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Oddball float planes

Posted: Sun Jan 28, 2007 2:35 pm
by Rowdy
I was bored and such in another thread and came across the mighty DC-3 on a set of amphibs and started to wonder what other oddball float creations were out there...

I know I've seen the piper nomads (correct me if I'm wrong.. but it's similar to the aztec?) on them in person..

I also remember seeing a PA-31 but can't find pictures..

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An ercoupe... or perhaps the other "Nomad" below..

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And for Niss... :wink:
Any other neat machines out there? Random float beasts and what not?

Posted: Sun Jan 28, 2007 6:41 pm
by 185_guy
http://homepage.ntlworld.com/alemarinel ... neMkIX.jpg

This one would be nice to have your butt strapped in[img]

ok, cant get the pic here.......[/img]

Posted: Sun Jan 28, 2007 7:18 pm
by Rudder Bug
Wow that's awesome guys, specially the Spit.

I've always wondered if any BN2 had been put in the wota...

Posted: Sun Jan 28, 2007 7:39 pm
by Rowdy
I was wondering that too... BN2 could make an interesting float machine..

What about a cherokee six?

Posted: Sun Jan 28, 2007 11:12 pm
by Rudder Bug
Yes indeed Rowdy. A true Poor Man's Twotter then.

I remember a photo of a Cherokee 6 on floats somewhere though, long time ago

Posted: Mon Jan 29, 2007 12:24 am
by Rowdy
Ever seen an islander ot tri-slander on floats?

God those tri's look mighty strange!

Posted: Mon Jan 29, 2007 12:56 am
by looproll
those ercoupes are so gutless, that's got to be a staged pic!

Posted: Mon Jan 29, 2007 2:34 am
by Idriveplane
How bout one of these:

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Posted: Mon Jan 29, 2007 5:26 am
by Idriveplane
Or this one?

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Now which way is better? Landing on the mains or 3 pointing it ???

Posted: Mon Jan 29, 2007 8:49 am
by 185_guy
ya beat me to that one man!!!! i couldent find it!
i was gonna out a pic of an R/C floatplane like it though =)

Posted: Mon Jan 29, 2007 12:21 pm
by MUSICMAAN
I don't have any pic's, but there's an RV-4 on floats in Salmon Arm, BC.... odd looking machine for sure. No Islanders have ever made there way on to floats as of yet, but Seaflight Industries were working on it a few years ago with an interesting composite float design.

Oh, and the Spitfire came from a floatplane design, I guess one could say the first Spitfire was a floatplane.

Posted: Mon Jan 29, 2007 1:34 pm
by bmc
The Ercoupe on floats is not photoshopped. They did put one on floats back in the 40's. They even put retract gear on an Ercoupe. Imagine how scary that was?

There's an N3N on a single float up in Pender Harbour BC.

Posted: Mon Jan 29, 2007 2:12 pm
by Siddley Hawker
There's this weird looking sucker. Austin had one at one time I believe. The one in storage at the museum in Ottawa crashed on Ashuanipi Lake, SE of Wabush, after WW2 sometime.
http://www.aviation.technomuses.ca/coll ... hter.shtml

Fairchild also built something called a Sikani that wouldn't win any beauty prizes. High wing twin, two Pratt 985's I believe.

Posted: Mon Jan 29, 2007 8:04 pm
by swede
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They say this machine had next to zero load carrying capability on floats. I've yet to see any numbers though.

Posted: Mon Jan 29, 2007 8:13 pm
by swede
looproll wrote:those ercoupes are so gutless, that's got to be a staged pic!
It seems to me they don't even have rudder pedals. Good luck with that thing on floats - not :? on glassy water to boot :smt046

Posted: Mon Jan 29, 2007 9:10 pm
by Rowdy
Idriveplane wrote:Or this one?

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Now which way is better? Landing on the mains or 3 pointing it ???
I know that guy! :) that setup did NOT work out very well for him.. and it's now back on wheels.

Posted: Mon Jan 29, 2007 11:59 pm
by Fatass
I think Summit needs to put a Skyvan on floats. That would kick some ass. 8)

Posted: Wed Jan 31, 2007 6:39 am
by bandit1
yeah then it would be a floating winnebago. Or I guess a house boat??

Posted: Wed Jan 31, 2007 7:52 pm
by Rowdy
http://www.airliners.net/open.file/0667055/M/

Neat lookin too.. from the looks of it.. It's on Van isle.. (I spy an air nootka 180 in the background in pieces)

Posted: Thu Feb 01, 2007 3:53 am
by Idriveplane
http://www.airliners.net/open.file/0667055/M/

Yeah the wilga (pro Vilga with thich polish accent) is a blast to fly or so i hear

Posted: Thu Feb 01, 2007 4:18 am
by Idriveplane
might as well throw some more in the bowl:

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Posted: Thu Feb 01, 2007 4:44 am
by Chemtech
Id LOVE to have a twin bee, even a single, very nice plane.

Posted: Thu Feb 01, 2007 4:53 am
by bmc
http://www.airplanezone.com/Oshkosh/Scr ... age22.html

This exact airplane used to be based on Sproat Lake on Vancouver Island, home of the Martin Mars. It was owned by a doctor in Victoria.

Posted: Thu Feb 01, 2007 9:27 am
by Blakey
There's always the Vickers Velos. Officially the ugliest airplane in the world!

http://www.airforce.forces.gc.ca/equip/ ... /velos.jpg

Posted: Thu Feb 01, 2007 9:56 am
by Highsea
I was in Victoria and this thing was in the hanger there. I later found out about that it was a Trident TR-1 Trigull amphibian.

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