2006 07 airplane single engine sea

VINTAGE INSTRUCTOR

THE

BY DOUG STEWART

Airplane single-engine sea Our go-around point was still about a thousand feet in front of us, so I endeavored not to raise the nose any higher than the ever-soslightly nose-high attitude I had established at about a hundred feet higher than I was now, and I kept my power set to yield about a hundred-foot-per-minute descent rate while my airspeed stayed about 10 knots above the stall speed of the Bellanca 7GCBC I was flying.

Since there was no wind, our groundspeed was virtually the same as our airspeed, and the hills on either side seemed to be whizzing by. Not only were they whizzing by above me, they appeared to whiz by below as well, as the calm, glassy water of the lake underneath me reflected not only the hills beside me, but the cerulean sky above. There was no way to judge my altitude above the water so I proceeded as my instructor, Master Instructor John Morrow, sitting behind me, vociferously encouraged me to.

I resisted the urge to pull on the stick into more of a flare, and within another second the floats of the Citabria touched down on the surface of the lake, well short of my pre-chosen go-around point. Now, as I closed the throttle and pulled the stick all the way into my gut, the airplane decelerated faster than if I had been using the brakes on land. I had just completed my first glassy-water landing. I was well on my way to completing my training

28 JULY 2006

for the addition of the airplane single-engine sea (ASES) rating to my pilot certificate.

I have to say, I have done many things in airplanes that were totally exciting and enthralling, but this

. . . at idle power, there will be no problem in telling where the wind is coming from. In rather quick fashion, the airplane will weathervane into the wind! seaplane flying was quickly floating to the top of the list. I have wanted to add the seaplane rating to my certificate for many years. Last year my best friend made it even worse when she beat me to the punch and got her ASES rating in a PA-12 that

was very similar to the one we flew on wheels. So when I was invited to present a seminar at this year’s Speculator Seaplane Fly-In, I could procrastinate no longer. I just had to get my rating.

The excitement for me started with the preflight inspection. I consider myself fairly nimble and agile for my age, but it was a challenge to walk a tightrope from one float to the other as I worked my way around the airplane that was moored to a dock in the Esopus Creek in upstate New York. Not only does one have to inspect all the things that are part of a land airplane, but all the other things associated with the airplane’s operation on the water as well. The flying wires that brace the floats, the cables and pulleys that connect the air rudder to the water rudders, and the cables and pulleys that lift the water rudders out of the water all have to be inspected.

And then there are the floats themselves. It was a challenge not to fall into the creek as I pumped water out of each of the 10 float compartments with the bilge pump.

Preflight inspection completed, it was time to start with some of the water work. As soon as I cast off from the dock I realized that transitioning from heel brakes to toe brakes would not be a problem at all. Regardless of the location of the brake pedals in the cockpit, brakes are a nonentity in a seaplane.

Once you are adrift in a seaplane

there are so many things to be aware of, and to pay attention to. Wind, current, boats, Jet Skis, swimmers, logs (some partially submerged), rocks (some of these partially submerged as well), beavers (no alligators up here in New York), and more are all there to compete for your attention.

And then there are the water rud-

“Don’t flare . . . don’t flare . . . you’re pulling back on the stick . . . don’t flare!”

These words were reverberating through my headset loud and clear. ders. Up or down—which way should they be? I was told I am not alone, as a land pilot transitioning to sea, in forgetting to include raising or lowering the water rudders as needed.

They need to be down for the idle and plow taxi and up for step taxi, as well as for takeoff and landing.

At least if you forget to lower them when on the water, at idle power, there will be no problem in telling where the wind is coming from. In rather quick fashion, the airplane will weathervane into the wind!

The excitement continued as I learned the three ways to taxi a floatplane on the water: idle, plow, and step. Idle taxi was simple enough.

As the name implies, if you keep the power at idle, and with the water rudders down, it’s a fairly simple job

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VINTAGE AIRPLANE 29

THE VINTAGE INSTRUCTOR continued from page 29 to taxi in the direction you wish.

