Water Flying

01/18/2008 03:00 PM

by Jim Bethea

WARNING! Water flying has been found to be highly addictive! DO NOT READ THIS ARTICLE if you are content with a mediocre lifestyle or have a heart-felt weakness to day-dream about flying. Not recommended for minor, petty individuals. Adult supervision (i.e. instructor) is needed. Still reading? Then at least pay attention to my own soul-rending confession. Once I was just a happy land-plane pilot, blissfully flying through blue skies, thinking this was as good as life can get. That is until... until... Im not sure how to say this.... IT WAS ALANS FAULT! Hes the one who took me for that first ride in his amphibian! I used to be happy with dull routines that used up precious time. Now... now I crave the vibrating rush over sparkling water followed by the smoothness of lift-off... soaring over land and sea, mountains and lakes... feeling the freedom of going anywhere and landing in places I would not have imagined possible before. Aaaaghhh! I cant stand just thinking about it! Ive got to go fly again.... Cedar trees ahead. I ease on more power and twitch the stick back. The nose of the amphibian lifts above white-crested wavelets. A rocky shoreline slides beneath, then we are over the island. Among the dark-green spires glistens a cobalt lake, hidden from all but us by the surrounding forest... tempting, but well not land there today. We fly on over the hump of the island. Beyond, sparkling sea spreads gemlike to the horizon. Tan cliffs drop abruptly to surf below. With the stick over and a bit of left rudder, we bank down toward a red and white lighthouse. Fishermen wave from rocking boats as Alan and I skim low, looking for the tall black dorsal fins of Orca whales. I edge the plane close to the shore, tempted to touch the streamers of kelp stretched out by the tidal currents. Then, with a laugh, were up and over bleached drift-logs barricading a sandy beach. There are houses and fields ahead so we climb higher. In the past, while flying landplanes, Ive always stayed within safe gliding distance of pastures such as those. But now, we silently urge the seaplane toward the security of open water instead. As we continue to climb, Alan calls, "How about some practice landings in a mountain lake?" "Sure!" I yell and aim the amphibian toward the snow-peaks of the Cascades.... Okay! Im back. Maybe this time I can finish this article before having to rush out to fly something again. Since you ignored my warning not to read on, heres what someone else cautions about water flying. "The biggest thing about float flying is freedom," is Al Pikes emphatic statement. "Along
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with that is responsibility." Al happens to be an instructor whos owned a couple of flight schools and currently works with Aerocomp. He knows what he is talking about when he says, "The first time you take-off Avid on Full Lotus floats. solo, you realize the things you once took for granted are no longer true. With a floatplane, you have the freedom to pick and choose your own take-off and landing spots. A lot of people from land-plane backgrounds have difficulty adapting to the responsibility that comes along with that freedom." Al explains that the pilot has to know if an area is safe for what he wants to do. For example, some get into trouble by not checking the density altitude and room available on takeoff to clear the shore. Many a floatplane that performed great in the cool of morning has ended up in lakeside trees on a sultry afternoon. The pilot also has to discern wind direction, currents and submerged obstacles without relying on others. Obviously, there is a lot more to know to fly floats safely. The wise thing is to get instruction first. Al also jokingly warns that youd better plan on getting wet. For that reason, floatplanes tend to be more popular in cold northern waters where he was trained. Flying boats often referred to as "amphibians," appear more in warm climes where folks dont mind wading or swimming with their planes. My friend Alans amphib once left him in freezing water when he stepped out to push away from a rock. Another real possibility is sudden capsizing. Emergency situations are one of the first factors another veteran instructor, Ghant Grisbaum, teaches floatplane students. He recites an old adage: "There are those who have turned over and those who will." Actually, he has never come close to capsizing a plane. The point is that water flying can be dangerous. Still reading? Then consider this. Ghant insists on always wearing a life jacket and shows every student how to release Kitfox Model V on Full Lotus floats. the seat belt and exit the aircraft carefully even when upside down. Helmet straps are run back through the buckle so they can be yanked off with a single pull. Knowing how to swim is also very helpful. He says most floatplane accidents are due to pilot error on landing or take-off. Generally, what happens is that someone misreads the wind, a float skips sideways and "plants" in the water, then a wing tip on the opposite side hits, followed by a cartwheel. Sometimes, the pilot forgets to raise the amphibious wheels or allows the plane to porpoise out of control. On the positive side, Ghant wryly admits that "once you fly on floats youll never want to go back to wheels." Most ultralights have enough air in the wings to give some flotation time before nosing all the way over. He also points out that the low weights and speeds of ultralights mean less energy to be dissipated, so there is less worry of getting hurt. There is also less chance of damage to the aircraft. The floats themselves
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Quicksilver MX on customized floats.

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01/18/2008 03:00 PM

actually provide extra "crash protection," especially into trees or hard surfaces.
Skyraider on floats, patiently waiting for the next water adventure. So just how hard is it to become a competent float plane pilot? Many pilots agree that it is actually easier to fly off of water than land AFTER they have learned how. Most can transition in one or two hours of instruction, much of which is focused on safety. At AirTech, Inc. where Ghant teaches in southern Louisiana (504-536-3884), cost is $100 per hour. Fred Glassbergen at AirFlow Ultralight in Vancouver, BC, (604) 596-7452, charges $100 per hour for floats and $110 for training in a SeaRey amphibian. (By the way, Airflow is putting together a magnificent video of float flying in mountains, which will be available this coming summer. You can get a preview of the kind of scenery involved by checking their website at www.direct.ca/airflowultralight.)

