Wow.....great shots Larry
That ditch looks like a reral nail-biter

Flying Trucker wrote on Feb 27^th, 2011 at 10:37am:

Thanks Doug.
Only if it's simulated.
Character references? Does that mean they would tell what a character I am? 

Hi Larry...

Take a look at this Link...

http://www.fortlangleyair.com/docs/Basic%20Floatplane%20Skills.pdf

There is some good information there.

One of the reasons the DeHavilland of Canada DHC-3 Otter is so successful is this:

   Part of the reason this performance was available was the way the flaps were integrated into the wings. The Fowler designed flaps dropped the whole trailing edge of the wing, at about a 4:1 ratio, that is nearly 100 square feet of flap compared to nearly 400 square foot of wing!

    The other booster of STOL performance was the tie-in between the horizontal stabilizer and the flaps. The stabilizer pitched up or down depending on how the flaps were selected. Therefore, the tail was up quickly, giving the aircraft a phenomenal rate of climb over a fairly short T/O run. This was not a high pitch, nose high take-off------it was a flat take-off... the whole aircraft just leaped into the air! If the nose would have been high, that meant a high angle of attack on the wing, with less lift, exactly where/when you needed it. The flat take-off gave you great forward visibility, and the aircraft was amazingly light on the controls, even under max conditions.

The DeHavilland of Canada Company developed a whole lot of new techniques and built them into the Otter.  The Beaver and Otter are very different aircraft altogether.

Now the Piper Cub which has no flaps and the one I think you are flying and was shown in the video made a text book landing on that pond.
Without flaps sideslipping the aircraft is a technique used to loose altitude.

http://www.pilotfriend.com/training/flight_training/fxd_wing/slip.htm

You still want to keep the speed down and land as close to the shore that is nearest you...that is where you pick the point...not half way down the pond.
He came in flatter than I would have but it is whatever technique works best and you are the most comfortable with.  It is not all text book...

Myself I probably would have set my approach and picked where I wanted the floats to touch down at a little higher altitude and closer in to the end of the pond closest to me.

Sideslipped the aircraft down always watching that point I chose and just above the water...level off...reducing power and wait for the floats to touch down.

Doing it this way you are almost stalling the aircraft onto the water reducing water run or landing distance.

Just drop water rudders and add power for what is required.

Every aviator learns the basics and what the aircraft they are flying can do from an instructor.
Once the basics are learned then with experience you can perfect the basic technique to your level of flying comfortability which is one of the most important things when aviating.

It is much easier to demonstrate than tell you on a computer... ...but believe me Larry it is not rocket science...

Not sure I was much help to you and Chuck but the next time I am at the old homestead will pull some material out of our library/study and post it to you...

Cheers...Happy Landings...Doug
P.S.  Flying is all about learning...one never stops learning and that stands true for simulated flying and the day each and every one of us fails to learn one new thing we will be being carried by six... ...today I learned it was my turn to peel the potatoes...dang...

patchz wrote on Feb 27^th, 2011 at 11:32am:

Skunkworks wrote on Feb 27^th, 2011 at 5:22pm:



But you left out the 6 in front of the 2.