In Deep Water: Flying w/Paul FurneeThis morning, I skipped out on the briefing for flying to Sun 'n Fun, in favor of getting some instruction time on heavier seas.
The extreme wind of yesterday had died to a dull roar of 12 knots, gusting to 18 this morning, so I took off from Bartow, and picked up Paul Furnee at Winter Haven before setting out to try my hand at waves of 12" and more.
Let me say that--to this newbie's glance--winter in the North Atlantic would have had nothing on the waves on the leeward side of Lake Mattie at 9 AM today. Paul showed me a technique of flying low (5 feet or less) over the waves to gauge their character. It took me quite a while to get comfortable with them, landing in a full stall to minimize the pounding. It's particularly "interesting" (in the sense that narrowly avoiding being run over in the street is interesting) when you get a particularly large wave to kick you up, just as you're losing flying speed.
After getting a handle on that, we headed to a couple of other nearby lakes to work on some other methods of dealing with higher winds; landing in the lee of the shore, landing cross-wind at the windward end of the lake, etc.
What impressed me most was how much the character of the waves would vary from lake to lake, exposed to exactly the same wind. I guess it's things like the treeline, nearby topography, shore obstructions, lake depth, shore shape, etc. that make the difference, but one lake can have irregular heavy rollers and rogue waves while a nearby lake of similar size might show only a regular, moderate chop. It's the former that makes for an exciting ride; especially on takeoff with water sloshing across the windscreen, blocking your view of the next wave, not to mention anyone else dumb enough to be out on such a day.
Eventually, I was pretty comfortable, and--more importantly--had a good handle on what is my personal limit at this point in my learning. As time passes and I gain experience, I'm sure I'll be more willing to try challenging conditions, but for now--when it's past my capabilities--I'll stay on the ground or find a suitable airport.
When we returned, I guess I had impressed Paul enough that he signed me off in my logbook for water operations for insurance, so I'm good to go when Barb gets down here Thursday.
Maintenance sessions with Harry Shannon, or "Lessons in Hydraulic Accumulators and Other Mysteries"
When I returned to Bartow, the maintenance sessions at Amphibians Plus were already under way. Harry Shannon's
Amphibians Plus, (like Paul Furnee's
Aircraft Innovation,) is one of the world's foremost shops specializing in Lake Amphibians. Both facilities are unparalleled experts in the Lake, but their principals also have very different personalities.
Harry, I think, has a little showman in him. (The moustache is a dead giveaway.) He puts on an excellent presentation. I'd expect he'd be a good actor or maybe public speaker if he weren't so good at what he does already. At his hangar at Bartow, Harry had several different demonstrations set up, including one on changing spark plugs (I think...I didn't see this), bleeding brakes, re-bending misshapen canopies back into shape, and--the best, in my opinion--the mysterious Lake hydraulic accumulator.
When I arrived several days ago, Paul Furnee had helped me fix a number of minor glitches on our aircraft, one of which was that the hydraulic accumulator apparently was not correctly pre-charged with nitrogen. Paul explained to me how it worked, and I sort of got it, but Harry had a very thorough demonstration, complete with visual aids(!) that de-mystified it for at least the 20 or more rapt attendees.
I had hoped to use my digital voice recorder to post a recording of his demonstration--I asked Harry to slip it in his pocket while he talked--but I got there late, the sound quality wasn't good, and--frankly--it's hard to figure out what's happening without seeing him while he's doing it, so the recording isn't worth posting.
Suffice it to say that--if your hydraulic system drops in pressure rapidly (overnight with no action, or in just a second or two when operating flaps or gear), or cycles often (every time you move the flaps), it could very well be that your accumulator needs pre-charging (a fairly simple fix.)
Also, I should mention that the luncheon put on by Amphibians Plus was fantastic, particularly the chili, which was homemade by Harry's wife Cathy (left, with Crystal from Amphibians Plus, Harry and Cathy's future daughter in law.) The chili took 20 lbs of ground sirloin, Cathy said!
Amphibs Plus also sponsored the daily continental breakfasts, and co-sponsored the opening banquet.
Thanks so much, you guys! It was both terrific and appreciated...
Prop: Good to go
While at Harry's place, I had N8012D's Hartzell propellor eddy current tested, per the recent FAA Airworthiness Directive.
Marc Rodstein had arranged a package deal for anyone needing an inspection. I don't know the final cost, but it should be far less than the individual cost of around $200 being charged by many shops.
