Alaska - float planes - bush planes - and Boeing aircraft at Everett Washington State

[David Isaac]

Folks, I am currently on holiday in Alaska, Washington State and BC Canada, bloody great place to be. I wanted to share some brief experiences with you all.

 

I went to the Boeing Centre yesterday in Everett Washington State, I did the 'Future of Flight' tour. There was one very impressive line up of brand new 787s and the number under current production was staggering, the model is not due for release until next year and Boeing are under full production. Boeing stated they have orders for 800 of them, the biggest ever pre-release order for a new model aircraft in Boeings history.

 

The brand new 747-8 is also something to see and a notable absence is any wing-let; very interesting. It is 18 feet longer (more bums on seats) and faster and as such may threaten the efficiency of the A380, time will tell. Apparently the -8 signifies that it shares some of the 787 technologies.

 

There was also a lot of info on the new GE Genex turbine which Qantas is fitting to its new 787s. The engine has composite bypass blades and housing, 10% less components and a two piece assembly such that the bypass unit is separate to the combustor / propulsor unit and can be exchanged out as separate assemblies. The GE engine also has revised fuel handling and it is claimed it uses 2% less bang water than any other competitor (that could be $millions savings over the service life of the engine if proven operationally correct).

 

 

 

But for me the best time was in Anchorage Alaska on Lake Hood smack in the middle of the city ... I walked around dribbling for a few hours (no it is not an old age problem )....I have never seen so many float-planes in all my life, there were multiples of every imaginable type, some of the most beautiful old C180s, C185s, C182s,C206s, Cubs of every variant (beautiful condition, some with rifle holders on the struts), Citabrias, Maules, Taylorcraft, Otters (single and twins), Caravans and of course my old favourite the Beaver. Many of them were moored adjacent to a little privately owned shed with all the spare gear inside. There were some truly magnificent models of aircraft and some I have not heard of like a Robertson (looks like a Cessna). I was told by a local it costs $30 per month for a spot on the lake shore but there is a 12 year wait list....God bless America.....wouldn't happen here, they would regulate the ass out of it and then charge like wounded bulls for the privilege, we could take some lessons at least from the Yanks surely???

 

 

 

Lake Hood is said to be the biggest float plane base in the world and the amazing thing is, it is adjacent to Anchorage International airport. Float planes are taking off and under their flight path you see MD11s etc taxiing down the Anchorage main taxiway, incredible sight (wouldn't happen in Oz, we are too regulated to allow such irresponsible nonsense). There were multiple commercial maintenance organizations around the lake.

 

 

 

By way of minor trivia, I was told the lake freezes to six foot depth in winter and the planes are hauled out and winterized and some are fitted with skis for operation off the frozen lake, how about that.....

 

 

 

Then there were the bush plane variants with the huge tyres ....seriously without any exaggeration the bush planes were lined up by the 100s. Yes there is also a short bitumen runway adjacent to the lake as well; short being the operative word, after all they are all STOL bush planes. Then there was a compound lined up with rows of floats, 100s of them stacked three high on a racking system (good place to by a set of second hand floats). I could have easily stayed there all day, except I was given a time limit ...damn, damn, damn. I am going to go back there one day and buy a nice old C180 float plane and fly it back to Australia ( I wish)....

 

 

 

While we were in Anchorage Alaska the US Airforce put on an impressive display with Raptors, just for a bit of variety.

 

 

 

I am in Vancouver at the moment going to try and find someone with a float plane who will take me for a ride, by that I mean a flight .... wish me luck.

 

I’ll upload some photos when I get home end of the month.

 

Nice to be able to keep in touch with the forum while away….hmmm, not what my wife says though……

 

David

 

 

[Guest ozzie]

bastard!

 

 

[Ballpoint 246niner]

If I start sucking my thumb with a picture of a cub and singing grizzly adams please don't stop me- I'm in heaven but you're already there! Can't wait to hear more...

 

Thanks for the post- love to hear more.

 

 

[Gnarly Gnu]

Oh man, that sounds like fun! A part of the USA I must visit next time..... enjoy David.

 

 

[Riley]

A flip in British Columbia?

