Great list! Could add,
Fireboss Tankers 640, 641,642,643,644,645,646,647 of NWT gov’t.
FPL fleet AT802’s,
Electras 416,417, Buffalo Airways, and a few others.

Many amphibious floats, ie. Wipline 10000 on the FireBoss, etc., have electric bilge pumps. Operated automatically by “ water in float” sensors. I once flew a PA-20 on Edo 2000’s that had windshield washer motors installed in each compartment. Looked kind of funny watching the water stream out as pa...

Agree 100% on the smooth power application. So many reasons why to do it. Back in the day, when training in carbureted trainers such as 150’s, Cubs, etc., without accelerator pumps, a sudden jamb of the throttle could bring more excitement than desired. Particularly in overshoots, climb outs from si...

93 day contract in NWT. Colour coded alert system. Green = day off, blue 1 hr to dispatch, yellow 30 minutes, red 5.
Not a heavy schedule usually. Last year we did 150 hrs. This year probably not so much. Great job with great folks. People usually pretty happy to see you when you show up.

In a previous life I was a training captain on Turbo Otters, floats,wheels, wheel skis. All the pilots I trained had previous Otter experience, mostly on floats. Handling the airplane was usually not that difficult, as the Otter is pretty slow and forgiving. A little counterintuitive for the float g...

Almost all PT6’s can burn a variety of fuels, but not all.
Our -67F variants are finicky that way. No avgas.

Some great points being made here. As previously mentioned, flat light conditions can be a problem. I found yellow tinted glasses ( like the skiers use) helps to define the surface irregularities. Simple safety or shooting glasses are easy to wear.
G

When I was hauling fuel and handling pumps and hoses in NWO, Helly Hanson was the way to go. Dress the same way as the construction and hydro crews. When I flying passengers in Labrador, my CG snowmantra was the best. Always there when I needed it, easy on and off whenever required.

Required reading.
I’m fortunate enough to have an original 1st edition in the collection, along with 14 others of his works.
Arguably one of the best aviation books ever written imho.
G

Years ago, while at Wipaire in S. St Paul, Minnesota, I saw a set of engineering drawings for a C-130 on amphibious floats. Not sure how far it progressed from there.

Good point regarding winter operations. We don’t do much of that in the firefighting world. Had the water rudders freeze up countless times in previous cold weather straight float operations, makes sense consideration should be given to the amphibious gear.

We use Turbo Commanders for the fast planes ( Electras), and King Air 100’s for the slower one. ( Fireboss, CL-215). Both are good for bird dogging, administration flights, and ferry with the engineers and spare parts for base changes.

That’s the way we do it. ( retract every departure). In addition to gear check every landing/ circuit/ scoop, and a group radio call at the 1st water landing, and end of the fuel cycle back at the airport.
Doesn’t feel excessive at all, and so far so good.
G

We worked with those guys this summer. Top notch crew.
RIP

Not sure what a seaplane amphibious rating is. I’ve done numerous insurance check outs over the years on amphibious float equipped airplanes with pilots far more experienced than I. Sometimes you had to wonder about the rationale. Always a pleasure to meet and fly with an aviator starting out on a n...

During initial Fireboss training by Wipaire (the manufacturer), we were trained to verify gear position 3x on each landing or scoop. So far so good, definitely a show stopper if missed.

Harv’s Air in Steinbach, and KBM in Thunder Bay are similar distances. Other than a freelance instructor, I believe those are your closest options.

Had a similar incident years ago in a J-3. While training a student, had the rear stick come off in my hands. The “ through” bolt was installed and secure, giving the impression the stick was appropriately attached. However, the stick was turned such that the bolt wasn’t connecting with the lower re...

Like many, I’m out of the country, and away from family, carrying on the flying career this season.This was just the peaceful reflection needed.
Thank you, Merry Christmas.
G

A better man would be hard to find. Did my medical for 35+ years. Through all that time I was fortunate enough to consider him a friend. The photo of him wearing the jacket given by the OPP Aviation Services in his obit was taken at his retirement party held in a hangar in yqt, attended by any aviat...

Know of a few such incidents over the years. The Cherokee in YQT was a rushed departure by a friend. Thankfully ATC noticed during taxi. Amazingly, according to the pilot,it was not noticeable. Another friend was in YPL with a Turbo Otter on skis. Got airborne with a cement filled tire attached to t...

Agreed to all above. Only thing I’ve got to add is when I couldn’t avoid rougher water that was still within the limits of the airplane, I’d do my best to get the weight into the wings and off the floats as early as possible. If anything, a slightly nose high attitude would allow this while maintain...

Godspeed

Yep, I think the times have changed favouring caution. We had a J-3 on floats for the school. Took out the starter, etc., to save weight and “ allow” for larger students. Let the majority of them have a go at flipping it over. Everyone loved the idea as additional training. Was 20 yrs ago. Probably ...

Thanks for the clarification. I forgot that part of the West 1/2 of the island is called simply Papua, where as the peninsula and smaller islands just off the shore are West Papua. Was mostly just reliving the experience of having the 737 going skidding by. Had some great experiences flying there.