Home Forums Hunting & Shooting Alaska Musing about Float Planes

Fun to watch the really big ones move like that, those and the walking velvet stage curtains.

Calvin, you mention Spartan; you were undoubtedly there some years after my brother spent time there in the 70s. Ropes mentions Columbia (helicopters); another brother works for them, only in a later timeframe and in oilfield support, in Peru right now. Funny how an aviation thread connects dots.

I was actually contracted by the Coast Guard to go there. It was only for 6-7 months. Was kinda fun telling those Okie girls that Texas has fallen into the ocean and that's why the coasties were in Tulsa..

What are you using for a "Spotter"? if thats your view from 3 miles??? Or, are you using the Zoom on your camera, while looking through the scope? Nice Bear, regardless.. Just don't look like a 3 mile Bear...

Good Luck on your quest!

For any of you guys interested in hunting and flying, I can highly recommend the book "Hunting For Trouble" by Charlie Janes.

Charlie lives in New Zealand, and it tells his life story of how as an average joe and mad keen hunter, how he devised different methods to get into the roadless/ remote areas of New Zealand vast back country so he could hunt where few others did.

His adventures start off him on horse back, but soon as he strives to get further back into the wilderness he builds a jet boat, tinkers with a DIY autogyro and eventually learns to fly and builds himself various kit planes over the years.

Not only does he go to the trouble of building his own planes, but he also clears his own remote "airstrips" to get access to where he wants.

Due to the cost associated with running a normal light aircraft, particularly the engines, he develops a "conversion" to fit a commonly available standard V8 liquid cooled auto engine in an Auster.

From an engineering perspective, the project was a success and the conversion was an outstanding success, but unfortunately the Red tape associated with getting it certified air worthy and to meet the various regulations killed it..

The book is well written and makes for interesting and entertaining reading and given the subject, I am sure there are many here who will enjoy it greatly..

Zeiss Diascope. Combination of having the camera zoomed in, the Diascope on high X's, and then zooming in on my computer. About 1 in 10 of the pictures even turn out to where everything is focused. Here is a pic that isn't zoomed in on the computer.



Same pic, but zoomed in on my computer to 100%..

here is the bear walking across the snow pic.. Unedited. Barely got that one. I'd been waiting for that damn bear to walk across the snow for several hours and I almost didn't get the shot.

Calvin,

Are you hand holding the camera to the scope on those?

Regards,

Peter

Yes I am. I'm too cheap to buy a camera adapter..(grin)

If you do a search on line, as there are plenty of DIY versions about that look very fairly easy to make.

I want to give digi scoping a try but it seems for decent results, you need a camera with no more than a x3 optical zoom and a lens housing on the face of the camera you fit the mount too..

Apparently, its one of those instances where the older more basic digital cameras are often better suited, so I'm going to scan the scondhand shops and see what I can find..

Well there is the Quest Kodiak, the Cessna Caravan and The Sherpa, The Sherpa can carry a lot but its not certified yet. All three are in the two million range to buy. There is Product liability, an Airframe maker will have to buy a policy, and since the life of the airplane can be 50 years or more, he could be held liable in a accident. In 1978 the last big year for GA aircraft makers Beech fig that it cost 90000 per airplane for Liability insurance,more that what the materials and labor to build the airplane, in this case Beech Bonanzas. Low production numbers have some to do with it, along with high R+D and Certification costs. The Cessna 172 to day will set you back about 250 thousand dollars. And its not going to give you much more performance wise that a 172 from 1976 which you can buy for around 40K. Airplanes are expensive like boats but more so. Buying one is not the problem, its keeping it in an airworthy condition that is the hard part. A Beaver or Otter are 60 year old aircraft + now, there never were a whole lot of them made to begin with, so they go for a premium prices. A clean Beaver on Floats will set you back anywhere from 500 to 750 k or more. Not really a good personal aircraft, unless you are very wealthy and by wealthy you would need and after tax income better that a Million dollars or two. Look at what super cubs go for some time and other great airplane that piper dose not make anymore, but Cub Crafters dose, just write a check. Now I fly both airplanes and Helicopters for a living, you want sticker shock, try a helicopter. A million dollars dose not buy much.

Look @ the new Kodiak built in Sand Point Idaho.

The Pilatus Porter PC6 is a great STOAL high cargo plane. I'm sure it is butt ass expensive though - it is Swiss after all...

The guys on Gilmore Rd outside of Fairbanks have been known to "scope" for moose miles away with their satellite dish cameras......

A popular plane in Iraq.

So far I"ve been most impressed with floats on a Helio. Had me scared a time or two but hauls a decent load, and gets up quick... and IIRC with STOL, can stay in the air at 30mph or less.

Haven't ridden on that many though, but the Helio I sure did like.

Never been on a big one like a Beaver, or Otter, never been in a big enough group to warrant that.

Suspect the next ride will be in a super cub if the tag ever gets drawn.

How about one of these for a float plane?

now that.... I would like to see...

Knowing that even the price tag of a small plane's floats can get you a very decent car, I wonder what kind of mansion one might buy for the price tag on those?

The helio is a most impressive aircraft. They are still maneuverable at 26kts and I have seen them pretty much hover with a good head wind. The coolest part is they only need 250ft to land fully loaded and 500ft for take off. I have also seen a few crumpled up for the same reason.

Did you fly out with Wright's?

Out of Aniak, its been enough years I can't quite call the flight service... its on the tail of some photos I have... Zack flew it very well.

It got into places where something like a beaver could not IIRC too... made it a bit more remote using it for drop offs.