Where did you fly today?

[SuberAvid 617]

What kind of approach, over the fence and touchdown speeds are you experiencing? What is your empty weight?

Mine is pretty heavy due to the Subaru, extended heavy duty landing gear, probably too much paint, and my own inexperience as a first time builder, so it weighs 830 lbs. Plus I seem to always have a lot of gear in it, especially in the winter with 60lb of survival gear, a jumper battery, stove/ preheater, snowshoes, shovel, etc, plus whatever else I am carrying with me for the intended trip.... I don't really pay much attention to my landing speed much but I generally am 50 mph over the fence and 40 mph on touchdown.

[Bandit 286]

I gave my granddaughter Madison her first skiplane ride today. She had a smile on her face from ear to ear the whole time we were flying. It reminded me of a kid that got his first airplane ride in a Champ back around 1967.

[akflyer 1427]

I love it! There is nothing better than the smile on a child's face when they get in an airplane! Start the training now so she can shuttle Grandpa around when your too old to remember where the key goes!

[SuberAvid 617]

I gave my granddaughter Madison her first skiplane ride today. She had a smile on her face from ear to ear the whole time we were flying. It reminded me of a kid that got his first airplane ride in a Champ back around 1967.

That is great! I am looking forward to flying my new Grandson as soon as he can enjoy it. I still get a kick out of flying my daughter and son when we get the chance. One of the funnest was giving my now son-in-law his first ride in a small plane back when he and my daughter just started dating. I am not sure exactly what part of that he was most nervous about. hahahaha

[SuberAvid 617]

Had to stop by a see how my Son-in-law was doing ice fishing today. He caught a 24.5" Dolly just after I left. He also took a video of my take off. Just to show my ignorance, I have never tried to post a video; does it have to be posted to YouTube?

Edited 19 Feb 2013 by SuberAvid

[flattie45 17]

I made a few trips in the last week or so. An older brother had purchased a 9.3mm CZ that he had yet to fire, so we went out the day before Memorial Day to the Knik Glacier/Lake George area to put a few rounds through it. Holy smokes, was that place busy! Just about every strip had at least one airplane on it, and the radio was quite busy. We ended up landing at a strip a little ways upstream from the upper gorge, and fired towards the mountains. Coming back into Merrill Field was crazy, as it was hard to get a word in edgewise with as much traffic as there was. Overall, a beautiful day. I swear that the leaves were noticeably greener on the return trip.

 

 

 

 

The following Thursday I got up early and headed up the west side of the Susitna valley. I wasn't able to leave as early as I wanted, and settled for a 6:15 departure from Merrill. No clouds at all and just a slight breeze.

 A few miles from the Eightmile airstrip, closer towards the mountains, I spied what looked like an overgrown airstrip. There was an old caved-in cabin on one side. I made an approach, but the strip was too narrow for my wings and a tree was lying across the middle. Oh well. I continued on up to the Skwentna, just buzzing around, and found a place to get out and stretch my legs before heading back home.

 

 

-Nate

[SuberAvid 617]

Great pictures Nate; I finally got a chance to look at them.  Keep em coming!  Ianded that gorge strip the other day; surprisingly nice and smooth.

[akflyer 1427]

I hope to have some trip pictures up SOON!  I have 3 weeks to tear the engine down and put new seals in it.  I will take pics to show what it looks like inside after 250 hrs running with nothing to decarbon but the Mercury Power tune.  Hopefully I will get to hook up with Randy and others for some trips around the gravel bars next week!

 

Nice pics Nate!  I dont know how I missed your posts on this thread!

 

[lv2plyguitar 172]

As soon as I get my bird in the air I am ready.  Had to fix some stuff.  Leni, what type of hose clamps should I use for the rotary valves inlet and outlet (top and bottom of engine).  Was inspecting and noticed that the bottom hose clamp was about to break after the top one had already broke.

[High Country 69]

Had an awesome flight this last week in a 1944 Stinsen 108-3, We departed Idaho City at 8:00 made our first landing in Graham then off for Stanley back to Garden Valley then home. spent 2 hrs playing around the mountains. the Pic of the dirt strip coming off the lake is at deadwood reservoir its 1800' up hill grade, I'm hoping to get the Avid in there before the end of this year

 

-Robert-

[C5Engineer 1170]

Next time keep heading North from Deadwood and grab breakfast at Sulpher Creek.

[High Country 69]

2nd Awesome flight this past week was in C172 with my Grandparents who were visiting from Texas. This was the first time I had ever gotten to take them up. My Grandfather was an A26 pilot in the Korean war. we had a great time logged 2.5 hrs flying around the mountains. Grandma had a broken foot so it was a bit interesting to get her into the back but we made it. The dirt strip is my home strip in Idaho City

 

-Robert-

[High Country 69]

Next time keep heading North from Deadwood and grab breakfast at Sulpher Creek.

