I've sure enjoyed CF

[a64pilot]

Too funny, I gave up Back Country flying to go cruising, sold my Maule to buy the boat.
If you look you'll find lots of posts by A64pilot on BCP and the Maule forum.
Enjoy yourself, you going LSA or certified?
Hard to find an airplane that can actually go somewhere, carry a decent load and out perform a Maule in the STOL world


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[deckofficer]

Originally Posted by sailorchic34

Luckily there are many paths to happiness. It's all good. Even I will admit that bashing to weather, leaves a bit to be desired. Sailing, cruising, cold and or damp salt "what is that smell" life is not for everyone.

Though if you add floats to the plane, it still sort of counts as a watercraft.

Happy Trails!

Thank you. Your technical knowledge has always impressed me reading your posts.

[deckofficer]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

Too funny, I gave up Back Country flying to go cruising, sold my Maule to buy the boat.
If you look you'll find lots of posts by A64pilot on BCP and the Maule forum.
Enjoy yourself, you going LSA or certified?
Hard to find an airplane that can actually go somewhere, carry a decent load and out perform a Maule in the STOL world


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I've seen your posts on BCP. Wish a Maule was in the cards but I haven't had a medical since 1982 and as you know, flunk one, game over. I'm going the non medical Sport Pilot route with all of its limitations. LSA or E-LSA.

[a64pilot]

Look at the Highlander and Super STOL, and if you can afford it a Carbon Cub.



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[CSY Man]

Originally Posted by ArmyDaveNY

He was so good he was even able to hover, and rotate while hovering, with just one hand while his other was holding on to his daughter!

You mean you couldn't?

[Joel E Felt]

best of luck in your future. Maybe try float planes and you can still have a little of both worlds.
And thanks for all the contributions on CF


joel

[a64pilot]

I looked and thought about a set of Amphis for my Maule, but the floats cost as much or more than I paid for the airplane.
I think a set of decent Wiplines start at about 50K and go up from there, and for most airplanes, you have not much useful load and you slow way down and can't land on rough fields anymore.
But what cinched it for me was there are two legal places you can land a foot plane in Georgia, lake Blackshear, and the Savannah river, that's it.
You have to have a need for floats for them to work.

But he can have a blast with a Highlander


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[a64pilot]

This is my Maule and my 140 at Sun n Fun years ago



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[ArmyDaveNY]

Originally Posted by CSY Man

You mean you couldn't?

[Saleen411]

Originally Posted by a64pilot

Look at the Highlander and Super STOL, and if you can afford it a Carbon Cub.



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Ultra lights make great STOL aircraft. I had a Quicksilver that was a hoot to fly...could land it ANYWHERE.....even put floats on it and kept it on a lift behind the house for awhile.

Floats killed what little performance we had though. But was fun playing on the Delta...towing skiers and passing beverages while flying along side my friends ski boats.....just because we could.

To the OP......Enjoy and best of luck!

[darylat8750]

Originally Posted by deckofficer

I always appreciate a "heads up" from someone with your experience. The main safety issue I can identify with from merchant shipping, it was my job to sail on a schedule and nasty weather that I would never do cruising. Same applies when flying the backcountry, since it isn't a job I have the luxury to decide if conditions aren't suitable to my skill level I can cancel the trip. As you are well aware of, it isn't just wx and ceilings but winds with their associated rotors that can drill you into the dirt.

When no pressure to generate revenue is present it is a LOT safer but you still need to keep your wits about you. There is a group of guys in Laramie / Cheyenne that do the back country flying / remote camping thing and really enjoy themselves. Have fun.

Quite a few of us are or were pilots. I flew fishermen into Canada for a couple of years before putting in 30 years of airline flying. Still fly a couple of days a month for the UWYO Dept. of Atmospheric Research. The most fun I had was floats but the work was feast or famine. I did get to fly a Beech 18 on floats. It was a pig to get out of the water but it sure sounded good taxing. :big grin: My favorite was a Twin Otter. Reversible props on the wings took a lot of the stress out of docking.

You will be missed so post a picture every now and then of your adventures. Get a lake in the background and it will be at least a little "boat related". Better yet get a group of float planes!

[deckofficer]

Originally Posted by darylat8750

When no pressure to generate revenue is present it is a LOT safer but you still need to keep your wits about you. There is a group of guys in Laramie / Cheyenne that do the back country flying / remote camping thing and really enjoy themselves. Have fun.

Quite a few of us are or were pilots. I flew fishermen into Canada for a couple of years before putting in 30 years of airline flying. Still fly a couple of days a month for the UWYO Dept. of Atmospheric Research. The most fun I had was floats but the work was feast or famine. I did get to fly a Beech 18 on floats. It was a pig to get out of the water but it sure sounded good taxing. :big grin: My favorite was a Twin Otter. Reversible props on the wings took a lot of the stress out of docking.

You will be missed so post a picture every now and then of your adventures. Get a lake in the background and it will be at least a little "boat related". Better yet get a group of float planes!

Thanks my dear flying friend. Thought you might enjoy this picture when I was visiting the old neighborhood in my '23 Track-T. Just visualize floats. Those R-985's have a real throaty sound to them.

[ArmyDaveNY]

Originally Posted by deckofficer

Thanks my dear flying friend. Thought you might enjoy this picture when I was visiting the old neighborhood in my '23 Track-T. Just visualize floats. Those R-985's have a real throaty sound to them.

Now that is a driveway!

[deckofficer]

My new driveway, a bit more modest. Arrived last Friday at 3:00 AM. Didn't plan on such a late arrival but had a tire blow out east of Phoenix. I'm really loving my new digs. No light pollution out here, can see the glow of El Paso 75 miles away. For this week temps have run from 48 to 85, but since my hangar is fully insulated and my home built in the back of the hangar is also insulted, house temps run from 65 to 75 degrees with no use of heating or cooling. Sunny every day, windy to the point that I wouldn't fly on 2 days out of the last 7.



The guest bedroom is now my bedroom since I only need a single, I moved the other single bed into the hangar for overflow guests. The master bedroom is now the guest bedroom because I figure any friend visiting me in my desert desolation deserves the best accommodations. The sofa in the living room folds out to sleep 2, so beds for 6. With the 2nd single moved out of what is now my bedroom, room for 2 desks for the computer and HAM radio.



Since there seems to be more pilots than I expected that are now cruisers, I'll keep checking back, hoping to exchange flying adventures with other's sailing adventures. We both use a wing (sail), what's a 90 kt speed difference between friends and like minded folks? I wish Rebel Heart would exit the woodwork and post again, letting us know how things are going with him and the family.

[a64pilot]

If your going to live out west, your going to lean to fly in wind, I promise.
I was coming back from Reno in an Experimental crop duster a few years ago and landed in Lubbock Tx in what was a crosswind that I hadn't been in, in this aircraft before, I was congratulating myself on getting it down in such a high wind, being a tail dragger and all, and then an RV4 taxied out and took off.
Sort of killed my mood.


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