The actual procedure is less impressive than you might think. The technician moves a small probe over the surface of the propellor hub, and observes a display on a black box attached to the probe. (Technical explanation, huh?) When he's done, you find out if you're OK or soon to be much poorer.
We're OK.
More practice
In the afternoon, the wind had calmed a bit more, so I headed south this time to explore more lakes in central Florida. Paul Furnee told me about a lakeside restaurant in Sebring, FL. I set out to find it.
Eventually, I found the lake (Lake Jackson), as well as the restaurant (Don Jose, N27 29.152 W81 28.754), a nice Mexican place with a screened veranda overlooking the lake, a pier, and an nice wide beach to the right of the pier (as seen from the water.)
As with many Florida lakes, the water level was a low, so I grounded upon the sand about 100 feet from shore, in 12-15 inch water. No problem, but a new situation for me. After a phone consultation with Paul F., I dropped the gear part way to the sandy bottom, and also tied out an anchor. I (No sense taking a chance on swimming after a wayward airplane in the wind.) Then I waded in (too cold for shorts today, so instead I got my jeans wet and was probably just as cold.)
At the restaurant, I met two guys (left), Fred Brown, a former Seabee pilot and retired corporate pilot from Findlay, OH, and Don Adams, another pilot, from Fort Wayne, IN and Sebring, FL. Both own homebuilts, but had driven down in an RV for Sun 'n Fun.
They thought I might be having trouble...guess my newness still shows.
Sebring race course
Being so close to the famed Sebring endurance motor racing course, I couldn't resist seeing it from the air...and it turns out it's actually on the grounds of the Sebring airport (SEF, N27 27.403 W81 20.520), an old military base.
I took a photo, and made a touch-and-go on the original runway (jeez, they made them wide back then...it felt like landing on a stadium parking lot. Plays games with your depth perception.)
Then it was back to Winter Haven (many water landings later), where I'm having Paul install vortex generators--doesn't that sound like something from Star Wars?
"Luke, engage the vortex generators!" --in the next day or two.
Tips and Tricks
Back at the Holiday Inn, I spent some time in the pool and then the bar, where I ran into several fellow Lakers who were swapping tips and tricks.
Here are a few. I can't vouch for the effectiveness, safety, wisdom or even logic of any:
- Myron Mitchell re-drew a diagram he had shown me some days ago of a way he says you can moor a Lake at a dock, using 4 lines, and never having the plane hit the dock once secured. Here is the actual "back of the napkin." (Tom Jadico and Myron Mitchell, left.)
- He also sketched for me a nose wheel dolly, made of 3/4" plywood, with a rectangle cut out of the middle, and 4 good sized casters. (Another napkin sketch:)
- A water takeoff technique in which, for the first short segment of the maneuver, the yoke is actually held FORWARD (!?) of neutral by an inch or two, and then pulled back as the nose rises, somehow causing the entire aircraft to lift out of the water more rapidly and get on the step. (If you're slow on the pull back, you get to pretend you're a submarine!)
The greatest value to me of my first Lakeathon has been--by far--the many "tricks of the trade" communicated by both the experts and other Lake pilots. I can easily say that the things I have learned have saved me well over the cost of the entire trip multiple times over.
General Aviation under attack
Yesterday, Paul Furnee made the point that general aviation is under serious threat by the current proposals in Congress to institute user fees and--in some ways far more importantly--change the way funds are controlled for GA airports and services.
Another friend of mine, Rob Mark (he flies corporate jets; not as cool as a Lake, maybe, but he's still pretty dang cool) is an aviation writer and publicist. He contacted me today about a piece he was writing for
www.jetwhine.com, pertaining to local airports and the need to get involved in preserving our excellent national system of smaller aviation facilities. (
Read Rob's column by clicking here.)
It's just astounding to me that the U.S. can somehow be spending more than a billion dollars a week in Iraq, but can't seem to find a few weeks worth of that money to maintain, preserve, and improve our GA airports. Instead, the airlines appear to be making a concerted push to raise fees for GA, cut spending on GA airports, and to wrest control from the FAA to their own private contractors for managing the aviation system.
Frankly, I can't see why it's such a big deal to them--there is no competitive advantage to any one airline for making the change, and the high competition in the industry will likely drive out any profit from the cost savings in the form of slightly lowered fares.
