In the works: New Nose – ClipperSpirit

By Matt Thurber

December 1, 2008
Aircraft

The New Nose Company’s twin-turboprop ClipperSpirit amphibian was announced in early October, coincidentally at about the same time Dornier relaunched the certified Seastar amphibian program. The ClipperSpirit at present is a design looking for a financial partner.

 

The all-composite design has a wingspan of 96 feet and a length of 66.5 feet. The hull beam is nine feet and interior floor space covers 220 sq ft, while headroom is 72 inches. The interior space is large enough to accommodate 24 passengers in regional airline configuration or 27 passengers for sightseeing.

 

New Nose is evaluating Honeywell’s 1,650-shp TPE331-14 GR/HR engine. Performance goals include 1,000-nm range, 6,000-pound full-fuel payload, 200-knot maximum cruise speed at 10,000 feet, maximum altitude 25,000 feet and takeoff field and water length of 3,500 feet at the 33,000-pound maximum takeoff weight.

 

Italy’s Aqua Airlines and New Nose have agreed to co-develop the airline configuration of the ClipperSpirit, and the agreement includes an initial buy of 10 airplanes and

an option for 10. New Nose president Charles Simpson is co-creator and designer of the ClipperSpirit. Two variants of the basic airframe are currently under consideration,

he said. The primary version uses winglets at the wingtips for a modern “jet look,” he said. “However, if the engineering evaluation of the winglets demonstrates insufficient performance returns or if customer sentiment dictates, we also have what we call the classic version. The only changes are the conventional wingtips and the classic styling of the vertical tail planform. Everything else is identical.”

 

 

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