ultimate floatplane...(single)

[Goose Egg]

206s are great on wheels, not as much on floats. I've flown one with two other guys and was amazed at how slow it was. Just won't handle a full load like a DeHavilland. Looking at the Cessna wing and DeHavilland wing side by side at a restoration yard, you can see why the Cessna is slower to get off the water. Great plane on wheels though.

Fine. Beaver then.

-Goose

 

[hawg2hawk]

206s are great on wheels, not as much on floats. I've flown one with two other guys and was amazed at how slow it was. Just won't handle a full load like a DeHavilland. Looking at the Cessna wing and DeHavilland wing side by side at a restoration yard, you can see why the Cessna is slower to get off the water. Great plane on wheels though.

You give me a 206 with a full load and enough water and I'll....step taxi you there.

 

[Stevebry]

I've flown the c182 and c206 on amphibs and never really had a problem getting them off the water in a decent time- especially the c182 that had a IO550 in it( unfortunatly the thing caught fire in flight last week and was a total loss).. But if you want something that gets off the water and you dont have the need for a monstrous plane- the Turbine Maule is a fun plane- I flew one while we had it in inventory for a few months.. It was a 1500 lb airplane with 420 HP- by the time you got the throttles in half way the thing was screaming out of the water at 4000 fpm... sucked on range though- Large seaplanes are maintenance hoggs-- if you have the money go for it... I'll stick with the c182 with the IO-550-- since ours burnt up, anyone have one for sale?

 

[crash-proof]

I've flown the c182 and c206 on amphibs and never really had a problem getting them off the water in a decent time- especially the c182 that had a IO550 in it( unfortunatly the thing caught fire in flight last week and was a total loss).. But if you want something that gets off the water and you dont have the need for a monstrous plane- the Turbine Maule is a fun plane- I flew one while we had it in inventory for a few months.. It was a 1500 lb airplane with 420 HP- by the time you got the throttles in half way the thing was screaming out of the water at 4000 fpm... sucked on range though- Large seaplanes are maintenance hoggs-- if you have the money go for it... I'll stick with the c182 with the IO-550-- since ours burnt up, anyone have one for sale?

Hey you are the guy who plopped the 182 down by Sample Rd, on your way to FXE? Great job, I'm sure you're happy we gotta lotta lakes round here! I saw the burnt out and wingless hull on the west side of the airport the other day, a sad site. What happened????

 

[navigator72]

I know you want a single engine but I have the ultimate and one of a kind DC3 on floats.

http://www.flyingboats.ca/_common/Douglas-DC3-FloatPlane-N130Q.jpg

 

[Launchpad]

Trying to find the best floatplane really depends on a lot of factors.... What does best mean? Fastest, biggest, fastest off the water, fuel burn, payload? I fly a turbine beaver on amphibs which can be argued as one of the best.... Although, I'd never buy one-

With regards to a C182 or 206 on floats, I'll just say this. They both make a decent floatplane, but any floatplane with electric flaps is straight up gay... no way around it.

 

[Stevebry]

Hey you are the guy who plopped the 182 down by Sample Rd, on your way to FXE? Great job, I'm sure you're happy we gotta lotta lakes round here! I saw the burnt out and wingless hull on the west side of the airport the other day, a sad site. What happened????

Engine Quit about a minute till touch-down at FXE.. tried a restart and notice there was a fire.. so threw the gear up and put her in the water... NTSB ripped our baby apart last week and said it was the power line from the EPU connect to the Battery was rubbing on the Fuel line... disaster in the making... the cable arched and cut the fuel line right in half.... Complete loss.. just waitin for the insurance to cutt a check now for the replacement... putting a bid in on a 2000's model TU206 on wipaires... has a longer t/o roll but we have a big lake...

 

[Frozen Ronin]

Beaver is best, if you don't need much climb/speed but you have a load. Roomy and easy on the get in/get out for pax. The 9 inch extension, while controversial concerning handling, is nice for flightseeing ops.

The 185 climbs much nicer, but it always seems to be working against me... vis sucks, it's pretty unforgiving on the float, small, etc. The difference between sliding in and stubbing the toe in on landing is about 0.0075 degrees of pitch (LOL), especially with two up front and nothing in back. The belly pod rocks, though.

208 was a mistake on floats.

Otter on floats (single or twin) is expensive, but capable machines.

My humble opinion(s) in a nutshell.

Ronin

 

[TrafficInSight]

Engine Quit about a minute till touch-down at FXE.. tried a restart and notice there was a fire.. so threw the gear up and put her in the water... NTSB ripped our baby apart last week and said it was the power line from the EPU connect to the Battery was rubbing on the Fuel line... disaster in the making... the cable arched and cut the fuel line right in half.... Complete loss.. just waitin for the insurance to cutt a check now for the replacement... putting a bid in on a 2000's model TU206 on wipaires... has a longer t/o roll but we have a big lake...

Funny you should mention that because I just got the AD in the mail...

 

[VNugget]

I wonder if that's the original Shvetsov engine or a Pratt... the former are supposed to be notorious for hydraulic locking, and with no way to turn it through...

 

[navigator72]

http://www.seaplanefly-in.org/index.php?option=com_frontpage&Itemid=1

 

[Cpt. Underpants]

Murphy Moose on Montana Amphibs. Use the $200K you'd save from a 985 Beaver or $900K from a Turbine Beaver to fly for a long time...