Built by Aeronca Aircraft Corporation, the Champ first flew in 1944, having been designed in tandem with the 11AC Chief—the Champ with tandem seating and joystick controls, and the Chief with side-by-side seating and yoke controls. The intention was to simplify production and control costs by building a pair of aircraft with a significant number of parts in common; in fact, the two designs share between 70% and 80% of their parts. The tail surfaces, wings, landing gear, and firewall forward—engine, most accessories, and cowling, are common to both airplanes.

Selling for $2,095, the Champ outsold the Chief by an 8 to 1 margin. Engine upgrades in 1948 and 1949 resulted in the Models 7DC and 7EC. Between 1945 and 1950, Aeronca was producing 50 light aircraft per day and by the time production ended in 1951, the company had sold more than 10,000 Champions.

Aeronca ceased all production of light aircraft in 1951, and the Champ design was sold in 1954 to Champion Aircraft.

The Aeronca C-2, powered by a tiny two-cylinder engine, debuted in 1929. It was flying at its most basic—the pilot sat on a bare plywood board. The C-2 featured an unusual, almost frivolous design with an open-pod fuselage that inspired its nickname, The Flying Bathtub, The general design of the C-2 could have been inspired by Jean Roche's initial flight experiences with an American-built copy of the Santos-Dumont Demoiselle, which had a similar triangular "basic" fuselage cross-section, and wire spoked main landing gear wheels right up against the fuselage sides.[citation needed]

Equipped with only five instruments, a stick, and rudder pedals (brakes and a heater cost extra), the C-2 was priced at a low $1,495, bringing the cost of flying down to a level that a private citizen could aspire to and perhaps reach. Aeronca sold 164 of the economical C-2s at the height of the Great Depression in 1930-1931, helping to spark the growth of private aviation in the United States.[citation needed]

The Aeronca C-2 also holds the distinction of being the first aircraft to be refueled from a moving automobile. A can of gasoline was handed up from a speeding Austin automobile to a C-2 pilot, (who hooked it with a wooden cane) during a 1930 air show in California. A seaplane version of the C-2 was also offered, designated the PC-2 and PC-3 (“P” for pontoon) with floats replacing the wheeled landing gear.[citation needed]

Seastar is an ALL-COMPOSITE 12-seat, 10,000-lb. amphibious flying boat. The Seastar CD 2 series aircraft type is LBA and FAA certified to FAR Part 23 amendment 34. It is the top of the line version and will be the first to market. The aircraft is all composite and powered by two reliable Pratt & Whitney PT-6 turboprop engines. It will feature state-of-the-art cockpit avionics, exterior and interior design, layouts, accessories, and comfort systems. The advanced Seastar design incorporates more than 90 years of Dornier engineering know-how and experience in the operation of seaplanes.

Markets

Corporate and General Aviation

The target applications within this segment are personal transportation, corporate air taxi and shuttle service to resorts, yachts and casinos.

Commercial Passenger Transport

The target applications for this segment are air taxi, sightseeing, air medical and corporate fractional ownership.

Governmental and NGO Sector

The target applications for this segment are coastal surveillance, search and rescue, covert operations, drug interdiction, disaster relief, humanitarian, medical and missionary work.

Seastar has the unique capability to combine in a single operation surveillance and intervention by landing on water next to the target. On water, Seastar features the maneuverability and speed of a powerboat.

The Dornier-typical sponson platforms facilitate personnel, equipment or stretcher ingress and egress on water.

Seastar can mask itself from radar at sea (within sea clutter) by loitering on water remotely offshore and close to the target area for extended time periods. Thus, Seastar enables surprise interventions, paramount for the success of many operations.

Seastar's capability to combine joint operations of different transport means like helicopters, vessels and fixed wing aircraft in one single mission results in drastic cost savings and increase in operational efficiency.

Routine single engine surveillance operation extends on-station endurance to up to 10 hours.

Seastar is an electronically quiet aircraft because of its all-composite construction. Radome(s) can be integrated into the fuselage structure (front or side). Seastar inherently eliminates rotor modulation common with helicopters.

Composite structure is highly damage tolerant. Wing and fuselage hard points can be added for external stores.

Large cabin facilitates multiple sensor consoles and crew member stations. External visibility from the cockpit is well suited for Night Vision Goggles operations.

Seastar (with its high horizontal stabilizer) can be flown with a modified cabin door to deliver airdropped material.