Thurston (U.S.A.) Flying Boats

1946 U.S. Colonial Acquired by Lake 1959	Colonial 1948-C1-Skimmer Colonial 1952-Skimmer-IV
1968 U.S. HRV-1 (modified Skimmer) Levy, Howard, "HRV-1 Hydrofoil Amphibian," Air Progress - The News Magazine of Aviation, Condé Nast Publications, New York, Feb 1968, vol 22 no. 2, pp. cover, 38-39, 73-74. "... the hydrofoil seaplane can operate in sea states three times the size safely handled by a basic seaplane... For almost five years, David B. Thurston, President of... Thurston Aircraft Corporation of Sanford Maine has been conducting relatively unpublicized hydro-ski and hydrofoil development and flight evaluation programs for the US Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIRSYSCOM)... It was during Spring 1964 that the Naval Air Test Center at Patuxent conducted an evaluation of an Edo-developed Grunberg hydrofoil on a Grumman JRF-5G... A second generation seaplane hydrofoil configuration called for a single, small foil positioned below the hull. The resulting design was a single supercavitating, penetrating hydrofoil considered suitable for use on the Grumman Hy-16 Albatross... a modified 1960 Lake LA-4A Skimmer amphibian was chosen as a scale flight test bed."
1968 U.S. Thurston Teal 15 purchased by the U.S. Navy (note the "tractor" prop) In 1966, David B. Thurston established Thurston Aircraft Corporation in Sandford, Maine. The Teal was an amphibian: high-wing monoplane with all metal hull; high-mounted Lycoming engine. The Teal could accommodate two or three in its enclosed cabin. Certified in August of 1969.
Seafire TA16 Homebuild Aquastar, Inc www.Seafireta16.com www.TurbineDesign.com Associated with Seastar? from David B. Thurston who also designed the Teal and the Colonial Skimmer, which evolved into the LA4 and Lake Buccaneer Thurston Commentary "The aircraft is a tractor instead of a pusher, giving it better performance at low speeds and at a high angle of attack. The Seafire is also reasonably priced at around US$350,000, has a canopy that slides back to accommodate larger cargo or a stretcher, and substantial wing floats which enable the aircraft to make high-speed water turns to shorten takeoff distance." The Seafire is powered by an O-540 Lycoming.
1973 Lake Aircraft Corp. Buccaneer LA-4-200
Current Lake Aircraft Corp. Lake Renegade Lake Aircraft Produced Model Horsepower 1948-1959 C1 AND C2/2 PLACE 150-180 HP 1960-1969 LAKE LA4-180 180 HP 1970-1982 LAKE LA4-200 200 HP 1983-1985 LAKE LA4-200 EP 200 HP 1984-1996 LAKE LA-250 250 HP 1987-2000 LAKE LA-270 270 HP 2001 SEAFURY  new
Concept British 200x Ross British Ross News British Ross Specs David B. Thurston Ross-Info Pilatus Britten Norman converted by Thurston to a Flying Boat.
David B. Thurston, Design for Flying, McGraw-Hill, New York, 1978. This book covers general aviation aircraft and also design of amphibians. A second edition has been published in 1995 by Tab Books, a subsidiary of McGraw-Hill. It is a major revision. David B. Thurston, Design for Safety, McGraw-Hill, New York, 1980. This book provides an analysis of general aviation accident data and a list of considerations to produce aircraft that are much safer than current general aviation designs. Read this book when developing a general aviation concept.