For example, I'm assuming a guy with time on amphib Cessnas & Dehavillands has a better chance of landing a float position than someone with time on Lakes?
Just something about those boats that makes me all warm and fuzzy
inside
Flying boats
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Landlocked
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Flying boats
Just curious what everyones thoughts are on the future of these amphibs. Do they have a place in commercial aviation or are they going to be cottage trophies?
For example, I'm assuming a guy with time on amphib Cessnas & Dehavillands has a better chance of landing a float position than someone with time on Lakes?
Just something about those boats that makes me all warm and fuzzy
inside
For example, I'm assuming a guy with time on amphib Cessnas & Dehavillands has a better chance of landing a float position than someone with time on Lakes?
Just something about those boats that makes me all warm and fuzzy
inside
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Forestdump
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Landlocked
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No doubt! I was thinking outside of fire fighting...although that would be very cool to pull a 415 up to the beach at the cottage no?I see the goose is coming back into production: http://www.antillesseaplanes.com/index.htm
Flying boats
I bet there are hundreds of people lining up out the door to buy a 2 million dollar Turbo Goose. Hauling the inlaws & fandamily out to the cottage will cost a mere 100 - 150 gallons of Jet 'A'. & not to mention insuring a couple of nice shiney PT6A-34's for use on a flying boat!
Re: Flying boats
Actually there are quite a few... Check out this place called USA...dhc-t2 wrote:I bet there are hundreds of people lining up out the door to buy a 2 million dollar Turbo Goose. Hauling the inlaws & fandamily out to the cottage will cost a mere 100 - 150 gallons of Jet 'A'. & not to mention insuring a couple of nice shiney PT6A-34's for use on a flying boat!
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Idriveplane
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Flying Boats
Guess we will have to wait & see. I am not is the USA so maybe someone can please let me know if anyone makes this fine purchase. I wonder how many will be made?
So do the ones in your avatar!wow those things look pretty neat
Last edited by CLguy on Fri Nov 17, 2006 5:40 pm, edited 1 time in total.
You Can Love An Airplane All You Want, But Remember, It Will Never Love You Back!
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Idriveplane
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It'll never happen.
First of all, for $2million? No way. I'd guess $10 or 15. If Joe Rich decided he had to buy a Goose, they can be had used - one of the guys I work with has one, another has a Widgeon (porpoising devil).
And how many private buyers have the skills to operate a Goose on land, let alone the water? They'd be better to build Mallards, at least they are better on land for the average pilot. If they do sell 'em to the public, I'll bet they will become the new "fork-tailed doctor-killer."
I'm also willing to bet that the '30s technology will never get certified under modern rules without a total re-design.
Don't mortgage the house to get into 'Gooses.'
First of all, for $2million? No way. I'd guess $10 or 15. If Joe Rich decided he had to buy a Goose, they can be had used - one of the guys I work with has one, another has a Widgeon (porpoising devil).
And how many private buyers have the skills to operate a Goose on land, let alone the water? They'd be better to build Mallards, at least they are better on land for the average pilot. If they do sell 'em to the public, I'll bet they will become the new "fork-tailed doctor-killer."
I'm also willing to bet that the '30s technology will never get certified under modern rules without a total re-design.
Don't mortgage the house to get into 'Gooses.'
"What's it doing now?"
"Fly low and slow and throttle back in the turns."
"Fly low and slow and throttle back in the turns."
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West Coast Swell
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Good to stir the pot. I don't want anything sticking to the bottom. If anybody thinks there is a strong demand for a Turbo Goose equiped with 2 x PT6A-34 engines, please let me know.
Ok, I will be politically correct here.... "It is of my opinion that there is a limited market for such aircraft as a factory new Goose. I have been wrong before. If these aircraft start popping up all over the Continent, I will come back to this thread and offer my sincere apologies.
All that being said, I love the Goose, Mallard & Albatross. I love the Beaver, Turbo Beaver, Turbo Otter & Twin Otter. All these float planes & flying boats are great legends of aviation. God knows how many millions of hours has been logged in such aircraft. How many memories where made. How many people made their living off building, supporting, maintaining, fixing, flying & breaking.(In that order!)
I have talked to a thousand people & almost all have reminisced about some experience they have had in a Goose, Otter or Beaver.
There, I hope the pot is steady now...
