Sea planes

Unfortunately the Hawaii Mars was retired at the end of the 2013 fire season the Philippine Mars was retired 3 years ago.
They were still airworthy just the government decided more modern aircraft were more economic.
Now Just the Bombardier 415. They are kind of cool to watch as well.
 
I am an active seaplane pilot. Both landing and on the water I am required to give way. It would be good however for all boaters to know that we are somehow limited in our ability to manoever (some turns are near impossible in certain wind conditions / no reverse (apart from the turboprop planes)). Some friends of mine carry a small anchor, but not many seaplanes actually anchor out. O, and the engine on a Beaver is a P&W R985. The 1930 is significantly bigger!
 
n585k

what do you think about Francis Chichesters' technique of taking off and landing along the wave troughs, 90 degrees to the wind ?

I ask as it might be useful info' for yotties !

Andy
 
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Until he filled his floats up with water and sank it.... ;) Great book and a fascinating man - he was the founder of 'proper' navigator training in the RAF at the start of WW2, based on his expertise flying round the world and the nautical/aeronautical techniques he pioneered.
 
n4585k said:
I am an active seaplane pilot. Both landing and on the water I am required to give way. It would be good however for all boaters to know that we are somehow limited in our ability to manoever (some turns are near impossible in certain wind conditions / no reverse (apart from the turboprop planes)). Some friends of mine carry a small anchor, but not many seaplanes actually anchor out. O, and the engine on a Beaver is a P&W R985. The 1930 is significantly bigger!
Click to expand...

Pratt & Whitney developed the R-985 Wasp in 1929 manufatured from about 1930 to 1950.:)
The Beaver was designed to use this engine because there were lots around in the late 40’s.
1929 designe still flying today.
I used the wrong term. It’s a Radial not rotary which would have been a wankel and in old Datsuns.
The Beaver was designed in 1947 going into production from 1948 until 1967
 
Thunderbird7 said:
Until he filled his floats up with water and sank it.... ;) Great book and a fascinating man - he was the founder of 'proper' navigator training in the RAF at the start of WW2, based on his expertise flying round the world and the nautical/aeronautical techniques he pioneered.
Click to expand...

I think it was one float that got flooded ?

FC developed the Bubble Sextant, used by bomber navigators in WWII; then raced across the Atlantic singlehanded in Gypsy Moth for a bet of one Shilling with Blondie Haslar - when they said ' they don't make them like that anymore ; they must have been thinking of Sir Francis Chichester, knighted with Sir Francis Drakes' sword !
 
Seajet said:
n585k

what do you think about Francis Chichesters' technique of taking off and landing along the wave troughs, 90 degrees to the wind ?

I ask as it might be useful info' for yotties !

Andy
Click to expand...

I have seen a few yachts with helicopters which might be more practical yotties:) though I can't fit either on my boat.

I guess it worked.
I would wonder why he would consider it better.
As long as you reach take of speed the plane will fly. it’s the airspeed which counts. It will do it more quickly if taking off into the wind requiring less distance run on the water.

One of the advantages of a float plane is you are not tied to a runway. no need to deal with a crosswind.

A moth would be relativly low powered. one issue might have been getting up on to the step or get the floats to plane. It might be he thought by going across the waves he got up onto the step easier with less drag from the waves.
being a by plane its low winged. so im guessing this was a tecnique for riples rather than breaking waves.

The other possability which occurs to me would be swell. any kind of big swell would not be a good option for landing or taking off. Yet back in the day miltary airaft did. Battle ships put spotter planes up and recovered them out at sea.
Under those circumstances it may have been better to land along the wave crest rather than into them.

Just guiessing. I only ride in float planes as fare paying cargoe.
 
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Ditching technique on all the big jets I've flow was along the back of a wave parallel to the swell. Luckily I never had to try it but my mates put their Nimrod in the Morray Firth successfully.

As for float planes. You don't want a float to dig in so you're never going to take off into chop on purpose. Best not to have the gear down either :
 
Uricanejack said:
I used the wrong term. It’s a Radial not rotary which would have been a wankel and in old Datsuns.
Click to expand...

In aviation usage "rotary" normally means one where the cylinders rotate and the crankshaft is fixed, like the Gnôme and Bentley engines used in WW1. Simple and very good cooling, but ferocious gyroscopic effects. There have been various attempts to make Wankey rotary engines for aircraft, but the only one I am aware of as currently in production is the Austro AE50R, based on a British design and used in some motor gliders.
 
I'd have thought the rolling effect of wind & waves sideways on was something to be avoided ? But Francis Chichester managed OK, in the significant seas off Lord Howe Island ( well until the Gypsy Moth was wrecked at her mooring, requiring a prolonged stay and rebuild ! ).

I remember the Nimrod R1 ditching - neat flying ! A chum was a Nimrod pilot and came up with the ' Bring Me Sunshine ' patch, referring to the nuclear depth charge...
 
Uricanejack said:
Pratt & Whitney developed the R-985 Wasp in 1929 manufatured from about 1930 to 1950.:)
The Beaver was designed to use this engine because there were lots around in the late 40’s.
1929 designe still flying today.
I used the wrong term. It’s a Radial not rotary which would have been a wankel and in old Datsuns.
The Beaver was designed in 1947 going into production from 1948 until 1967
Click to expand...

The Beaver is truly one of the greatest planes ever designed. I have a few hours in them, and also in a 450 Stearman with that same R985 engine
 
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