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DHC-2 Ownership Cost

We need the jeopardy music here. We have one that we are interested in....but as you know....everything is complicated right now. We will let you know when we know something interesting. I appreciate all the feedback and encouragement. You all are the best!

cafi
 
Laura here is a sneak peek at the May/June issue of Flying Magazine.Its a message to you and Steve to act now The pilot in the Beaver is from right here in Exeter, Maine. He moved to Seatle to chase a dream of flying planes like his grand dad did. Started washing planes at Kenmore, then lugging bags and so on. Now is one of ther pilots/instructors Hes a great kid, he took my daughter to the prom when she was in high scool. Pretty impressive Quinn Dillon, were all proud of you

jim
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Stay away from the PZL Beaver that has been for sale forever. Also, I wouldn’t pursue one with the Baron wing mod. Beaver wing mods are totally unnecessary.

“Very” recent birdcage, prop inspections, engine hours, and AD/SB “retirements,” not just “compliance,” are paramount.

Don't be fooled by lipstick on a pig. And don’t buy one that has EVER been underwater.
 
Yes. Don't like lipstick on my pigs for sure. Dont think I have seen PZL but if so...may have already eliminated it. A lot of the ones for sale are ready for overhauls. And while that wont eliminate it entirely....it would be nicer to have one ready to fly when we get it. It will already take a while to get the airworthiness stuff worked out, sounds like.

I am not familiar with the Baron wing mod. What does that entail and why undesirable?

Thanks for the info!!!
 
Yes. Don't like lipstick on my pigs for sure. Dont think I have seen PZL but if so...may have already eliminated it. A lot of the ones for sale are ready for overhauls. And while that wont eliminate it entirely....it would be nicer to have one ready to fly when we get it. It will already take a while to get the airworthiness stuff worked out, sounds like.

I am not familiar with the Baron wing mod. What does that entail and why undesirable?

Thanks for the info!!!


The Barron (I think that's how its spelled) wing mod is a BIG deal. Changes the angle of incidence of the wing, shape, and adds some "gadgets". This mod was developed to improve the "turning" characteristics of the Beaver wing. A lot of pilots killed themselves in tight turning situations (as in a canyon turn) by trying to turn tight without using flaps.

The flaps on a Beaver require that you reach down and select "flaps down" on the selector, then pump them down with a separate lever. That takes some time, so it's not something you do on the spur of the moment.

When I was checked out in the Beaver by Jack Corey, who'd flown most of the deHavilland "bush birds" a LOT, he made me turn and turn and turn that airplane, at altitude, with and without flaps. Without flaps, it was never pretty. With flaps, the thing turns like a Cub, really tight and very safe.

But, if you wait till you need to turn, there's a lot of monkey motion to get the flaps out....

I agree with Paul, you don't need the Barron wing, and it's probably going to represent a pretty big bump in price. That wing may improve stall characteristics some, but in my experience, the Beaver is a nice stalling airplane to begin.

Full disclosure: I've never flown a Barron wing.

MTV
 
This is great info, folks! We really appreciate all the texts, private messages, emails, etc!

What we really need to do is find someone who wants to downsize to a nice 55' C-180 :)

sj
 
Our Beaver has the Barron Kits complete: wings, leading edges, droop aeilrons, leading edges, wing tips. Angles of both the wing and tail are changed. Also electric Hyd. pump for faster flaps. Stretched fuselage double cargo doors. Excellent slow flight ,45 KT on final no problem. The Turbine beaver has a PT-6 and can sit around all the time no problem at all. We fly less than 50 hrs a year. The SHP VARIES between 600 and about 900 depending on the series. The Otter mostly has other turbines than than the PT-6 and around 1000 hp.on the better mods. The bird cage inspection is going for over $30,000. So I’m told, not sure.
 
Also forgot, Kenmore is good to do business with, not cheap, but good . Viking is also the same, but will help you also. We personally didn’t enjoy doing business with Mr. Olson , just us, disclaimer. He has a Hugh store of parts though. Great northern in Anchorage is another go source of maintenance infro. Hope this helps.
 
With absolutely no disrespect towards stewartb’s opinion, I completely disagree with everything said in this post. Date night was one of the best perks. A full sized bed with summer satin or silk sheets or flannel if it’s cold is first class love nest travel. Or just use a bunch of couch cushions and let the wave action enhance the performance. And remember it’s not how deep you fish but rather how you wiggle your worm. Wave action does wonders. Also it comes with a built in 18” diameter toilet hole through the bottom for ladies bathroom breaks. Add a short taxi to clean water and you both can dive in and wash away any regret, stds, crabs, and whatever.