Ok, I will be politically correct here.... "It is of my opinion that there is a limited market for such aircraft as a factory new Goose. I have been wrong before. If these aircraft start popping up all over the Continent, I will come back to this thread and offer my sincere apologies.
All that being said, I love the Goose, Mallard & Albatross. I love the Beaver, Turbo Beaver, Turbo Otter & Twin Otter. All these float planes & flying boats are great legends of aviation. God knows how many millions of hours has been logged in such aircraft. How many memories where made. How many people made their living off building, supporting, maintaining, fixing, flying & breaking.(In that order!)
I have talked to a thousand people & almost all have reminisced about some experience they have had in a Goose, Otter or Beaver.
There, I hope the pot is steady now...
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Idriveplane
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It's sad to say but I feel the floatplane in gerneral will have its final day, not saying in the near future or anything but still eventually. Everyplace either has or is planning to build a rwy (reserves, mines etc) and all you see is more and more sched ifr traffic goin to these places and less float traffic, just isnt the same as it was, and won't be in the future as is now 
What about floatplane trips like the sched ones between downtown vancouver and downtown victoria? Both are large cities with big airports with fancy IFR approaches, but the fact is that a floatplane drops a passenger off much closer to the downtown core. Obviously not what most people think of when they hear about floatplanes, but it's still floats...
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Driving Rain
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Well it's true, at least in Canada that seaplane activity is becoming less with each passing year, there will always be a need for aircraft that can land and depart from bodies of water. Maybe in the future VTOL technology if it ever becomes economical enough could capture some of the remaining market.
Looked at in an historical perspective I would suggest that seaplanes are more popular now world wide than they've ever been.
Markets like the ones in the Maldives, Greek Islands, fire bombing as well as the Vancouver/Victoria model come to mind.
In the the thirties flying boats dominated international air travel but they were few in number and could only be afforded by governments and the super wealthy. In the same period in Canada, seaplanes did the bulk of exploration and carrage of goods and services to the remote corners.
Those aircraft were owned by airlines, few if any were in the hands of private individuals. This certainly isn't true today. If anything, seaplanes are numerically more popular and probably log more hours now world wide than at any time in their history.
Compared with land based aircraft the seaplane market hasn't grown by the same leaps and bounds but it has grown, just at a much slower rate.
When you compare the two types, floats and boats (amphibs) Floats will dominate the market share for abvious reasons. Flying boats will always have a much smaller share because they are less versatile in most respects, but if you need the ability to handle rough water and open seas than the boat is the only way to go.
As a side note... The most versatile aircraft made to date would have to be the PBY. It's duties in WWII included, dive bombing, torpedo bombing, anti submarine duties, air sea rescue, long range aerial recon, scouting, hospital and troop deployment. No other aircraft could match this. This is my opinion only and I'd love to argue my point.
Thanks to Glenn Curtis for inventing the stepped hull
It makes my job so much easier.
Cheers DR
Looked at in an historical perspective I would suggest that seaplanes are more popular now world wide than they've ever been.
Markets like the ones in the Maldives, Greek Islands, fire bombing as well as the Vancouver/Victoria model come to mind.
In the the thirties flying boats dominated international air travel but they were few in number and could only be afforded by governments and the super wealthy. In the same period in Canada, seaplanes did the bulk of exploration and carrage of goods and services to the remote corners.
Those aircraft were owned by airlines, few if any were in the hands of private individuals. This certainly isn't true today. If anything, seaplanes are numerically more popular and probably log more hours now world wide than at any time in their history.
Compared with land based aircraft the seaplane market hasn't grown by the same leaps and bounds but it has grown, just at a much slower rate.
When you compare the two types, floats and boats (amphibs) Floats will dominate the market share for abvious reasons. Flying boats will always have a much smaller share because they are less versatile in most respects, but if you need the ability to handle rough water and open seas than the boat is the only way to go.
As a side note... The most versatile aircraft made to date would have to be the PBY. It's duties in WWII included, dive bombing, torpedo bombing, anti submarine duties, air sea rescue, long range aerial recon, scouting, hospital and troop deployment. No other aircraft could match this. This is my opinion only and I'd love to argue my point.
Thanks to Glenn Curtis for inventing the stepped hull
It makes my job so much easier.Cheers DR