But if the wind is blowing, the water rudders might not have enough force to turn the airplane from upwind to downwind. Then you use the plow taxi. But now as you add power to bring the nose up, shifting the center of buoyancy aft so that the wind can help in pushing the nose of the airplane from upwind to downwind, you can no longer see where you are going. Plus if you stay in this attitude too long the engine might quickly overheat. Fortunately, it’s not a maneuver that is used too frequently, nor for very long when you do have need to use it.

The last type of taxi is the step taxi. In this maneuver you add full power after raising the water rudders. After the nose does its second rise you ease the stick forward and the airplane comes up on the step of the float. If the stick is too far forward the airplane will start to porpoise—if too far back, it won’t get up on the step. Finding the “sweet spot” was not as difficult as I thought it might be, and I was soon planing along on the step. What a rush and a hoot.

That is, until I had to turn, as one might have to in a confined-area takeoff. Talk about pucker factor…I thought I’d have to get the seat surgically removed from my posterior.

Turning during a step taxi requires a delicate balance. To begin with, it’s a skidding turn. Thus the outside float is pushed down into the water by centrifugal force (while you try to counter it with opposite aileron), creating a lot of drag. You can overcome the drag with power, or by increasing the radius of the turn. But too much power and the centrifugal force might cause you to capsize. On the other hand, not enough power and you come off the step. As I said…a delicate balance.

There’s more to learn on the water as well—some of it chilling, if

not thrilling, especially when you end up in the Hudson River’s cold water, as it was when I took my training in the middle of May. (John had warned me. The student gets wet before the instructor.) Beaching, ramping, docking, mooring, and sailing were all new maneuvers that I had to learn. (The only thing that helped me here was the time I’ve spent on the water in a kayak.

Very little help, I might add.)

Of course, there’s the flying to learn as well. All the different types of takeoffs and landings, including normal, crosswind, rough water, glassy water, confined area, and landings from a simulated power failure filled the syllabus. I especially liked being able to turn in the midst of my takeoff, raising one float to reduce the drag and get in the air. I also enjoyed flying traffic patterns that were rarely higher than 500 feet above the water. But through all this fun of takeoffs and landings, one has to be ever vigilant in ensuring that the takeoff and landing area is free of water traffic, and their ensuing wakes, as well as any flotsam and jetsam, including swimmers who might impede your progress.

Adding the airplane single-engine sea rating to my certificate has certainly been one of the most enjoyable and refreshing things I’ve done in an airplane in a long, long time.

I would heartily recommend that if you seek a little more excitement in your flying, to consider adding the ASES to your certificate. Guaranteed, it will add a whole new dimension to your aeronautical experience! I guess I now have to add blue seas to blue skies and tail winds!

Doug Stewart was the 2004 National CFI of the Year and is a Master Instructor and designated pilot examiner. He operates DSFI Inc. (www. dsflight.com), based at the Columbia County Airport (1B1).

STRAIGHT & LEVEL continued from page 1

see this project through to completion. Thanks, guys! But hey, there’s more fun to be had, as the annual on the C-170 ran out the other day.

How did this happen? Two annuals at the same time? What fun! As soon as that’s done, we need to get back to work on Neuman’s Monocoupe. Whoopee!

Also, I wanted to mention that we continue to hear a number of positive comments regarding the continual efforts to improve the quality of Vintage Airplane. Again, many thanks for these communications, as they really drive home the message that we are going down the right path in our efforts to provide a valued asset to the membership. In fact, in this issue of Vintage Airplane we are rolling out a new feature I hope will put a smile on ever yone’s face each and ever y month. Be sure to check out our new Tailwheels cartoon featured on page (29). Please join me in welcoming VAA member Dave Brown, who is an accomplished aviationminded sketch artist. Dave truly is one of us, as he is a longtime member of the Vintage Aircraft Association, and he’s also a member of (my hometown chapter) the Greater Fort Wayne VAA Chapter 37. I hope you find his sketches as humorous and intellectual as I have. Welcome aboard, Dave! I hope this is the beginning of a long relationship with our magazine. Again, I hope the membership will provide us with some feedback on what you think of Dave’s work.

See you at Oshkosh!

Let’s all pull in the same direction for the good of aviation. Remember, we are better together. Join us and have it all.

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