It’s a one man plane on floats and wheels. You don’t need a deckhand to catch or let you go. Turning it on wheels is remarkably easy. Main Fueling is done at belly button level and the tips can be fill by walking on the wing rivet lines, as can sweeping the snow off the wings.
Of course IMHO. An Otter is harder but not impossible as a solo.

Beavers are a handful for a private operator. Big and heavy. You need equipment or a crew to handle it. My bro-in-law had one for a while. A nice one, too. Way too much plane for an empty nester private pilot. I always liken my 180 to a Suburban and my Cub to a 4 Runner. A Beaver is like a WW2 deuce and a half. Loud, drafty, smelly, and slow. Not a great choice for date night unless your date is with 6 other big guys.
 
Jack Corey told me once tha in his opinion, every seaplane pilot should learn to fly seaplanes in an Otter, or at the very least, a Beaver.

His theory was that too many pilots who learned to fly seaplanes in a Cub THINK they can manhandle a seaplane, but they’re wrong. Flying a bigger seaplane teaches you to finesse the plane on the water, and that’s a skill set that works equally well in any seaplane.

The Beaver is easily handled by one person, but it has to be finessed. Brute force and awkwardness will get you run over. Or worse.

MTV
 
I agree Beavers are good training planes on floats, but for different reasons. A Beaver is incredibly stable, massive, and predictable. It takes a lot of mismanagement to screw something up on TO or ldg. It auto corrects minor foibles and warns you before the big ones.

Consequently, you are forced into learning how a floatplane should perform without making the mistakes that would otherwise scare ragwing pilots. After the lesson the pilot is told this is how it’s suppose to look and feel. Now you get your little plane to do the same thing.

Beavers are very forgiving. I would be more afraid that a Beaver lesson would make the pilot overconfident in a small plane.

Those of you who are in a big FBO or private flight club should rent a beaver for the summer and get everyone checked out and then go explore the Bush as far as the fuel will carry you.
 
I agree Beavers are good training planes on floats, but for different reasons. A Beaver is incredibly stable, massive, and predictable. It takes a lot of mismanagement to screw something up on TO or ldg. It auto corrects minor foibles and warns you before the big ones.

Consequently, you are forced into learning how a floatplane should perform without making the mistakes that would otherwise scare ragwing pilots. After the lesson the pilot is told this is how it’s suppose to look and feel. Now you get your little plane to do the same thing.

Beavers are very forgiving. I would be more afraid that a Beaver lesson would make the pilot overconfident in a small plane.

Those of you who are in a big FBO or private flight club should rent a beaver for the summer and get everyone checked out and then go explore the Bush as far as the fuel will carry you.

Like a Stearman, pussycat as long as you keep it purring.

Glenn
 
Paul,

Im talking about beaching in a strong current, docking in a wind, and current, etc.

MTV
 
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I’ve never flown a Beaver on floats, biggest thing is a 206 for me. I found that airplanes on floats were easier than boat hulls in wind. At least the wing and tail generally are above the dock. Things like an LA-4 or Sea Bee with sponsons were much harder to dock. The LA-4 especially since it didn’t have reverse and the wings are so low.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk
 
Taxiing a Beaver up to the dock in the wind and/or current is usually easy. The hard part is getting out and securing it to the dock before it floats away. Scrambling out of the pilot door is a practiced maneuver that has the potential of being quite embarrassing and occasionally wet. Especially when the dock/shore is on the right side.
 
Taxiing a Beaver up to the dock in the wind and/or current is usually easy. The hard part is getting out and securing it to the dock before it floats away. Scrambling out of the pilot door is a practiced maneuver that has the potential of being quite embarrassing and occasionally wet. Especially when the dock/shore is on the right side.

Tell me about embarrassing and wet! On my seaplane check ride in the LA-4, I docked to a floating raft. When I pushed off, the raft went back instead of the airplane, and I went into the water!. This was in December upstate NY. It was COLD! Even with that, I got the rating.
 
Taxiing a Beaver up to the dock in the wind and/or current is usually easy. The hard part is getting out and securing it to the dock before it floats away. Scrambling out of the pilot door is a practiced maneuver that has the potential of being quite embarrassing and occasionally wet. Especially when the dock/shore is on the right side.

Depends on the floats and water rudders. The Aerocet floats have small water rudders that are completely inadequate to manage once the wind starts gettting above 25 knots. A bunch of the private operators have put on larger water rudders and as a result they have a lot more rudder authority. OAS won't do that unless there is an STC for the larger water rudders...which there isn't...so it can be pretty challenging for some operations.
 
