home =C2=BB news
more news=C2=BB
Kiwi pilot crosses USA in Cessna 195 = floatplane
Kiwi pilot John King relives his trials, tribulations and joys in =
crossing=20
northern USA in a rare 1949 model Cessna 195 floatplane back in 1984. In =
the=20
spirit of Jerome K Jerome=E2=80=99s classic comedy novel Three Men =
In A Boat=20
from 1889, King shares his humorous memories from his=20
adventure.
Chapter 1 =E2=80=93 In which our heroes=20
travel
Nick and Lita Oppegard, Alaskans living near Seattle, =
Washington, had spent some time in New Zealand and invited us to stay =
with them=20
at Crest Airpark, one of those residential airfields that seem so =
successful in=20
the USA. The King family duly arrived in Kent, Washington, after two =
days=E2=80=99=20
driving from Los Angeles, whereupon Nick whisked me first thing next =
morning by=20
airline to New York, leaving our wives to look after the young children =
back in=20
Kent.
CAPTION:=20
(L to R) John King, Roger Seiler and Nick Oppegard on Lake Oneida, New=20
York.
By that evening in Nyack, an interesting and picturesque =
town on=20
the west bank of the Hudson River just north of New York City, I was =
starting to=20
feel the effects of several days of unrelenting travel. A good =
night=E2=80=99s sleep in=20
the house of Lita=E2=80=99s brother, Roger Seiler, and his wife Sally =
and family had=20
reduced the eyelid sandpaper coefficient, and the next day we all =
trooped up to=20
a lake near the southern edge of the Adirondack Mountains to meet the =
object of=20
this expedition.
N3877Y, of 1949 vintage, had probably been made =
into a=20
floatplane at some later stage in its career. While it had the =
obligatory extra=20
fins on the tailplane to compensate for the increased forward side area =
of the=20
floats, nobody seemed to have got around to adding the usual floatplane =
door on=20
the port side. The single starboard (one tends to think in nautical =
terms on the=20
water) door gave ready entry to the three-place rear bench, with a gap =
between=20
the front seats for access to the bridge.
The front seats were =
set high,=20
with occupants=E2=80=99 heads forward of the substantial main spar. Even =
so, the 300 hp=20
Jacobs radial engine took up most of the view forward, with the centre =
of the=20
windscreen not far from horizontal. From either front seat the view =
ahead and to=20
that side was reasonable, but the other side of the centreline was =
really only=20
good for studying clouds, and a crew of two would be essential for =
manoeuvring=20
in tight spaces. The throw-over control wheel was typically American.=20
Nick wanted to show me his country and thought an adventure by =
buying an=20
interesting
aeroplane might be a good way to do it, including a visit =
to=20
Oshkosh. No half measures
here! Roger, also a pilot (few people =
hailing from=20
Alaska seem to lack pilot licences), came along to add to the overall =
expertise=20
=E2=80=93 which increased steeply over the next few =
days.
Chapter 2 =E2=80=93 In=20
which the key is sunk & the aeroplane doesn=E2=80=99t =
fly
Lymond Farr=20
was selling N3877Y for reasons of his increasing age and, being an =
instructor,=20
was in a good position to give Nick a thorough checkout on his local =
lake. That=20
done, we all repaired southwards to Oneida Lake, larger and more =
suitable for=20
heavy take-off weights, to begin the trek itself. Departure had elements =
of low=20
farce. Lymond handed over the ignition key, attached to a plastic float =
for=20
obvious reasons, whereupon
the thing broke and the key escaped with =
the sort=20
of kerplunk that all maritime pilots dread. Cap=E2=80=99n Nick =
demonstrated that old=20
adage =E2=80=94 he who loses the key has to fish for it himself =
=E2=80=94 and with the aid of a=20
magnet we were back in business. Lymond looked unimpressed.
The =
crew of=20
three climbed aboard and strapped in, the Jacobs rumbled reassuringly =
into life=20
and we taxied out, a long way downwind with wavelets sloshing over the =
floats.=20
Into
wind and Seattle here we come! Away we go! Except we =
didn=E2=80=99t. The Cessna=20
declined all
offers of flight, so we taxied back, tails drooping =
somewhat, to=20
investigate. It seemed the floats weren=E2=80=99t quite as watertight as =
Edo had=20
intended and many of the compartments needed pumping out to varying =
degrees if=20
much more than flat water was encountered. Float pumping became a =
routine part=20
of pre-flight checks and actions.
