retrieved 2026-09-12Resource
MSFS 2024 FAQ and edition aircraft inventoryMicrosoftType designator
ICAO Doc 8643 — aircraft type designatorsInternational Civil Aviation Organization · Public search data retrieved 2026-09-14; authority update 2026-09-03Built-in force-feedback profiles
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Catalogue programme-20261022-v1 · 1 profile choice
Dornier Seastar
Free and Pro · Revision 2 · Partial review
MSFS 2024
Dornier Seastar: The profile supplies the chosen amphibious-aircraft control resistance.
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