 

Damn David. With a bit of forewarning and weather permitting, I reckon I could have tee'd you up with enough right-hand-seat bum time out Campbell River on Vancouver Island to really upset your wife. Guess that's kinda like the 'Free Beer Tomorrow" sign in the pub?? If you do get the chance, a low level flight up in the inland passage of the west coast is something you'll never forget. Did a good bit of it in a Luscombe on floats back in 1965 prior to decamping for NZ & OZ. Give us more notice next time and we'll try to rattle some chains. I too say, enjoy it you lucky bast..d.

 

Cheers Riley

 

 

[David Isaac]

Damn David. With a bit of forewarning and weather permitting, I reckon I could have tee'd you up with enough right-hand-seat bum time out Campbell River on Vancouver Island to really upset your wife. Guess that's kinda like the 'Free Beer Tomorrow" sign in the pub?? If you do get the chance, a low level flight up in the inland passage of the west coast is something you'll never forget. Did a good bit of it in a Luscombe on floats back in 1965 prior to decamping for NZ & OZ. Give us more notice next time and we'll try to rattle some chains. I too say, enjoy it you lucky bast..d.Cheers Riley

Hi Riley,

 

I wish I had known your history... I am still here in Vancouver for another week and a half and intend to visit Vancouver Island in the next week. Any chance you can advise me who your mates are and where to find them as I was going to take a flight up the inside passage anyway. It would be a bonus with an introduction. In something old like a Beaver or a 185 would be great, right hand seat even better.

 

Thanks mate.

 

David

 

 

[David Isaac]

bastard!

Ha ha Steve, that is exactly what I would have said if you had told the story.

 

Mate I am having a ball.

 

See you when I get back.

 

David

 

 

[Guest ozzie]

You should try and find the local EAA chapter. They would find someone for you to fly with. being autum the views would be awsome

 

 

[Riley]

G'day David

 

Apologies for delay in response - just back from 4 days in the bush attempting to lay tracks and hang doors on my new hangar. Got on the phone last night to my old winger in Ontario for the contact details of his son who is (was) the pilot/lame connection in Campbell River only to learn that son & wife are presently back in Ont on vacation and is seeking a new position there in the east. So, forewarning or not, it was doomed to be a no-ball even before it got called as such. Sorry to not have been able to arrange anything in that direction but I do hope that you get some float time in anyway.

 

cheers Riley

 

 

[David Isaac]

Thanks for trying Riley,

 

We were on Vancouver Island yesterday and today, Nanaimo in fact, you would know that place well. Didn't quite make your old place at Campbell River.

 

There is a float plane RPT operation out of Nanaimo these days, Otters (Beavers for sight seeing), every 20 minutes in the peak hours. Flew back in the right seat of the otter tonight, now that thing has real balls, pulled off the water at 60 knots with 14 POB, and at MAUW I'm sure. It went like a rat up a drain pipe with that 750 shaft HP PT6 kerosene heater up front, 140 knots at 500 feet all the way to Vancouver, great flight nice view. Ah the smell of kero in the early evening...........

 

Next week I am going to do the mail run in a Beaver to Gulf Islands, so looking forward to that. Off to the Okanagan valley for a few days tomorrow.

 

I will eventually get the photos up so we can all collectively dribble. LOL

 

David

 

 

[Spin]

I will eventually get the photos up so we can all collectively dribble. LOL

David

You're not going to be allowed to forget that promise - looking forward to it:clap:

 

 

[kaz3g]

Robertson STOL

 

Folks, There were some truly magnificent models of aircraft and some I have not heard of like a Robertson (looks like a Cessna). David

Hi David

 

It sounds like the sort of place I dream about!

 

The "Robertson" probably was a Cessna... Robertson is the name of the STOL modification that turns ordinary Cessna performance into something that resemble true short landing and take-off capability. They were very popular some years ago and there is a number of them about.

 

Cessna also produced their own verson of a STOL aricraft which was the Wren 460 based on a a C182. This had a small front canard and slats and its performance was spectacular... ! I have only seen two of these in Oz.

 

Regards

 

kaz

 

 

[David Isaac]

.........God I wish I could get there (apart from the cold that is)

Yeah Doug,

 

It has been some 3 or 4 weeks now and I still dribble every time I recall the memories....bugger the cold.... I am definitely going back there after I have dome some serious homework.

 

Hi DavidIt sounds like the sort of place I dream about!

 

The "Robertson" probably was a Cessna... Robertson is the name of the STOL modification that turns ordinary Cessna performance into something that resemble true short landing and take-off capability. They were very popular some years ago and there is a number of them about.

