TOP 10 BEST Bush planes with floats 5 seats or less

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newflyer
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Re: TOP 10 BEST Bush planes with floats 5 seats or less

Post by newflyer »

wanted your opinion on the 1941 stinson 10a with 0290d lycoming as a possible candidate for floats? you seem very knowledgeable on the subject............
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THEpilot
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Re: TOP 10 BEST Bush planes with floats 5 seats or less

Post by THEpilot »

Floats on Stinson 10A are not approved. It will cost you more than the aircraft to float it even if it would be approved. At least 30000 to 40000$. Floats are even not approved for Stinson 108-1 . Why not buying a Stinson already floated. A Stinson with a 210 HP Continental or 220 HP Franklin retails aroud 50000$. If Fuel is a issue for you, buy a Stinson with a Franklin 180 HP or Lycoming 0-320 180 HP, especially the Franklin, better engine. avoid 0-435 engine 190 HP sucks too much fuel around 16 to 18 GPH ...
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bmc
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Re: TOP 10 BEST Bush planes with floats 5 seats or less

Post by bmc »

Reading this thread makes me want to have a beer with THEpilot and the rest of you, on a dock somewhere in the bush.
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bmc
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Re: TOP 10 BEST Bush planes with floats 5 seats or less

Post by Quick Disconnect »

I will second that idea bmc.I think it would be very educational you know beer and all
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brokenwing
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Re: TOP 10 BEST Bush planes with floats 5 seats or less

Post by brokenwing »

If I could make a choice..... piston. it would be a helio courier with an IO520-d and edo 3430 floats. Or the PA-18 180 with a fixed pitch seaplane prop and cap 2000's. Or i'd just say @#$! it, wake up and buy a beaver.
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Re: TOP 10 BEST Bush planes with floats 5 seats or less

Post by newflyer »

thanks, pilot..........i may hafta rethink the whole float thing......just tryin to get into a reasonable bushplane right now and hoping to find it versatile enough to do water, land, and snow........oh, and air--lot's of air!!!!
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Re: TOP 10 BEST Bush planes with floats 5 seats or less

Post by oldncold »

. there's a seabee looking forlorn and lost outside a restaurtant in yxl maybe for c few $ it could find a new home the float drivers in yxl would know
more about it than I 8)
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supercub7
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Re: TOP 10 BEST Bush planes with floats 5 seats or less

Post by supercub7 »

What about a pilatus porter on floats? I know they are not very common but they probably perform very well.
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Bede
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Re: TOP 10 BEST Bush planes with floats 5 seats or less

Post by Bede »

I had a boss who flew a PC6 once. He said it flew equally well at gross or 2000# over. I don't know how accurate that is, but that's what he said.
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Re: TOP 10 BEST Bush planes with floats 5 seats or less

Post by BD8 »

Stumbled onto this thread............ here goes.

Cessna 195 - Birddog for the FIFT Martin Mars in the early to mid '60s before they got the Goose.

:)
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black hole
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Re: TOP 10 BEST Bush planes with floats 5 seats or less

Post by black hole »

OK; Here we have it. THE JUNK YARD WARS? We put together the ultimate aircraft for floats, wheels and skiis from what we know of the good points from all the aircraft we know to date.
Gross Weight 3500 lbs, power 300 HP.

I'll start: I'll go with the Aztec wing (less engines) on top (no struts) (No tanks). A 48' wide cabin, with large front doors (al a Cardinal), Beaver belly tanks, Alaska doors (al a Beaver only both sides). Full flying tail ( al a Aztec only mounted higher like an Otter). Hinged instrument panel like B 18, and all the add ons like VG.s. And: Oh yea PK 3500 floats.

Just a thought

BH
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Dr. Mcillicuddy
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Re: TOP 10 BEST Bush planes with floats 5 seats or less

Post by Dr. Mcillicuddy »

Sounds like putting whipcream on horse shit. :smt040
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Re: TOP 10 BEST Bush planes with floats 5 seats or less

Post by adhc2 »

Top floatplane 5 seats or less, not very definitive, never the less there are not many choices which makes nomination easier. Having flown most of the types favored here, I would submit based on the non definitive terms other than max 5 seats and floats that really few choices perhaps it should be 4 seats or less. Really the 2 seaters are in a very different catagory than 4 seaters. The only contenders in the 5 seat category are barely that and the extra seat usually is a stretch at best .Try sitting 3 in the back of a Found, C195, Beech 17, C185, Pilatus, Seabee, or a Lake Renagade, that 5th seat is usually on the wrong side of the pain threshold. Further as with all aircraft there are always tradeoffs payload, range, economy, maintainence, handling, and ability to accomadate more variations in application would be the ultimate measure.

