S
SuperCubN636P
Water Wings - the next best thing to sliced bread, maybe even better than VG'S!!!!
Yesterday we finished installing the Water Wings STC on my EDO 2000's from Crosswinds STOL. I've owned N636P for 25 years now, so have a good feel of my plane. I have a 150 engine, and have had Alaska Hot Tips wing/aileron extensions with VG's on the leading edges for about 15 years.
I was told to expect 50% reduction in take-off time/distance on the water. Yeah, right.
It is LESS! It might be 50%, but it sure seems a lot less!
Today winds were 10-12, gusting 18-20, not terrible, but not calm. Any Cub should jump off the water.....but not like this!!!
I was only going to do 3-4 splash & dashes just to see how they handled, but I ended up flying over an hour. WHAT FUN!!! I found myself laughing out loud most of the time, like a kid with a new toy.
I never had a takeoff run more than 5 seconds.
My shortest was THREE SECONDS from hitting the throttle to airborne! (That's just after the engine finishes "spooling up!") I never would have believed it possible!!! (True, this short take-off was at the down-wind end of a large lake with some white caps.) Most of my time was in smaller protected bays without white caps, just some white streaks on the water, no white caps.
What they are: A 10-inch horizontal "fin" that attaches to the inside chine below the water line where the float changes dimensions at the step. It looks like a shark fin, but is horizontal, not unlike a gill fin on a fish. There is one on each inside chine. It is an airfoil, flat on the bottom and curved on the top.
Differences noted:
1. When hitting the throttle, the nose does not pitch up, but the plane stays in the "take-off" or "on the step" attitude. My first take off was on the narrow dimension of a lake into the 10-12+ kt wind. My first thought was that I wouldn't make it, because the nose didn't go up to get on the step for acceleration. My first instant thought was "What have I done! What a dog!" I was waiting, waiting for the pop up and to get up on the step and suddenly I was airborne!
2. My usual take-off routine is to hold the stick to one side, lifting one float out, then rolling back as the second float comes out . With the Water Wings, the first float is out of the water in 2-4 seconds every time!
3. Landings feel "firmer" without needing as much back pressure on the stick. I think the fins keep the plane from pitching forward when decelerating on the water.
4. It was too windy today to get a good feel for step turns, but I've heard there is much more control and less sliding feeling. Can't wait until the wind dies down to play with this!
5. The only negative comment is that the guys at Airways Aviation had to modify their lift-out dolly to get around hitting the inside fins.
I don't see the "Water Wings" on the Crosswinds website yet, but here is the website: http://www.crosswindsstol.com/
Thanks to Charlie Center for letting me be one of the first to try this new STC!
Glenn N636P (PA-18-150S)
Bemidji, MN
.....now if I could just put the Water Wings on the outside chine, too......does that mean I could get off in 25% the time/distance? Too bad the STC is for the inside only. (Docks/pillars would catch if they were on the outside.)
Yesterday we finished installing the Water Wings STC on my EDO 2000's from Crosswinds STOL. I've owned N636P for 25 years now, so have a good feel of my plane. I have a 150 engine, and have had Alaska Hot Tips wing/aileron extensions with VG's on the leading edges for about 15 years.
I was told to expect 50% reduction in take-off time/distance on the water. Yeah, right.
It is LESS! It might be 50%, but it sure seems a lot less!
Today winds were 10-12, gusting 18-20, not terrible, but not calm. Any Cub should jump off the water.....but not like this!!!
I was only going to do 3-4 splash & dashes just to see how they handled, but I ended up flying over an hour. WHAT FUN!!! I found myself laughing out loud most of the time, like a kid with a new toy.
I never had a takeoff run more than 5 seconds.
My shortest was THREE SECONDS from hitting the throttle to airborne! (That's just after the engine finishes "spooling up!") I never would have believed it possible!!! (True, this short take-off was at the down-wind end of a large lake with some white caps.) Most of my time was in smaller protected bays without white caps, just some white streaks on the water, no white caps.
What they are: A 10-inch horizontal "fin" that attaches to the inside chine below the water line where the float changes dimensions at the step. It looks like a shark fin, but is horizontal, not unlike a gill fin on a fish. There is one on each inside chine. It is an airfoil, flat on the bottom and curved on the top.
Differences noted:
1. When hitting the throttle, the nose does not pitch up, but the plane stays in the "take-off" or "on the step" attitude. My first take off was on the narrow dimension of a lake into the 10-12+ kt wind. My first thought was that I wouldn't make it, because the nose didn't go up to get on the step for acceleration. My first instant thought was "What have I done! What a dog!" I was waiting, waiting for the pop up and to get up on the step and suddenly I was airborne!
2. My usual take-off routine is to hold the stick to one side, lifting one float out, then rolling back as the second float comes out . With the Water Wings, the first float is out of the water in 2-4 seconds every time!
3. Landings feel "firmer" without needing as much back pressure on the stick. I think the fins keep the plane from pitching forward when decelerating on the water.
4. It was too windy today to get a good feel for step turns, but I've heard there is much more control and less sliding feeling. Can't wait until the wind dies down to play with this!
5. The only negative comment is that the guys at Airways Aviation had to modify their lift-out dolly to get around hitting the inside fins.
I don't see the "Water Wings" on the Crosswinds website yet, but here is the website: http://www.crosswindsstol.com/
Thanks to Charlie Center for letting me be one of the first to try this new STC!
Glenn N636P (PA-18-150S)
Bemidji, MN
.....now if I could just put the Water Wings on the outside chine, too......does that mean I could get off in 25% the time/distance? Too bad the STC is for the inside only. (Docks/pillars would catch if they were on the outside.)
I saw them at the convention, but didn't know what to think. It will be interesting to see what the consensus is over time.
