I just discovered the Lake Buccaneer

Mafoo said:
Cool looking plane. Anyone here ever flown one?
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Always thought it would be a great fishing and camping machine. I am told that corrosion is a big hassle with them. You'd sure want to have a really good prebuy done; it doesn't take much corrosion is certain places to make an airplane worthless.

Dan
 
Mafoo said:
Cool looking plane. Anyone here ever flown one?
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Have owned 5 and FLOWN them 1000s of hours over the last 35 years. As far as watering handling they are the best, far better than floats. Flying they are slow, loud and at times ponderous. Corrosion is not an issue if you fly out of fresh water. They provide unique access to "runways" and there are usually few other airplanes in the pattern, perhaps some boats though. Here is Florida safety is great because there is almost always an "airport" right below me. Great rough field airplane as the gear is robust. Have owned a Cirrus, several 182s that have come and gone but a Lake always remains in the hangar ready for a quick splash down.
 
There are a bunch of them at PAO.

The owners describe them, in a word, as "slow."

They look cool, though.

Though one of those pilots somehow declared an emergency once, and scrambled all the local firefighters, because of a gear failure. In a seaplane, right next to the big blue thing with all the water in it (San Francisco Bay).
 
Flown it, like it, recognize its limitations, still want one, would prefer a Renegade, but that's a whole 'nuther class of airplane (and income/assets required.) Probably the cheapest four place amphibian you are going to find which is why I've had my eye out for one.

*Crawls back into hidey hole*
 
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I have a friend down in central Fla that has one and loves it. I think living in an area that is awash with lakes would be a key consideration.
 
Several years ago one landed on the Delaware River in Philly. The media filmed it and ran it on the news, like it had crash landed there. It was really funny when they had to retract and indicated the plane landed legally at the Philadelphia Seaplane Base, even though no flight plan had been filed. :)
 
Sadly, Colorado has no waters legal to land an airplane ... my Minnesota heritage still thinks floats/amphibs are cool
 
It's an odd duck. Things to get used to: Nose pitches down when power is increased, and up when power is decreased; overhead throttle lever; sitting in the hull with the rivets of your bluejeans below the waterline (rough water can be jarring!); entering and exiting the cabin through the windshield; learning how to maneuver on the water with the convenient wooden oar stored next to the pilot seat.

There are some nice scenes of a Lake in the Walter Matthau film Hopscotch -- though a Lake is unlikely to go nonstop 850 NM from Georgia to Bermuda, as the script suggests ...

:dunno:
 
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There's one based in IZG about 50 miles from AUG. Everytime I go there I walk by and look at it. Cool aircraft - I would imagine an excellent one to own here in Maine where it's literally impossible to be far from a sizeable body of water.
 
Lake Aircraft is headquartered 39 miles away from me at KLCI. I should go visit :)
 
gkainz said:
Sadly, Colorado has no waters legal to land an airplane ... my Minnesota heritage still thinks floats/amphibs are cool
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Agreed. I'd love to do a seaplane rating, and love anything that plays on water, but it's completely a non-useful thing here.

About all an amphib or float-equipped airplane can do here, is wish it didn't have so much drag and flew faster. :)
 
gkainz said:
Sadly, Colorado has no waters legal to land an airplane ... my Minnesota heritage still thinks floats/amphibs are cool
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Yup, just like New Jersey. As I understand it, it's illegal to land on the water
anywhere in the state, even if you own the lake. There's only one legal
seaplane port that I know of, on the Hackensack river not far from
New York City. Not exactly a place that I'd like to be flying in
the first place.
 
OffCenter said:
Yup, just like New Jersey. As I understand it, it's illegal to land on the water
anywhere in the state, even if you own the lake. There's only one legal
seaplane port that I know of, on the Hackensack river not far from
New York City. Not exactly a place that I'd like to be flying in
the first place.
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I've always wondered what would happen if you were flying a floatplane or seaplane over Jersey, had mechanical problems, and decided the safest option was that lake just ahead. Would they bust you? Would they let you fly it out if it was repairable there?
 
denverpilot said:
Agreed. I'd love to do a seaplane rating, and love anything that plays on water, but it's completely a non-useful thing here.