I would therefore submit that based on versitility the hands down winner would have to be the C180 as it does a combination of so many things that the others can,t deliver. Even compared to the 185 if properly equipped (stol kit, wing tank extensions with upgross) it will carry 85% of a 185 load with a lower operating cost, infact on the long haul it will out perfom the 185 which needs to tank more fuel. The Maules and Stinsons can,t deliver anywhere near the 180 in useful load and hence do not offer the versitility. Look at the used aircraft market saturated with C185s, how many do you want. I recently sold a very nice example of a 185 on floats for 95k canadian and will be happy to sell you an even nicer one for 105K canadian. I am looking for a C180 right now and they are the same price or more and hard to find. Don,t get me wrong I love the 185 in certain situations the 185 is "the right machine" If you can show me a better bird let me know and I will buy it.
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Re: TOP 10 BEST Bush planes with floats 5 seats or less

Post by nofate »

adhc2 wrote:Top floatplane 5 seats or less, not very definitive, never the less there are not many choices which makes nomination easier. Having flown most of the types favored here, I would submit based on the non definitive terms other than max 5 seats and floats that really few choices perhaps it should be 4 seats or less. Really the 2 seaters are in a very different catagory than 4 seaters. The only contenders in the 5 seat category are barely that and the extra seat usually is a stretch at best .Try sitting 3 in the back of a Found, C195, Beech 17, C185, Pilatus, Seabee, or a Lake Renagade, that 5th seat is usually on the wrong side of the pain threshold. Further as with all aircraft there are always tradeoffs payload, range, economy, maintainence, handling, and ability to accomadate more variations in application would be the ultimate measure.

I would therefore submit that based on versitility the hands down winner would have to be the C180 as it does a combination of so many things that the others can,t deliver. Even compared to the 185 if properly equipped (stol kit, wing tank extensions with upgross) it will carry 85% of a 185 load with a lower operating cost, infact on the long haul it will out perfom the 185 which needs to tank more fuel. The Maules and Stinsons can,t deliver anywhere near the 180 in useful load and hence do not offer the versitility. Look at the used aircraft market saturated with C185s, how many do you want. I recently sold a very nice example of a 185 on floats for 95k canadian and will be happy to sell you an even nicer one for 105K canadian. I am looking for a C180 right now and they are the same price or more and hard to find. Don,t get me wrong I love the 185 in certain situations the 185 is "the right machine" If you can show me a better bird let me know and I will buy it.
I can't help but agree with you about the C180. :lol:

One other advantage of the C180 over the C185 is that you can burn mogas if you want or have to when avgas isn't available. A venerable machine that holds it's value well.
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supercub7
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Re: TOP 10 BEST Bush planes with floats 5 seats or less

Post by supercub7 »

nofate wrote:If you can show me a better bird let me know and I will buy it.
Found bushhawk xp on 3500 aerocet floats here's why:
No wing strut to hit your head on and makes loading easier.
Four doors for easier loading of passengers and cargo. Also much safer for under water emergency evavuation.
Very reliable Lycoming I0 540 Engine.
1475 usefel load.

Cessna 180 is a great private plane but when it comes to commercial use it is a pain in the a$$ to load. No rear doors everthing has to be passed through the front doors to a person loading in the back. The front seats always get in the way of heavier awkward items. And it is pretty hard for older passengers to get to the rear seat through the front door Depending on how the cargo is loaded.
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adhc2
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Re: TOP 10 BEST Bush planes with floats 5 seats or less

Post by adhc2 »

Hey supercub i do agree about the bushhawk having big useful doors, but that big engine burns more gas and I like the struts when docking. I do not like electric flaps on a float plane and liked the older Found with manual flaps.The big spar carry through in the cabin can be annoying. The 5 passenger seating is set up well with 3 way split rear seat, but it is very tight for 3 adult pax. the fit and finnish seems bit under developed

It is a fine bird and I like the way it flys, but the I still like the 180 better in that it is less expensive and as all floatplanes have there limits the 180 does does so many things well and at a third of the price it a much more viable dhoice.
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Re: TOP 10 BEST Bush planes with floats 5 seats or less

Post by WetJet »

I have flown about 15 different types on floats from the Piper J3 and J4 up to a Caravan on amphibs. My favorite of all of then was the Piper PA-12. It performs nearly as well as the PA-18, but with a bigger back seat. Use your imagination.
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Re: TOP 10 BEST Bush planes with floats 5 seats or less

Post by HS-748 2A »

WetJet wrote:I have flown about 15 different types on floats from the Piper J3 and J4 up to a Caravan on amphibs. My favorite of all of then was the Piper PA-12. It performs nearly as well as the PA-18, but with a bigger back seat. Use your imagination.
You must mean a PA-12 with the 150hp, (O-320), flaps and Super Cub's flying tail?
Originally, the PA-12 was O-235 powered. (100hp)
Later variants had the O-235C-1 which at least made 115 hp.
None had flaps and they only had a trim tab on the elevator, not the trimable stab like a PA-18.
Many have been modified to incorporate these upgrades, and I concure, great airplane.

They often retail for a little less than a Cub too, strangely enough.

O-360 and a CS prop would really make one of those things into a rocket.
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Re: TOP 10 BEST Bush planes with floats 5 seats or less

Post by WetJet »

The PA-12 I flew had a the O-320 150HP. It was a bit slower off the water than the PA-18 but once you were in the air you could yank the nose up to the sky and she'd climb like a homesick angel. I had heard of the flaps mod, 180 HP variants I can't imagine how it would perform with those!
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