But before long we were =
airborne and=20
pointed west, across the northern part of New York State to circle =
Niagara Falls=20
and alight on the Niagara River, well upstream of the touristy bit and =
in no=20
danger of falling off the edge. American rivers tend to be rather bigger =
and=20
more navigable than we=E2=80=99re used to in New Zealand. Well equipped =
with boat docks=20
and fuel pumps, they also simplify matters on a long cross-country in a=20
floatplane running on mogas.
The second, and final, leg of the =
day was=20
across the southern part of Ontario (=E2=80=9CDon=E2=80=99t put down =
anywhere here =E2=80=94 I didn=E2=80=99t=20
bring my passport!=E2=80=9D) and past one or two odd-looking
and =
futuristic=20
industrial structures, to the Saginaw River near Bay City, Michigan, =
close to=20
where the river flows into Lake Huron. The river was lined with docks =
and=20
marinas on both sides, so we did a spot of cruisin=E2=80=99 while we =
made up our minds.=20
East bank swish and high rent, or west bank with smaller boats? East =
bank with=20
its floating gin palaces had stony-faced watchers, while west bank =
people waved.=20
Easy decision. Many boating people identify with floatplanes, regarding =
them as=20
essentially boats with an extra capability or two, and N3877Y was =
welcomed=20
everywhere.
Chapter 3 =E2=80=93 In which is =
Oshkosh
Day two=20
was just one leg, almost due west across Michigan and Lake Michigan=20
which,
with the other bank out of sight and large swells rolling =
past, was=20
the only part of the whole flight to make three floatplane occupants =
nervous.=20
Lake Winnebago was much more reassuring, and we circled for a while =
overhead=20
Wittman Field, Oshkosh, watching the arrival streams and listening to =
that=20
remarkable controller=E2=80=99s patter, before descending over the lake =
and trickling=20
into a marina right under the circuit =E2=80=93 not the usual floatplane =
base.
When I remarked on how nice it was for these large cabin =
cruisers=20
to give way to a mildly
scruffy floatplane, Nick replied, =
=E2=80=9CRemember that big=20
scimitar we=E2=80=99re swinging up front.
They=E2=80=99re also more =
manoeuvrable than we=20
are.=E2=80=9D By now our docking routine was well established, and my =
first job after=20
initial tying up was wiping the oil off the cowl and oil
cooler =
fairing to=20
avoid those embarrassing rainbow colours on the water.
CAPTION:=20
N3877Y attracts attention during the 1984 EAA convention at=20
Oshkosh.
Chapter 4 - In which our heroes explain minimum=20
Vs
Footsore after a weekend at Oshkosh, the year the =
globe-circling=20
Voyager made its debut, we loaded up, pumped out and headed west again, =
stopping=20
on the St Croix River at Stillwater (because we liked the name) to =
refuel. That=20
produced the scariest take-off when, just airborne, we passed under a =
cable. No=20
two take-offs in N3877Y were ever the
same. The 195=E2=80=99s narrow =
split flaps=20
didn=E2=80=99t do much for angle of attack, and the broad chord wing =
needed a fair angle=20
of attack at low speeds =E2=80=94 something not possible with =
floats.
The normal=20
technique was to apply full noise and horse it up on to the step, then =
wait=20
until it stopped accelerating while watching the oil temperature rise =
faster=20
than airspeed.
Vmax on floats and Vs were about the same, so around =
that=20
point the pilot heaved back on the wheel, at which point one of two =
things=20
happened. The Cessna either staggered into the air, stall warning horn =
blaring,=20
to be held in ground effect until things settled down, or it flopped =
back on the=20
water but going a couple of knots faster. In that case step two was =
repeated,=20
usually with success. It helped to have the C of G forward and so the =
back seat=20
passenger stood between the front seats, but Occupational Health & =
Safety=20
hadn=E2=80=99t been invented back in 1984.
CAPTION:=20
The romance of seeing the USA in a 1949 classic Cessna 195=20
floatplane.
