I still need float-rigging info

[av8rps]

Ok, now that I'm done screwing around I will get serious...

In 1993 when I was trained to fly my Lake Amphibian, I was taught to always say out loud my landing intention and the landing gear position at least two or three times during the landing phase. This training is critical in any amphib, but ultra critical in a Lake because most gear down water landings result in fatalities. I paid special attention to that part of my training after I saw a picture of a Lake that landed in the water gear down. Everything forward of the wing was gone - it looked as if a bomb had gone off in the cabin! (for anyone that doesn't know what a Lake Amphib is, this link will not only show you what a Lake is, but also how the gear goes up and down for land and water ops https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Hxh_8EEohc [see if you notice a little dog while you're at it] )

So getting back to my procedures for proper gear position, here is an example of what I do when flying my Lake Amphibian that can be applied to most any amphib;

At an airport landing on pavement, my first effort to check my gear position is when I initially enter the downwind for the landing pattern. Once I have all normal traffic duties accomplished I say out loud to myself "This is an airport landing, and the landing gear is going down" while reaching over and putting the gear handle into the down position. A few seconds later I look into the mirrors that are attached to the wing floats so I can look to see that the nose gear is actually in the down position, followed by a visual on each main gear (mains are easy to see on a Lake as they are right next to the cabin when down) and that my hydraulic pressure is up. Last, I verify the landing gear position by lightly touching the "Gear down" lights as well as the gear handle to make sure they indicate the gear is down and locked.

Then when I make my downwind to base turn, during the bank I again call out my gear position. But this time I also look into the mirror that is on the lowest wing so I can see the nosegear hanging down against the nice blue sky / horizon (much easier to see against a one color background than when the aircraft is level), while again checking my main gear visually, double checking that my hydraulic pressure is holding, then again verifying and touching my "gear down" indicator lights, and also lightly touching (but not grabbing) the gear down handle to verify its position.

Last, right after making my base to final turn, and once happy with my stabilized approach to the runway, I make a last landing gear check. Again I say out loud "This is an airport landing, and the landing gear is down", followed by one last visual check to make sure the gear is down, my hydraulic pressure is good, the gear down indicator lights are on, and the handle is down, all indicating the landing gear is in the down position and locked, ready for an airport landing.

For water landings, well before my approach to the water surface (when I still have plenty of time and space) I will call out loud "This is a water landing, the landing gear is up, I'm now a boat", while looking in my mirrors and banking to verify the nose gear position is "up" against the sky, then verifying visually the mains are up, hydraulic pressure is good, followed by a visual and touch verification of the "gear up" lights, and touching (but not grabbing) the gear handle to verify it is in the up position.

Then when I am on my final approach to the water landing, early in the approach I say one more time "This is a water landing, the gear is up, I'm now a boat", while again making a last visual check of the gear position, hydraulic pressure, and the gear up indicator lights, along with the gear handle.

As a personal rule, I always verify gear position before any landing. Even if I just took off from the water and plan to do a landing right after takeoff (also known as a "splash and dash"). Most seaplanes do not have an "Uplock" on their gear mechanism, so just imagine what might happen if on that last bouce off a wave that made you airborn, the gear unlocked for some odd reason? (... a hydraulic line that came undone, a gear link broke, etc.) You'd unknowingly splash down right after your takeoff with the gear down, spoiling a lot more than just your day!

So even though the Lake Amphib has a really nice uplock in its gear design, and so do my Aerocet floats on my Kitfox, what if for some reason or other it stopped working that day? Plus, because I often am flying other amphibs, I just make it a point to never assume the gear stayed up just because I thought it should. So again, I verify visually the actual gear position, even for splash and dashes.

Also, if you have a passenger with you don't be afraid to task them with making sure you are doing the right thing with the gear. I've found they like to know about that when explained to them, and that they like to help you keep an eye on it too (self preservation is a really strong instict apparently ). Just include it in your passenger pre-flight seaplane safety briefing (which you should always be doing anyhow).

And as far as using lights and hydraulic pressure, that is fine. But more importantly is actual visual verification of the landing gear position. My Kitfox amphib only has mirrors, no lights, and no hydraulics, being that it is a manual system operated mechanically by a Johnson bar. So I rely entirely on my mirrors. Many would say the Johnson bar is all you need, but what if a cable or a pulley inside the float that actuates the gear broke? My handle would show the gear up, but part of it could be down. So again, I trust my mirrors to visually show me where exactly my wheels are before any landing. Indicator lights and switches are prone to failing in a water environment, so I only consider them an additional, or backup to visually verifying gear position. The same goes for voice warning systems. They are only as good as the switches that actuate the gear lights - which is poor at best in my opinion.

Call me old fashioned, but I prefer to trust my eyes for knowing exactly where the gear is when flying an amphib. And if it just wasn't possible to do it effectively with mirrors, you'd be seeing me installing a small camera and video screen system in my plane so I could use that to visually verify my gear. They can be had for under a hundred bucks these days, and could be used for some cool seaplane video stuff as well (like this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j3kO2nZoSDA ). In fact I have thought about doing a camera system for a few years now, after installing a cheap backup camera on a camper a while ago and seeing how well it worked. But for now my mirrors still do a good job, so I'll keep what I have. But my next amphib (a new Highlander) will definitely incorporate mirrors AND a camera system.

Ok enough rambling. I sure hope those of you that hope to one day fly floats don't get discouraged by all this discussion about issues related to amphibs. Once you get your plane set up properly, and you get the proper training and get used to your new amphib, you will have an absolute blast being able to fly from land to water and back. It's like having your own magic carpet. I've always said that amphib floats is the best accessory you can add to an airplane. It in fact will make your airplane an amazing machine that will take you to places you probably otherwise would never experience. So don't let any of this discourage you. I can't imagine not being able to fly my Kitfox off water...it works so well.

Lynn knew going into this that turning a Jabiru powered Kitfox Speedster into an amphib might be a really challenging task. We had talked previously. And it certainly has been from all he describes. I'm almost embarassed how easy mine was to make work after reading of his struggles. But I have to say that it still looks like Lynn is going to pull off what many of us wouldn't believe was even possible with the Jabiru powerplant. So more power to him (no pun intended...really). I'm confident he is close to success, and will one day soon succeed in his mission. It might even be a bit selfish on my part, but I have this vision that one day soon I will see him land at the EAA Oshkosh Seaplane Base in his cool Kitfox amphib, and will have the time of his life in his new adventure machine