Depends on the floats and water rudders. The Aerocet floats have small water rudders that are completely inadequate to manage once the wind starts gettting above 25 knots. A bunch of the private operators have put on larger water rudders and as a result they have a lot more rudder authority. OAS won't do that unless there is an STC for the larger water rudders...which there isn't...so it can be pretty challenging for some operations.

Back in my day, I whined about the size of the EDO 4580 rudders to OAS Maint. When I came back to pick up the plane after 100 hr, voila! New big rudders! No mention, and didn’t ask.

Times change.

MTV
 
Laura, I feel you are letting Steve drag his feet here. Crack the whip! We should be half way into the AWC by now.
 
1FCA74D2-FACD-4A28-8B82-CA2E35A13111.jpgHere’s a day with the beaver. Work for 30 minutes to get the monster out of the hangar, then pull 20 blades through to get rid of hydraulic lock, add a gallon of oil, sump 5 tanks, assess the oil leaking from everywhere, add 10lbs to a tail wheel that looks like it came off a train, climb 2 flights of stairs, say a few choice words to cover the oil on your jeans, pump the wobble pump, reach down and pump the primer, say a few more choice words to cover the fuel all over your jeans, push the mixture forward, crack the throttle, hit the master, hold the starter for 3 blades and flip the mags. Now wait what seems like an eternity for the oil pressure to start coming up only to notice the oil temp gauge is busted, say a few more choice words, pull the mixture, shut off the mags, flip the master, climb down 2 flights of stairs, more oil on jeans and now on shirt, throw the empty oil gallon jug at hangar to release some pressure, spend 30 minutes getting monster back in hangar, get in car, go home and listen to how this one broke this one’s lego toy.
 

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View attachment 55326Here’s a day with the beaver. Work for 30 minutes to get the monster out of the hangar, then pull 20 blades through to get rid of hydraulic lock, add a gallon of oil, sump 5 tanks, assess the oil leaking from everywhere, add 10lbs to a tail wheel that looks like it came off a train, climb 2 flights of stairs, say a few choice words to cover the oil on your jeans, pump the wobble pump, reach down and pump the primer, say a few more choice words to cover the fuel all over your jeans, push the mixture forward, crack the throttle, hit the master, hold the starter for 3 blades and flip the mags. Now wait what seems like an eternity for the oil pressure to start coming up only to notice the oil temp gauge is busted, say a few more choice words, pull the mixture, shut off the mags, flip the master, climb down 2 flights of stairs, more oil on jeans and now on shirt, throw the empty oil gallon jug at hangar to release some pressure, spend 30 minutes getting monster back in hangar, get in car, go home and listen to how this one broke this one’s lego toy.

And this may be why the feet are dragging....

sj
 
I can't honestly blame SJ. He is a peach! Maybe we are just not fat enough cats to enter into this dream world. The timing is good and the timing is bad. Lots in Canada...but you just cant see them before you buy them. Hmmm....that sounds like fun.

Then...once you buy it and fly it (assuming that you can with the ADs) then you decide it's time to sell it....it could take a while, tying up those assets for longer....and paying the high insurance costs all the while. It is still on the table....but we are taking our time and thinking through all the plusses and minuses.

I am super skiddish right now though.

cafi
 
Back in my day, I whined about the size of the EDO 4580 rudders to OAS Maint. When I came back to pick up the plane after 100 hr, voila! New big rudders! No mention, and didn’t ask.

Times change.

MTV

Yes, that would be nice. But OAS seems to have fully transitioned to only super-duper-certificated airplanes and processes. They will not consider anything that is not fully documented via STC at minimum. No field approvals. Mostly it works fine, but for a larger water rudder, nobody else seems to think this is an issue worthy of raising. So they all have bigger water rudders. Small issue in the grand scheme except for a few days in a few places...
 
Yes, that would be nice. But OAS seems to have fully transitioned to only super-duper-certificated airplanes and processes. They will not consider anything that is not fully documented via STC at minimum. No field approvals. Mostly it works fine, but for a larger water rudder, nobody else seems to think this is an issue worthy of raising. So they all have bigger water rudders. Small issue in the grand scheme except for a few days in a few places...

It figures. I was sternly cautioned when I picked up that plane with the larger rudders that there was a good reason EDO didn't install larger water rudders on those 4580 floats. With a load, those bigger rudders would permit you to get into a situation you really didn't want to be in.

As always, it was expected that I'd use some judgement. Only scared myself a couple times.

MTV
 
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