A typical take-off sequence in a float-equipped ultralight is full throttle, back pressure on the stick to raise the nose, stick forward to plane ("on the step") then back stick again to a slightly positive angle of attack, and let the plane fly itself off the water. It is best to use the elevator to set the fastest speed of the floats on the water as a boat rather than trying to get the most lift out of the wing. Any deviation from this "sweet spot" setting will actually slow the plane down and lengthen the take-off run.
The Aventura II is an excellent two-seat amphibian. In flight, floats actually make the aircraft more stable in turbulence by lowering the center of mass relative to the wing. However, range and cruise speeds are reduced. There is a drag penalty of up to 10 mph in the air. Higher lift-to-weight ratios are needed, favoring the slower, high-lift airfoils, especially the single-surface wings. Weight is increased by as much as 150 pounds (though the FAA exempts only 30 pounds per float above the 254 pound ultralight limit), requiring more power and fuel to fly. Also, the engines are usually set for maximum take-off thrust, which "runs the prop out" before higher speeds are reached. Despite the trade-offs, one pilot says, "This is my idea of how to fly!"

Landing on water is easy as long as it is into the wind. Techniques vary, but generally there are two types: step landing, similar to a "wheel landing" and a stall landing, may be necessary to "tack" sideways. Al Pike tells of landing at Lake Parker during Sun-N-Fun (Florida) in 30 knot gusts. He would have had to taxi at 40 or 50 downwind straight at the crowded beach just to maintain control, then turn at the last instant. Instead, he shut off the engine and steered backward with the wind to a calm, safe arrival.

Slipstream!s Genesis on custom-made floats.

Al learned a good skill test from an instructor who threw a spare life-jacket out just after take-off. When Al protested, the instructor just laughed and said, "Go fetch!" He realized it is not so easy to set up the right approach, land, shut off the engine, and get out on a float in time to reach for the jacket. Remember there are no brakes and the aim changes with the shift of weight on the floats. "You never know," he says, "when you might have to rescue someone or make a difficult docking." Glen Curtis early attempts in 1908 to fly floatplanes were frustrated by the suction of using long, flat floats. In dealing with this problem, he became the first in aviation to use the hydrodynamic step which effectively reduces the wetted hull
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area at take-off speeds. Now almost all floats are divided by the "step" into a forward planing area which is the "working section" and a tail area called the "heel" which balances the plane while floating in the water. The "heel angle" is the slope behind the step between the two sections. Fast planes need a steeper heel angle for quicker rotation at lift-off, whereas slower ones use shallower angles to plane easier on the water. Most floats use a rigid "V" shape to achieve the smoothest and fastest speed over the water. Examples include the popular fiberglass Puddle Jumper Floats, (514) 276-9542, www.puddlejumper.com; Snapper, (252) 923-5145; Aerocomps Superfloats, (407) 453-6641, SeaWing on Full Lotus floats. http://AEROCOMPinc.com; and the new Slipstream "Shark" models (replacing the Flyboy line), 1-800-464-3664, www.slipstreamind.com. Prices for ultralight-size floats range from just above $2000 to around $5500. Amphib wheel kits may add $400 to $600 more.

"Beaver" Borne of Air-Tech, Inc, (504) 536-3994, www.airtech.com, has created a new float for ultralights that does not have a "step" at all. Instead, it has a flat bottom for instant planing with a "V" in front to reduce pounding on rough water similar to many speedboats. His amphibious configuration uses a wheel forward between the floats and teflon skids on the tails. Cost is $2,200 for the floats and $575 for the amphib kit. Full Lotus, (604) 940-9378, www.full-lotus.com, offers inflatable floats with a wide bottom that channels air along the flat surface to help break suction. The forward planing section is protected by a hard plastic shell that makes it possible to Hank Austin!s powered parachute on land on mud, snow, ice or water. One pilot routinely lands on custom-made floats. grass by adding power just at touch-down to overcome drag and maintain directional control. Handling on water is different from rigid floats but the flexibility is said to provide better cushioning in rough conditions or "blown" landings. Mark Trumpeter, an instructor in Minnesota (218-286-5337), uses a typical Challenger II on Puddle Jumper floats. He likes the reliability of his Rotax 503, 55 hp engine which cruises the floatplane at 65 mph, but air temperatures need to be below 75 degrees to get two large pilots off the water easily. The floats plane "instantly," followed by a 300' take-off run, if alone, or 600' with two. Landing or take-off on one float at a time is "just fine," he says, though he warns not to land in water with the amphibious gear down. Doing so results in sudden stops and could even roll the plane over. Insurance costs about $180 per year. When Mark first called the agent who insures his Cessna 172, he said "Youll laugh when you hear Ive got a Challenger on floats." He was surprised when the man replied, "We already have 331 insured!" There are hundreds more in Canada see www.challenger.ca.

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01/18/2008 03:00 PM

Paul Mather of M-Squared, (601) 947-9414, offers the Sprint 1000 on floats. One of these was modified to fly off ocean swells with an 85 pound IMAX camera on board to film Costa Ricas Cocos Islands. An ultralight version, the Breeze DS or SS (single-surface wing), complete with a 503 engine and 12' floats, sells for $14,200. How does all of this add up? Risk, cost, speed and range limitations, extra training needed... balanced against versatility and freedom. Eighty percent of the world is water. That means a lot of choices for emergency landings or just exploring. In addition to a wide variety of fixed-wing aircraft, trikes, gyrocopters and even powered parachutes have been mounted on floats. Flying boats add to the exciting realm of possibilities. Come to think of it, if the whole world is surrounded by air and most of the surface is water, then WHY AM I STILL ON LAND? Oh no! Not another craving-attack! I warned you water flying is addictive! Dont try it unless... unless... aaaggghhh! I cant stand this! Ive got to go fly.

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