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Little Alaskan seaplane flying video

Nice promo video, Alex. So, have you learned to love those PK floats yet? Plane looks nice.

MTV
 
The original PKs require you to have a very good technique. The pitch angle window is very narrow. But that works just fine for instructing.
And they are long enough for the 172 that they act a little like the longer 2960 floats behave on a C-180. So no pitching up upon breaking free from the water until you get a couple feet up in the air.

One thing the big PKs do well is step-turn. They are wide enough that I can make some pretty tight radius turns. Plus they are tough enough with the extra thick skins that beaching is a non-issue. Not to mention being able to walk to the back end of the floats without them sinking...
 
Alex Clark said:
The original PKs require you to have a very good technique. The pitch angle window is very narrow. But that works just fine for instructing.
And they are long enough for the 172 that they act a little like the longer 2960 floats behave on a C-180. So no pitching up upon breaking free from the water until you get a couple feet up in the air.

One thing the big PKs do well is step-turn. They are wide enough that I can make some pretty tight radius turns. Plus they are tough enough with the extra thick skins that beaching is a non-issue. Not to mention being able to walk to the back end of the floats without them sinking...
Click to expand...

Yup,

that was precisely my observations. They are indeed great training floats as well as great working floats. For training, the applicant has to work at it to make them work.

It was always fun to have a student whine about their ability to get the plane airborne, then demonstrate a takeoff in half the distance the student used. Makes you look good, but they are good floats once you get the feel of them.

MTV
 
Having the right CG sure makes a difference as well. I can get off the water much faster when over-loaded and having an AFT CG. But when lightly loaded with the weight up front the darn C172s are nose heavy enough that you must sue excessive elevator input to hold up the nose. This just adds drag with the elevators and pushes the rear of the floats down into the water for a longer period. In a Super Cub or C185 with the trimming horizontal stabilizer, the elevator can be more aligned .
 
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