Here's how you take your float plane off from dry land.

MGMcAnick · Post by **MGMcAnick** » Sun Jul 10, 2016 8:14 pm

So you bought your Cessna 185 some new pontoons for its birthday. Now what?

http://www.thedrive.com/news/3913/bet-y ... s-take-How to take a float plane off-on-dry-land?utm_source=zergnet.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=zergnet_1074166

A lightly loaded C-185 without floats will become airborne at about 60 MPH. I'm sure the floats change that somewhat, probably 70 to 75.

The only float plane I've ever been in was a C-208 Caravan amphibian (retractable wheels) with nine aboard. There is an antiquated Federal Aviation Administration rule that says no more than nine people can be carried in a single engine aircraft. I didn't think we were ever going to get off of the 1/2 grass strip. If there had been a bus crossing the end of the runway, we'd have hit it. It took far longer to get off of the lake we went to a little later. I'd guess it was a mile and a half. The floats have to get up to where they are just about to leave the water before the plane can gather enough speed to fly.

The SAME plane is often configured to haul up to 14 in other countries. I don't think Canada, where the plane pictured in the link is registered, has that same rule.
https://img.planespotters.net/photo/133 ... 133833.jpg

RayThom · Post by **RayThom** » Mon Jul 11, 2016 3:01 am

That's so well orchestrated that it looks like they do it all the time -- flawlessly.

MGMcAnick · Post by **MGMcAnick** » Mon Jul 11, 2016 3:18 am

RayThom wrote:That's so well orchestrated that it looks like they do it all the time -- flawlessly.

I think that's a pretty good guess.

datsunaholic · Post by **datsunaholic** » Mon Jul 11, 2016 5:37 am

I was wondering how I saw a floatplane leave First Air Field here by my house. Not an Amphibian- just a float Cessna. Took off, did a couple test circles, and headed to Lake Stevens. I was thinking they had drop-off wheels, but maybe they did it the same way as in the video.

I guess the more impressive one is how they got it there in the first place, though I suspect it was actually trucked in.

Bicycle Bill · Post by **Bicycle Bill** » Mon Jul 11, 2016 7:44 am

As MG said, taking off from water requires the floats to reach a condition known as "step" — that is, a point at which the pontoons have minimal contact with the water (and thus minimal drag), in much the same way a motorboat reaches "plane" — before the aircraft will have sufficient lift to take off from water. The V2 speed from the trailer was, in fact, probably less than the V2 speed from water.

-"BB"-

MGMcAnick · Post by **MGMcAnick** » Mon Jul 11, 2016 1:06 pm

datsunaholic wrote:I guess the more impressive one is how they got it there in the first place, though I suspect it was actually trucked in.

The one in the video came in on standard gear, which was removed when the floats were installed.
The one you saw may have come in in pieces by truck, or had similar work performed.
Removing a plane's wings is not very hard, as long as they aren't full of fuel.

oldr_n_wsr · Post by **oldr_n_wsr** » Mon Jul 11, 2016 2:26 pm

I don't know "real" planes, but the RC planes I have flown with pontoons for water take-offs, a little chop on the water helped tremendously.

Landing, not so much.

MGMcAnick · Post by **MGMcAnick** » Mon Jul 11, 2016 10:45 pm

My oldest sister told the story of taking off from a glass smooth lake in Canada's Northwest Territories in a heavily loaded C-185 when she was in the mission field working with the Inuit of the area. They tried the standard into-the-wind procedure twice to no avail. Then the pilot made a wide circle to make a wake wave. Then they got back to the wave, he bounced it "onto the step" as Ray said. After that, they were airborne shortly.

Cessna 180s and 185s are often fitted with floats as they will carry a large load, and are reasonably inexpensive to operate. The C-185 can have up to six seats too.

RayThom · Post by **RayThom** » Tue Jul 12, 2016 2:30 am

MGMcAnick wrote:... Then they got back to the wave, he bounced it "onto the step" as Ray* said. After that, they were airborne shortly...

*Correction -- as Bicycle Bill said.

rubato · Post by **rubato** » Thu Jul 14, 2016 10:22 pm

MGMcAnick wrote:So you bought your Cessna 185 some new pontoons for its birthday. Now what?

http://www.thedrive.com/news/3913/bet-y ... s-take-How to take a float plane off-on-dry-land?utm_source=zergnet.com&utm_medium=referral&utm_campaign=zergnet_1074166

A lightly loaded C-185 without floats will become airborne at about 60 MPH. I'm sure the floats change that somewhat, probably 70 to 75.

The only float plane I've ever been in was a C-208 Caravan amphibian (retractable wheels) with nine aboard. There is an antiquated Federal Aviation Administration rule that says no more than nine people can be carried in a single engine aircraft. I didn't think we were ever going to get off of the 1/2 grass strip. If there had been a bus crossing the end of the runway, we'd have hit it. It took far longer to get off of the lake we went to a little later. I'd guess it was a mile and a half. The floats have to get up to where they are just about to leave the water before the plane can gather enough speed to fly.

The SAME plane is often configured to haul up to 14 in other countries. I don't think Canada, where the plane pictured in the link is registered, has that same rule.
https://img.planespotters.net/photo/133 ... 133833.jpg

Thank you, that was beautiful. It looked like they had some type of clamp holding the plane onto the trailer until it reached critical speed and was then released suddenly. Yes?

yrs,
rubato

BoSoxGal · Post by **BoSoxGal** » Sat Jul 16, 2016 10:52 pm

Cool!

MGMcAnick · Post by **MGMcAnick** » Mon Jul 18, 2016 7:21 pm

rubato wrote:Thank you, that was beautiful. It looked like they had some type of clamp holding the plane onto the trailer until it reached critical speed and was then released suddenly. Yes?
yrs,
rubato

The plane is not clamped to the trailer. If you look closely a the plane's elevator (the short horizontal movable "wing" on the rear) as the truck accelerates, the pilot is deflecting it to hold the plane downward on the trailer. Once the plane reaches V2 (take off safety speed) he pulls back on the control. The elevator tips up at the rear edge, and the plane springs off of the trailer.

Bicycle Bill · Post by **Bicycle Bill** » Mon Jul 18, 2016 9:20 pm

MGMcAnick wrote:
rubato wrote:Thank you, that was beautiful. It looked like they had some type of clamp holding the plane onto the trailer until it reached critical speed and was then released suddenly. Yes?
yrs,
rubato
The plane is not clamped to the trailer. If you look closely a the plane's elevator (the short horizontal movable "wing" on the rear) as the truck accelerates, the pilot is deflecting it to hold the plane downward on the trailer. Once the plane reaches V2 (take off safety speed) he pulls back on the control. The elevator tips up at the rear edge, and the plane springs off of the trailer.

He also lowered the flaps (the movable control surface at the rear of the overhead wing closest to the fuselage of the plane) at the same time. This alters the wing's profile a little more and creates additional lift, so between the elevators forcing the tail down (and raising the nose of the plane) and the increased lift it went up like it had been spring-loaded.

-"BB"-

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