About all an amphib or float-equipped airplane can do here, is wish it didn't have so much drag and flew faster. :)
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One spec sheet I saw, has it at 9 gph, 127 knots, 650 mile range, with a 1090 lbs useful load (for the 200 hp model anyway)

Those are some pretty nice numbers if they are accurate.

http://www.seaplanes.org/mambo/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=357&Itemid=365
 
Anthony said:
I've always wondered what would happen if you were flying a floatplane or seaplane over Jersey, had mechanical problems, and decided the safest option was that lake just ahead. Would they bust you? Would they let you fly it out if it was repairable there?
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Well, half the time someone's engine stopes, you just need to put gas in it right? :)

I would think if you are allowed to land on a road vs die, water should be ok.
 
Mafoo said:
Well, half the time someone's engine stopes, you just need to put gas in it right? :)

I would think if you are allowed to land on a road vs die, water should be ok.
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I guess you really don't know Jersey, do you? :D
 
Mafoo said:
One spec sheet I saw, has it at 9 gph, 127 knots, 650 mile range, with a 1090 lbs useful load (for the 200 hp model anyway)

Those are some pretty nice numbers if they are accurate.

http://www.seaplanes.org/mambo/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=357&Itemid=365
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I've got a few hours in one. The speed listed is in a 30 degree dive, cause no way a LA4-200 is going to get anywhere near 127kts level. The best I've seen is about 115kts with two on board and not much fuel.

Texas waterways are all open to aircraft except for a few very narrow exclusions. I've landed on several local lakes before. It tends to draw a crowd of jet skis on weekends.

Costly ADs due on the tail, and on the main spar in some years. Bat wings are useless, spray rails are kinda nice. The gear power pack is rare on some years, and on other years is the same as in the 182RG. They all take on water, the only question is how much water do they take on per hour. If you don't have the optional bilge pump, you may get too heavy with water to take off from where you landed. Also, if you have water in the hull and do manage to take off, the CG can move around and cause serious control issues.
 
docmirror said:
They all take on water, the only question is how much water do they take on per hour. If you don't have the optional bilge pump, you may get too heavy with water to take off from where you landed.
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Well heck, that's just not true. If N12E hadn't exploded, I'd prove it to you.
 
DPE in these parts is the chief pilot for one of the river authorities. He said they leak like sieves. They had several, at last count were down to one and it didn't fly much due to ongoing MX issues.
 
wabower said:
DPE in these parts is the chief pilot for one of the river authorities. He said they leak like sieves.
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I've drained the hull of a Lake back at KLGB after an hour of landings and water work in Long Beach Harbor (looking up at the Queen Mary). I remember being glad we didn't spend much more than an hour on the water ...

That particular Lake came to grief three years later when it made a water landing in the harbor with nose gear doors open. Probable cause: "material failure". Among the factors cited by NTSB: "PERSONNEL - PRODUCTION-DESIGN-PERSONNEL: POOR/INADEQUATE DESIGN"
 
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All the maintenance headaches of a boat and an plane. :D

How about one of these instead.

can32.jpg


No, not the B-52. The one in front.
 
Republic Seabee.
 
Anthony said:
All the maintenance headaches of a boat and an plane. :D

How about one of these instead.

can32.jpg


No, not the B-52. The one in front.
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NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!

If you can find a Seabee for ~ $30k, the mx on it will be astounding. I would venture you'll spend $10-20k annually for the next 5 years keeping it flying. I have a few minutes in one of those too. Takeoff - 60, cruise - 75, landing - 50.

It has one redeeming value, if you have the right prop, it will go into reverse so you can backup on the water, or land. hehehehhehehhehheeeee
 
It's only money.
 
I still have some hope that the Icon is not just marketing fluff created by software wiz-kids.
 
docmirror said:
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!!!!!!!!!

If you can find a Seabee for ~ $30k, the mx on it will be astounding. I would venture you'll spend $10-20k annually for the next 5 years keeping it flying. I have a few minutes in one of those too. Takeoff - 60, cruise - 75, landing - 50.

It has one redeeming value, if you have the right prop, it will go into reverse so you can backup on the water, or land. hehehehhehehhehheeeee
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If you don't like the Seabee, then get a Spencer Air Car.
 
Capt. Geoffrey Thorpe said:
If you don't like the Seabee, then get a Spencer Air Car.
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Don't quote me on this, but I think there were a total of 5 built - in the whole world. The chances of finding an Air Car are worse by far than getting hit by lightning.
 
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