 

Cessna also produced their own version of a STOL aricraft which was the Wren 460 based on a a C182. This had a small front canard and slats and its performance was spectacular... ! I have only seen two of these in Oz. Regards kaz

Thanks for that Kaz, makes total sense to me I will post the photos of it soon.

 

I never heard of the special STOL 182, very interesting, you are a very knowledgeable lass, I would love to see one, please let me know if uou know where one is or have a photo of.

 

David.

 

PS sitting in the Okanagan lakes region as I write this at 22:30 hrs Saturday,...15:30 hrs Sunday your time EST that is, sadly it is raining, but I can handle that.

 

 

[David Isaac]

Robertson STOL

 

Kaz,

 

See attached, now that I look at the photo, it definitely is a Cessna and a C185, the C185 giveaway is that little extra side rear window to the C180. Sorry it is not a very good photograph. It takes forever to upload when you are on some obscure link OS.

 

David

 

 

[Tomo]

Yep, according to the Rego number it is a 1976 Cessna A185F. Tidy looking aircraft.

 

 

[David Isaac]

Good on you Tomo, yes it was tidy, not the best photo I was aiming to get the fin so I could identify it later which we have now done, thanks. Most of the AC I saw on floats were in excellent condition.

 

Tell me how do you upload photographs full size like you do instead of the thumbnail like I did?

 

David

 

 

[Tomo]

Tell me how do you upload photographs full size like you do instead of the thumbnail like I did?David

To do that I add an image 'link', so I upload the picture elsewhere, then add link here - Ian's database then embeds it like you see.

 

Another way to do it without uploading it elsewhere is to attach it like normal, then click on the attachment, copy image link (right click), then insert image using the link. You'll end up with a big picture, and also the small thumbnail attachment ones down the bottom that way.

 

Hope that is more help than confusion. :big_grin:

 

 

[Spin]

I never heard of the special STOL 182, very interesting, you are a very knowledgeable lass, I would love to see one, please let me know if uou know where one is or have a photo of.

David.

Thought the STOL conversion rang a bell, tripped over the article in an old Australian Flying this afternoon - here's the photo scanned from the article. Note the canard, wing fences and interlinked ailerons and flaps.

 

 

[David Isaac]

Great Spin, thanks for that, I will do a rego search on her and find out where she is. Note also the wing tip droops, not normally found on an old 182 like that one (split windscreen). Hmmm those fences.... lot of them, the STOL mods for the Beavers have just two on each wing. I wonder what her AUW performance is like..... they were pretty good as standard anyway, especially the very early ones. The early one I flew would leap off the ground in about 150 metres, she was one of the first 182s still had the vertical fin and taildragger attachment points. easy to convert back to a 180, I love 180s they are such fun to fly and so difficult to grease on, easy to land, but not always easy to make it look pretty. LOL.

 

David.

 

 

[Spin]

David, I re-read the article after scanning and posting the photo, seems like quite an interesting beastie, for example the "wing fences" aren't that at all. Probably not the right thing to post the entire text here, but if you like, PM me an email address and I'll gladly scan the article and send it to you. I see she was based on Philip Island a few years back.

 

Regards Carl

 

PS I'll agree with most of what you said except that a C180 cannot be pretty. Never flown one, but admired plenty from afar. Incidently I see there is an early C182, converted to taildragger, for sale at the moment. I didn't realise that there was that amount of commonality between the early C182/C180s.

 

 

[David Isaac]

..........PS I'll agree with most of what you said except that a C180 cannot be pretty. Never flown one, but admired plenty from afar. Incidently I see there is an early C182, converted to taildragger, for sale at the moment. I didn't realise that there was that amount of commonality between the early C182/C180s.

Hey Carl, they are certainly not pretty I was referring to trying to make the landings pretty and how hard it is . However I do love them, they are a rugged workhorse and fun to fly, they climb like a rat up a drain pipe with only one up.

 

Yes all of the first 182s still had the forward attachment points for the main landing legs. I think pretty much all of the the ones with the vertical fins. As a matter of interest the first C182 that Hazelton purchased (so I am told) was regularly changed back and forth from tail to trike gear as the seasons and use changed. That particular C182 still flys out of Luskintyre (near Maitland). I think it was up for sale recently, it had I believe 10s of thousands of hours up and was still going strong.

 

I'll PM you for those details on the special STOL model.

 

David.