That is, unless the reason isn't to save costs, but to reduce competition. You see, when the airlines have excess competition, they tend to have to lower prices to the point where all airlines lose (lots of ) money. This happens until somebody goes out of business, or the economy and air travel pick up and the competition decreases. When that happens, (see recent news stories about the coming air travel crunch this summer), airlines raise fares and make money fast. That's the reason that the airline business is such a boom or bust venture.
So why should they care about GA airports as competition?
What's the single most revolutionary change in aviation in recent years? (I mean, after GPS.)
The introduction of the "personal jet" or Very Light Jet (VLJ) like the Eclipse Jet and the Cessna Mustang.
These aircraft, the first of which were certified just last year, are still pretty expensive ($1-2 million), but are getting to the point where even medium sized businesses can own them. More importantly, some companies are planning to use them to fly point-to-point, per-seat taxi services at fares not much more than airline first-class fares. (In other words, competing for the airlines' most profitable customers.)
The situation is not unlike when the transition took place in the U.S. from trains and buses to personal automobiles.
All of a sudden, instead of having to sit in a crowded bus or train station, climb aboard a packed aluminum conveyance with dozens of strangers, be carried to multiple intermediate stops, and finally disgorged at a terminal far from your ultimate destination, you were able to leave from a parking location close to your home, travel in privacy directly to your ultimate destination, and park close by.
No wonder trains and buses are practically extinct. Could the same thing be poised to happen to airlines (read: aerial bus companies)? At first it was only the more wealthy who could afford autos (personal jets). But eventually, the production volumes rose, the reliability and safety improved, and the costs came down to the point where the middle classes could afford it.
So, think about it. If you were an (aerial) bus company, what would you do? You'd try to eliminate the roads (airways), access ramps (airports), and parking facilities (tarmac) for individual (aerial) auto owners, so they'd have to wait in your lines instead.
How would you do that? You'd attempt to cut off funding for it from Washington. And you'd do it by playing the "rich elite" card, before the rest of the population realized that this new development would help them too.
Could I be wrong? Maybe. But even if I am, the result is likely to be the same: less access to the air for individuals.
So I suggest we do something about it.
NOW.
Contact your U.S. representative and senators, and tell them to oppose changes to the historically-successful system for funding the best aviation system on the planet.
It really does make a difference for them to hear from you, and if ever a difference were needed, it's now.
Lakeathon Wrap-UpToday was officially the last day of Lakeathon 2007. Tomorrow, the shuttle will take attendees back to the airport and we'll start to go our separate ways.
I'm planning to stay for a couple of days of Sun 'n Fun (my first), and may post a little more about that. When Barb gets here Thursday, I think that'll be it for this blog.
But before I wrap this up I want to say: Thanks to everyone who makes this such a great event. Marc and Jill Rodstein, Harry and Cathy Shannon, Paul and Paula Furnee, John and Judy Staber, Jim Campbell; there are literally scores of others.
I have had a marvelous time, met some wonderful people, and learned an amazing amount about these strange aerial boats called Lakes.
Thank you for reading, and I hope to see you here next year!
Steve Whitney
As many know, the Skimmer was the direct progenitor of the Lake Amphibian. Designed by David Thurston, it looked very similar to today's Lakes. In fact, as John pointed out in his talk, they share the same FAA Type Certificate, and many of the parts in his restoration are ones from more recent models that fit perfectly.
John is doing the project as a not-for-profit organization, and has received many donations of cash, parts, and help. One way that he and Judy are raising money for the project is by offering their new CD: "A History of the Lake Amphibian, 1946-2006" It includes over 1600 pages of scans of amazing material. Photos, original design sketches, brochures, articles, biographies, this compilation has it all.
John Staber emphasized: "Amphibian pilots should be extremely uncomfortable whenever the gear is down." The all-star panel included: John Staber, Tim Kramer, Ken Lindsay, Art Stifel, and Paul Furnee.
Next up was Jim McManus, the new president of the Seaplane Pilots Association. Jim spoke about SPA's efforts on advocacy across the U.S. on behalf of seaplane pilots and our access to the nation's waterways. Jim is a hull kind of guy, flying what he calls a "baby Lake" (Searey). He was quite moved by the camaraderie and community of Lake owners and operators represented by the LAFC. 
Some of the other topics Paul touched on:
Late in the afternoon, I drove to the airport to putter around in N8012D, cleaning and organizing things. As the sun got low, there were some beautiful scenes on the ramp. A few shots appear below.
