Aeroexpress – where the
water meets the sky
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About seaplanes
Is there a more beautiful, more romantic form of human transportation than seaplane flight? What shaped its history, and what can we hope for its renewed flourishing worldwide? Learn about the romantic history and current development of seaplane flight in Hungary!
About Us
Our team is reintroducing seaplane aviation to Hungary, with a Hungarian-registered seaplane operating on local waters since February 4, 2022. The history goes back more than a century: the legendary Aeroexpress Rt., one of the first airlines in Hungarian history, began operations in 1922 with passenger and mail transport on the Danube and Lake Balaton.
Partners
Aeropark, Flyby Aero and VMSZ, the community of the town of Adony: nothing could have started without them! In the time that has passed since then, the number of excellent partners has only increased. And our Austrian partner, Motorflugunion Klosterneuburg, also plays a prominent role in planning the future.
About our seaplanes
Cessna 206 Stationair Amphibian
The iconic models of the American manufacturer, which has a hundred years of history, are the cornerstones of generalaviation, the Rotring pencils of aircraft: honest, clean and timeless. No one has really invented anything better in the single engine category. Their best-known model, the Cessna 172, holds countless world records: for example, it spent 63 days in the air with one take-off and is the most popular aircraft of all time with more than 44,000 units produced.
The model we have chosen, the Cessna 206, is the more robust, powerful, and authoritative older brother of this legend, and rightfully bears the title of king of its category. It is mature, safe and amazingly versatile. Nearly 9,000 units were built. It is no coincidence that it has been in production for more than five decades; and despite its high price, there is a long waiting list for a brand new unit, which, apart from the NAVAIDs, resembles the HA-SEA down to its sound. In the USA, it is often referred to as the SUV of aircraft.
Its maximum take-off weight is almost twice that of most single-engine aircraft, its cabin is spacious, and its flight characteristics are both stable and enjoyable, almost like an airliner. All this allows for uniquely precise controllability both on water and in the air. The amphibious version – our choice – has undergone factory-level modifications: modified fuselage, wing, cabin, propeller, cockpit and landing gear. The Wipair fins with exceptionally good hydrodynamic properties and the freshly installed Continental IO-550 engine that newly arrived from the factory guarantee its resounding success. And the result speaks for itself: a true water bird has been created. It can cope with smaller than average sea waves, but the Danube and Balaton are its real home, it docks almost anywhere, defies the weather and helps to recreate what was once an everyday reality: seaplane flying in our country and in Central Europe!
The type is also a unique pride of ours in that it is the only operating example in Central Europe and flies in the Aeroexpress fleet. We can't wait for showing her to as many people as possible and sharing what we feel every time we take off: the incomparable freedom when water and sky form a common world.
Lake LA-4 Buccaneer
What a rarity! There are aircraft that are very special even at first sight. The Lake Buccaneer is exactly like that. As a child, I believed all seaplanes looked like that. I've since learned that this is not the case, but it still suggests a lot. The hull, the auxiliary floats under the wings, the engine above the fuselage and the proportions of the entire aircraft are somehow different from what we are used to. Perhaps this is what makes her so lovable.
The Buccaneer is not a converted land aircraft but was intended as a waterfowl right from the design table. Its history is also special. It contains all the experience of the golden age of seaplanes – the period that ended with World War II. The development was started by the engineers of the legendary Grumman factory, and the Lake Aircraft Company was later born from their spirit, which continued this vision that was already considered unique at the time.
Flying the Buccaneer certainly needs some practice – it is not an everyday experience. The engine, located high up, far from the center of gravity, causes specific stability challenges, and changes in thrust also trigger reactions that are contrary to what is usual, and she is less likely to approach marinas and large waves. But as the water shimmers almost at the edge of the cockpit and the pilot and passengers are already half under the water's surface, gives an experience incomparable to any other. The handling and the sound of the engine and propeller are unique, and her sight is unparalleled. This plane is not about perfect functionality, like a Cessna or an Airbus – she is about the experience, her organic character and the romance of flying.
Anyone who tries her once will know what it feels like to fly with a born "water bird". I can recommend her to everyone who wants something truly special, archaic and unique in every detail!
Our strategic partner, Aeropark Budapest, continuously monitors and supports our work. The popular aviation museum's thematic video channel is edited by Balázs Kránitz, who is often present on the Danube or Lake Balaton during our flights. In these films he shows everything worth knowing about the various seaplane operations.
Partners
