I've liked the looks of the Lake Amphibian for a while now and have been dying to get my hands on the controls of one ever since I got my seaplane rating (in a Citabria on straight floats). Unfortunately, the Lakes don't pop up for rent many places.
Luckily, there's a local flight school that has now has a Searey on leaseback for a couple years. While it isn't a Lake, it does have the cool flying boat design I'm happy to report that I got my first flight in it today. Yes, it's an LSA. Yes, it's light. Yes, it bounces around a lot under fair-weather cumulus, over parking lots, or just about anywhere else you'd expect even a mild bounce. The overall handling characteristics are decent and much better than the Citabria I flew on floats.
We took off out of Danbury Airport and headed to Lake Lillinonah in the Housatonic River. On our low approach over the lake I noted what appeared to be a few small logs, but they were few enough to not appear to be a problem. We went around and setup our approach and as the plane touched down both the instructor and I noticed a log just off our nose. He held the plane in a high-speed step-taxi and darted around it. Turns out there was a lot more debris (and it wasn't all small) in the lake than we noticed from the air.
I taxied back to the other end of the lake (slow taxi, plough taxi, and step-taxi) and the instructor demonstrated a takeoff. We flew another pattern, and this time I landed the plane (mostly on my own). I tried the takeoff the second time around, but I needed a fair amount of help from the instructor. We then headed back to Danbury where the instructor did the landing (I'm not confident in my tail-wheel landings on pavement in a new plane).
All in all, it was a fun flight. I really liked the little plane and could see where owning one would be a blast. It helps that you can fly with the windows open. And it's a cool feeling to be sitting so low. I hope to get this little guy again sometime. I'd also settle for a try at a Lake, Taylor Coot, Volmer VJ-22, or Seabee.
Has anyone else here flown one? If so, what did you think.
Luckily, there's a local flight school that has now has a Searey on leaseback for a couple years. While it isn't a Lake, it does have the cool flying boat design I'm happy to report that I got my first flight in it today. Yes, it's an LSA. Yes, it's light. Yes, it bounces around a lot under fair-weather cumulus, over parking lots, or just about anywhere else you'd expect even a mild bounce. The overall handling characteristics are decent and much better than the Citabria I flew on floats.
We took off out of Danbury Airport and headed to Lake Lillinonah in the Housatonic River. On our low approach over the lake I noted what appeared to be a few small logs, but they were few enough to not appear to be a problem. We went around and setup our approach and as the plane touched down both the instructor and I noticed a log just off our nose. He held the plane in a high-speed step-taxi and darted around it. Turns out there was a lot more debris (and it wasn't all small) in the lake than we noticed from the air.
I taxied back to the other end of the lake (slow taxi, plough taxi, and step-taxi) and the instructor demonstrated a takeoff. We flew another pattern, and this time I landed the plane (mostly on my own). I tried the takeoff the second time around, but I needed a fair amount of help from the instructor. We then headed back to Danbury where the instructor did the landing (I'm not confident in my tail-wheel landings on pavement in a new plane).
All in all, it was a fun flight. I really liked the little plane and could see where owning one would be a blast. It helps that you can fly with the windows open. And it's a cool feeling to be sitting so low. I hope to get this little guy again sometime. I'd also settle for a try at a Lake, Taylor Coot, Volmer VJ-22, or Seabee.
Has anyone else here flown one? If so, what did you think.