Is there a cabin that serves food I take it? will have to take my wife up there when we get the Avid up

[akflyer 1427]

Spent a couple afternoons looking for a buddies 16' boat that went missing this spring. Didn't find the boat, but got to put 5 hrs on the pa-12! Crescent lake was beautiful as usual, but the inlet was fogged in solid! It was a great way to spend time with my son who has been up my hind end wanting to go flying

[SuberAvid 617]

Had an awesome flight this last week in a 1944 Stinsen 108-3, We departed Idaho City at 8:00 made our first landing in Graham then off for Stanley back to Garden Valley then home. spent 2 hrs playing around the mountains. the Pic of the dirt strip coming off the lake is at deadwood reservoir its 1800' up hill grade, I'm hoping to get the Avid in there before the end of this year

 

-Robert-

Great pictures!  I met a guy last weekend flying a Stinson 108; they were camping with 4 adults and 2 kids plus 2 tents, tables, chairs and a bunch of gear.  Needless to say I was impressed!.. Later talking to him he said it had a 220 hp Continental in it so he said it performed really well but said that was the result on two trips to shuttle everything.

[SuberAvid 617]

Spent a couple afternoons looking for a buddies 16' boat that went missing this spring. Didn't find the boat, but got to put 5 hrs on the pa-12! Crescent lake was beautiful as usual, but the inlet was fogged in solid! It was a great way to spend time with my son who has been up my hind end wanting to go flying

Thanks Leni, I finally got a chance to look at these.  What a great day for flying; beautiful!  I have to admit, floats have some distinct advantages...  There must be some story behind the missing boat; did it mysteriously get legs or was it lost on a river run?

[akflyer 1427]

It grew legs.  Last fall it was tied up with 3 other boats pulled up on the river bank with lots of other gear around it.  None of the gear "floated off"' just the one boat.  Some bear hunters this spring saw an otter taking off out of the slew with a boat on the floats and I am betting that was the one.... More than likely an honest mistake, as there is a pile of guide boats in the "slew" and one of the air taxis probably sent a new pilot over there to get one of the boats and move it somewhere else, and he just grabbed the wrong one.  I seruiously doubt that one of the guide services would try to get busted over a 1000.00 boat.  We flew over yesterday to try and get the remaining boats back to this side of the inlet, but the guy I had with me was not into taking a river boat across the inlet in 1-2' waves... panzy!    oh well, hopefully they will still be there when I get back in a couple weeks and I can get them back across to this side for my buddy.

 

[akflyer 1427]

Got a call from the folks at the lodge.. With the weather predicted to start raining, they needed help getting in some wood that Dan had cut down a month ago before it got water logged like last year ( it started raining in the spring and never let up till the snow started flying).  After we got a couple cords hauled in, the slave driver (owners wife ) decided that we needed to haul in about 20 yrds of top soil to level out the front lawn.  The 2 day trip turned  into 4 days but it was much needed.  Didn't get many shots of the trip up there, but I learned that the Avid at gross, on floats, and 90 degree OAT made climb out less than stellar.  It took me 70 miles to get the darn thing to 4000' so I could cross the mountain ridge.  I should have been at 4000 in a few miles. 

 

I really like the way the EDO 1320 floats work on the plane.  No problems getting on step at ummmm, maximum take off weight and I can step turn on a dime!  I could not do either of those on the full lotus floats without really working for it!

 

The floats need to move a couple inches further back under the plane to get the Step / CG just perfect, just for a first try at rigging them, they worked very well!

 

 

[Av8r3400 1179]

They do kinda look like Snapp's "Tundra Floats" compared to the Lotus floats....

[SuberAvid 617]

Looks good Leni; great pictures too.  The floats sure look big on it.

[akflyer 1427]

They do in the picture, but in reality, they are almost 6" shorter than my full lotus floats were.

[EDMO 1078]

Leni,

Nice looking plane and floats - I noticed that you don't have the strake (fin) under the tail - Guess it is not really needed? or wanted?

EDMO

Edited 4 Jul 2013 by Ed In Missouri

[akflyer 1427]

Ed, I did not need it with the full lotus floats, but the EDO floats are quite a bit deeper with alot more side area.  You dont really ahve to have it, but I will be making one just to help keep that ball centered.  These floats do require alot more rudder work in the air and the nose does tend to wander if you let up for a second on the rudder work.  It is not unmanagable, but it will be nice to get the venteral fin on.  I am thinking I may make fins that bolt onto the elevator instead of under the fuse, but I am not positive on that yet.  I do think that after I slide the fuse a bit further forward on the floats, it will help as there wont be as much side area ahead of the aircraft CG, but only further testing will tell what I really need to end up doing.  For the moment, I am just very happy to be able to get on step and off the water easily at full gross plus a little extra.

 

[EDMO 1078]

Thanks Leni,

I'm not senile yet - I know we had this dance before, but wondered if the change in floats might start the music again for those who weren't around the first time - and for my curiosity.

EDMO

[akflyer 1427]

Its all good!  The entire time I was working on the new float mounts, I was looking at how much deeper the floats are compared to the full lotus.  I pretty much knew I was going to need the ventral fin to keep the nose from hunting, I just flat ran out of time to build parts.  I had to make new mounting blocks for the front gear leg and N strut.  Of course, they did not have any .625" aluminum at the local supply house, so I had to get .750" and mill it down with my drill press and an end mill bit I had laying around.... there was a few captn n cokes and alot of cussing going on during that chip making session