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Always check for overflow

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Posted

This one got burned into the "stupid things not to do" part of my brain this weekend. Fortunately I was being watched over as well. I was out playing in the Avid+ seeing what she woud do with a courser pitch on the prop and started lake jumping on the ice. Note that I still have my little 21" tires on the plane, but they are 12" wide so they are rolling through the snow cover pretty good and the lakes don't have quite the snow cover on them due to the melting before they froze up good. I had hopped about a half dozen lakes and slowed down pretty slow but not quite stopped. They felt solid and showed no water in the tracks when I flew over my tracks to check them. About that time I was feeling the urge for a break and I had just rolled a lake about 1/4 mile away and thought I would land on the slightly bigger lake below me. I DIDN'T bother to track it; a very big mistake. I landed and was doing a fast taxi to the other end to turn around when I started breaking throught the overflow. I figured I was too close to the end of the lake to get airborne and clar the trees so I attempted to carve a long turn with as much speed as I could maintain. Unfortunately the overflow kept getting deeper as I went and with full up elevator the tail was still coming up as I shut it down. I was several miles from any houses and cabins and a lot of lakes and swamps in between with my pretty new plane standing on its nose. I was in about 4" of overflow with 2" of slushy crust over the water on the ice below. I couldn't reach the tail but I was able to push up on the prop hub and get the tail to come back down. I was amazed to see absolutely no damage to the prop, not even a nick in the nickle leading edge; it just smashed my fancy fiberglass spinner. I unscrewed it and then took my comb and carefully scraped all of the ice that had covered the prop and hub to make sure it was smooth and still balanced. There fortunately was not much ice frozen to the top of the wings, just a spray frozen to the underside above the tires and the gear legs were covered in ice up to the fusalage. I manged to drag the tail around to point the plane at the far side of the lake and knew I either had to fly it out now or it was going to be a lot more difficult to get out later; and a long unpleasant night. When I fired it up, the prop ran smooth. I kept the tail as low as I could busting through a lot of overflow and finally hit a short stretch that was a little more solid that gave me just enough speed to get most of the weight on the wings when I hit the overflow on the other side I could stay on top and get it in the air. I think the extra HP of the Subie really helped in this case. I am not sure my 582 would have been able to drag me through the crud fast enough to get me airborne.

I feel pretty stupid but I was able to learn my lesson pretty cheap; one spinner, a brused ego and hopefully smart enough not to make the same mistake again. I did get to releive myself though. It is time to put this bird on skis.

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Posted

Holy cripes! Glad you didnt ding that pretty new bird up Randy! Mine if going on Skis tomorrow. That was one thing I loved about the floats.. Overflow and thin ice were a non issue!

Glad your still able to fly with no major repairs.

:BC:

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Posted

You guys are crazy hell glad your still alive much less messing up your airplane. WOW!!!!

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Posted

I flew out to a buddies hangar on wick lake today to put my skis on.. I was pretty sketched out landing on the lake cause the ice looked a little thin, but it worked out fine. I got the skis on and am ready to rock for the next time home! Be ready to fly out to the lodge fopr a weekend of flying and fun! I will have a bunch of gas dropped out there with the 206 so we can burn as much air as we want!

:BC:

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Posted

I flew out to a buddies hangar on wick lake today to put my skis on.. I was pretty sketched out landing on the lake cause the ice looked a little thin, but it worked out fine. I got the skis on and am ready to rock for the next time home! Be ready to fly out to the lodge fopr a weekend of flying and fun! I will have a bunch of gas dropped out there with the 206 so we can burn as much air as we want!

BC.gif

Hey Lenni,

I got the skis rigged and on it last weekend but didn't get a chance to fly. I took my little tail wheel apart and greased it up but didn't get the tail ski back on it or changed out for the 8" one on the plane yet but that shouldn't take too long. When are you going to be back? Also, I am not very set up for outside /cold starts since I don't have a primer plumbed in yet and no wing covers (but I may be able to borrow Jacks wing covers). Can we get power from the lodge to the airplane to boost the battery? I have been using a booster battery for the initial starts since it takes a little cranking.

Randy

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Posted

Hey Lenni,

I got the skis rigged and on it last weekend but didn't get a chance to fly. I took my little tail wheel apart and greased it up but didn't get the tail ski back on it or changed out for the 8" one on the plane yet but that shouldn't take too long. When are you going to be back? Also, I am not very set up for outside /cold starts since I don't have a primer plumbed in yet and no wing covers (but I may be able to borrow Jacks wing covers). Can we get power from the lodge to the airplane to boost the battery? I have been using a booster battery for the initial starts since it takes a little cranking.

Randy

I am sure we can get a booster, or battery charger down at the lake. We have done that before when Mark had a dead battery last year. I have a pretty cool pre-heater that will really help with the cold starts, but a shot or two of primer would probly do the trick!

I think I will be back around the 28th but have newyears plans at the cabin in Caribou hills. Would like to do a lodge trip after the first if I can stay in town for a full 2 weeks. I will keep you up on it.

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Posted

I am sure we can get a booster, or battery charger down at the lake. We have done that before when Mark had a dead battery last year. I have a pretty cool pre-heater that will really help with the cold starts, but a shot or two of primer would probly do the trick!

I think I will be back around the 28th but have newyears plans at the cabin in Caribou hills. Would like to do a lodge trip after the first if I can stay in town for a full 2 weeks. I will keep you up on it.

Randy,

No problem on the wing covers.

Jack

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