We regularly kayak on the upper Allegheny River. Near the town of Foxburg there is a guy who flies a seaplane, using the river as his runway. It seems that whenever we are kayaking, he is flying, thus we’ve never had the chance to chat with him. A few questions:
[ul]
[li]He seems to be just playing around; landing, taking off, very short flights. Is this common? In Alaska, the seaplanes I saw were used to get around.[/li][li]He has a garage . How does he get the plane into/out of the water?[/li][li]What does a plane like this cost to purchase? [/li][li]How expensive is it to fly (gas/oil/insurance)?[/li][li]Does he have to file any type of flight plan?[/li][li]Can he fly intoxicated? (Are there laws against FUI)? Who regulates/enforces/etc?[/li][/ul]
Stepping out of my kayak (to pee) I almost stepped on this rock. Yikes!
Not a model, although it is so clean and shiny I can understand what you are saying. The plane in the pic is real. The one that his kept in the garage is white and a little less “new looking”.
I believe the pontoons have small retractable wheels underneath, like this. Damned if I know what that platform is in front of his garage. Maybe he lowers that platform into the water, drives/floats the plane onto it, ties the plane down, and then somehow winches the whole thing up into the garage?
OK, the winch idea seems like it must be how he does it. His plane is smaller than the yellow one, and with the retractable wheels I can see how he could work it. Hopefully one day he is not flying when we are there and can stop and chat.
I can’t answer your questions; but I’ve got to say…that plane sure does look like a model. Otherwise you have some HUUUGGE back porches, boats, houses and telephone poles.
Not to mention those would then have to be two foot wind ripples spaced 4 ft apart (my guess based on the full sized plane)
Wow, the mind plays tricks on you when it comes to scale sometimes. Maybe its because the picture looks to be taken from 2-3 times the height of the plane. Freaky.
Sorry, I still say model. Maybe it’s just my closed mind, but seriously, I can’t wrap my brain around those perspectives and come out with a real aircraft.
Assuming it’s real, though, if the guy is just cruising around in Class G airspace (basically uncontrolled airspace very close to the ground and outside of other airports that have their own airspace), then I don’t believe he has to file a flight plan. Someone will correct me if I’m wrong.
And I suppose the winch theory about the garage holds water (although I should see ruts from wheels or something where it’s going up and down the hill, but I don’t…), but really, if this guy is putting that plane on that little platform, with no apparent way to secure it, then winching up and down… this guy is freaking nuts.
Also, what was the plane doing in that distant shot? Taking off, taxiing, or landing?
Photobucket is blocked at work, so if more definitive answers are not given by the time I get home, I should be able to give you better answers after I see the pics.
I can tell you that for general aviation flights under VFR conditions, flight plans are never mandatory. But, you are going on a long cross country flight, they are a good idea.
I’m assuming, from the descriptions, that the plane in question probably burns 10-20 gallons per hour. AvGas is just over $5/gallon around here right now, so you’re looking at $50-$100 an hour to fly. But, that is a small percentage of the cost to own a plane. You have to figure in annual inspections, maintenance, insurance, hanger rent (unless he is keeping it in his garage), …
And FTR, it is a very bad idea to fly radio controlled planes while drinking. It may not be against the law, but I have planes upwards of 20lbs that fly at 80MPH. That’s not something you want to operate while impaired.
I don’t remember if he had just landed or was turning about to take off. And honestly, it is a real plane. The one that is kept in the garage is smaller than the yellow plane. I can’t find any pics of the smaller white plane.
The poor perspective pics were taken from this deck. One other pic of the not-toy plane.
I’d even go so far as to propose that if he’s mechanically adept enough to create that platform/winch assembly, then maybe he’s good enough to get cert’d for the inspections and maintenance for the seaplane? That’d definitely reduce his costs.
For those of us who fly purely for our own amusement, yes, short flights are very common. Repeated take offs/landings at short intervals are probably practice flights to maintain or improve flying technique. Or maybe he just enjoys doing them.
I think the winch arrangement mentioned is a likely candidate. Some seaplanes are amphibious, so it’s possible the floats have wheels. To know for certain you’ll probalby have to ask him.
Variable, depending on year of manufacture, included equipment, and condition. An Aviat Husky, as already mentioned would start around $60K US and go up from there. $100K would not be unusual.
Long-term financing is available - I know people who took out 10 and 15 year loans to pay for their airplanes.
As mentioned, Avgas is $5/gallon and up. How much per hour the plane burns depends on the engine, but it could be 12-20 gallons depending on equipment, load, and what you’re doing. Insurance is not always required on aircraft, but it is a very good idea. That’s a couple hundred to a couple thousand a year depending on what you pay to have covered. Oil… um, I dunno, but you change it more frequently than for a car, and I’m sure the aviation grade costs more, too. There’s a mandatory yearly inspection, that will likely run a thousand or two if nothing bad is found - if the licensed mechanic finds something wrong there will be additional costs.
Say, 5 to 10 grand a year for flight costs and maintenance.
If he’s not flying on an instrument plan, and he’s not crossing an international border, no, a flight plan is not required in the US. As mentioned, if you’re traveling a significant distance they can be a very good idea…
Hell no, you can’t drink and fly!
Mandatory 8 hours between your last drink and climbing into the cockpit, plus your blood alcohol has to be some ridiculously low amount. Preferably zero.
Enforcement could be carried out by FAA or local law enforcement. Penalties are steep. Also, a significant number of drunk/drugged pilots are found not in the local jail but at autopsy in the morgue. Flying is not at all forgiving of impairment, so you could also say some “enforcement” is done by the laws of physics.
FWIW I was very close to buying a 40-year-old Hughes 269A several years ago. Then I found out that insurance (including using it as a rental) would be $13,000/year. On a helicopter that would have cost $39,000 to buy. IIRC my dad paid about $2,000/year for his Skylane, which he had on lease-back.
Alcohol: I believe the BAC limit is 0.04.
I wouldn’t say ‘a significant number[’ re: pilots under the influence. While there are some pilots who fly after drinking or using drugs, I believe their numbers are very small. I’d say ‘a significant percentage of drunk/drugged pilots’. (IMO.)
