Mauleguy
MEMBER
I don't need the gps anymore for landing on water but I use to use it when I was learning the technique. I can actually feel what the water is doing around the tire, down into that risky business area. This takes practice and I am not going to post to much about this. It's learned and it comes with some risk but it can be figured out over time. When the wheel really stops hydroplaning you had better have something solid that your rolling up to or onto underneath. I get down below my stall speed when driving on the water so the wings are producing less lift then is needed for the airplane to fly. I would guess but have no reason to pull my wings off to prove it that it would do the same without them. My airplane is heavier in the tail which I believe to be an asset in water landing so supercubbers may need to proceed with more caution then I needed to in order to learn this technique. I have used water getting out and it works but you need to be at the hydroplaning speed otherwise it feels nasty, the airplane will feel like it decelerates when you hit the water. It has to be able to overcome this. I can get into gravel bars that there is no way to get back off of them even using water. If I have places I want to make a high bank strip or need to clear off all the crap on an existing strip I can do this using less then 30 ft of gravel bar in a lot of cases.