cessna 180 vs 172XP floatplane amphibian?

[marakii]

Which one would work better for a day vfr 703 operation? I hear the 180 can be fitted with a MOGAS and bring the fuel costs even lower.
Anyways, from the pros that ran these machines in a commercial operation, which one would they choose?

thanks

[esp803]

With the exception of a flight school, I have never heard of a 172 on floats (especially amphibs) operating as a 703 aircraft. I can't imagine your useful load would be much more than a couple hundred pounds with fuel for any sort of trip. Come to think of it, I can only think of a handful of amphib aircraft operating commercially in Canada, and those are all Caravans (702 and 604 don't count).

Earlier you were looking for a 206 to lease, that's a working airplane, a 172 XP is not.

E

[PZL 1000]

My buddy has a C180 amphib and it has a very small payload. You need a very small pilot. Like the previous poster said forget about a C172 amphib for any passenger work..

[Duffman]

What kind of work are you doing with it?

The 172 XP is great for training and maybe sightseeing with two passengers. I don't think it would be very useful for anything else. Even the work you can do with a 180 will be very limited if you're carrying a bit of gas.

There are some operators using 180's but they mostly seem to use them for camp checks and things like that. 185 or 206 is probably the way to go and if you get a 206 you better have plenty of water everywhere you go because they don't get off fast. I've only flown the non turbocharged version though.

[esp803]

And simply forget about amphibs unless you are looking at something big. And even then... on the Van it's an additional 800lbs...

E

[marakii]

And simply forget about amphibs unless you are looking at something big. And even then... on the Van it's an additional 800lbs...

E

Thank you for all the great valid points, how do you take it to the maintenance shop on floats? if the the AME is on a land airport? I get the whole profit margin on running straight floats, much better and lighter and the whole bit.

appreciate all the true facts guys

[phillyfan]

Putting amphibs on the airplane so that you can bring it to a maintenance facility, makes me wonder about other aspects of your business plan? That and the fact you considered a C-172 on amphibs as a Commercial aircraft. Sometimes you just have to get a job working for somebody else. Generally there are very few shortcuts in this business that don't lead to death, or financial ruin.

[marakii]

Putting amphibs on the airplane so that you can bring it to a maintenance facility, makes me wonder about other aspects of your business plan? That and the fact you considered a C-172 on amphibs as a Commercial aircraft. Sometimes you just have to get a job working for somebody else. Generally there are very few shortcuts in this business that don't lead to death, or financial ruin.

you're right, I'll quit while I'm ahead.

thanks for the heads up!

[N181CS]

There are some 206 operators on anphibs but that is about as small as they get. There are a few 18X's but they are mostly sight seeing and training. I can't believe an AME won't come to your plane, they do for most operators out there. Lots of ways to get your straight float to and from a land airport as well.

[SeanMountainous]

I used to fly a 172XP amphib. It's a half tanks and two average sized guys and that's about it kind of airplane.

[SuperchargedRS]

I've been pretty happy with my 185 amphib.

That said if you're hauling folks for hire I'd get a U206 for those rear doors, makes like much easier

[GreenStar]

I've been pretty happy with my 185 amphib.

That said if you're hauling folks for hire I'd get a U206 for those rear doors, makes like much easier

And not much room in a Skywagon for fat sightseers.

[SuperchargedRS]

Flying fatties isn't really the 185s mission profile.

Question for you guys, does anyone charge extra for pax over a certain weight?

[esp803]

At Chisel air we work on a strictly Pounds per Nautical Mile charge system, with the price we want set to average weight.

Seriously though, I've only ever worked for charter operations, so they are already paying for the whole airplane. I have had clients in the past have too much stuff, and that results in a second trip at full price. Or upgrading to larger aircraft... either way it's good news for the company.

E

[Slats]

Thank you for all the great valid points, how do you take it to the maintenance shop on floats? if the the AME is on a land airport? I get

I've done it a number of ways. For regular, brief inspections you could go to the nearest suitable body of water and the engineer can work on the aircraft while it's in the water. Or if there is a boat launch nearby, you could land and taxi the aircraft onto a trailer/dolly and have it pulled out of the water. Or, failing that, you could land the aircraft at the aerodrome on a grass infield and have it picked up (and launched) on a dolly.
I never found amphibs all that enjoyable to fly, and as others have pointed out, you will take a penalty in performance that would probably not be worthwhile, unless your operation has a unique requirement for amphibs.

[180]

Google "seaplane beaching gear", select "images", and the first 4 photos show you how a straight float aircraft gets maneuvered onto dry land for maintenance.

[LousyFisherman]

C150. straight floats 400lb useful
C172. straight floats 560lb useful
C172XP. amphibs 560lb useful
C172XP. straight floats 650lb useful

Anything under 750lbs useful is only suitable for day trips. The 150 on floats is not even useful IMHO

YMMV
LF