Chapter 5 =E2=80=93 No flying causes a=20
hiatus
Next stop was Leaf Lake, Minnesota, state of the =
claimed=20
10,000 lakes, to stay the night
with Nick=E2=80=99s aunt and uncle. =
But there the 195=20
remained for a while. Next morning it refused to get up on the step, let =
alone=20
fly, no matter how dry we pumped the bilges or
jumped up and down in =
our=20
seats. Roger hopped an airline flight back to New York
while Nick and =
I=20
hitched a ride to Seattle with Steve Hell in his Cessna 310, on his way =
home=20
from Oshkosh, to think about it for a bit.
A couple of weeks =
later we=20
flew back with Steve, a useful sort of bloke to have around
with his =
A&P=20
licences, to investigate the problem. The cure was simple =E2=80=94 the =
sheet metal air=20
duct to the carburettor had popped some rivets, collapsing the top =
surface=20
and
blocking air supply. Air was therefore taken from the alternative =
source=20
as hot air, but
that reduced power to the extent that N3877Y =
couldn=E2=80=99t get up=20
on the step. Some new rivets, filing out some of the more obvious water =
damage=20
on the propeller, a quick test flight and we were back in business, with =
ample=20
time for a swim in the warm lake (which in winter is frozen solid and =
supports=20
ice fishing). Steve continued eastwards to the Bahamas or some such =
exotic place=20
while Nick and I retired, ready for an early start with a reduced crew =
of=20
two.
Chapter 6 =E2=80=93 Limbo dancing in =
oil
Airborne around=20
dawn, we headed west. Navigation in that part of the country was pretty=20
straightforward with all roads running north-south or east-west, so in =
pre-GPS=20
times I was getting used to the charts. The next three refuelling stops =
were all=20
on the Missouri River. The first, at Bismarck, North Dakota, presented =
something=20
of a problem =E2=80=94 the only dock was on the left side, facing =
upriver, and we had no=20
door on that side.
Normal access from one float to the other was =
across a=20
cable permanently fixed across the bows, hanging on to the propeller, =
but=20
shutting down mid-river with a bridge not far downstream was not an =
option in=20
case the Jacobs decided that was enough for the day, or a battery =
terminal=20
slipped, or =E2=80=A6 Nick pulled rank with some sort of feeble excuse =
about knowing=20
what the switches did and needing the captain in charge, so it was left =
to the=20
remaining crewman to organise the docking. With shoes, socks, watch and =
wallet=20
left in the cabin, I inched across the oily spreader bars under the =
fuselage,=20
sympathising with Gordon Taylor=E2=80=99s efforts 50 years earlier =
aboard the Southern=20
Cross in mid-Tasman. I don=E2=80=99t recall ever seeing lifejackets in =
the Cessna, but I=20
reckoned if I slipped and fell in I could yell loudly enough to be=20
heard.
I made it, to the detriment of the new Cessna 190/195 =
T-shirt I=20
was wearing in the interests of positive thinking (rudder cables under=20
radial-engined floatplanes will never
rust), and we paused only long =
enough=20
to top up the tanks.
Chapter 7 =E2=80=93 Avoiding a night =
in=20
jail
Fort Peck Lake, the first of three stops in Montana, =
added crew=20
sandwiches and drinks to the Cessna=E2=80=99s fuel, and we pressed on, =
flying up the=20
massive hydro lake on the only leg
where engine failure =
wouldn=E2=80=99t necessarily=20
have been disastrous. The city of Great Falls
was an obvious =
refuelling=20
point, but its 3300 ft altitude in the heat of a summer=E2=80=99s day =
made Fort Benton,=20
a small town downriver at only 2621 ft, a better proposition. Density =
altitude=20
means something in a Cessna 195 on floats.
But waiting for us on =
the dock=20
was Fort Benton=E2=80=99s police chief, complete with gun on
hip, =
unnerving to a=20
sheltered Kiwi unused to such sights. What had we done wrong?
Was =
speeding on=20
the river an indictable offence? We were greeted effusively. The=20
last
floatplane to have visited Fort Benton was Jacques =
Cousteau=E2=80=99s Cessna 180=20
some years
previously, so the pistol remained holstered and we were =
given a=20
lift in the unventilated
back of the police car to the gas station to =
fill=20
our jerry cans. We weren=E2=80=99t entirely confident about getting off =
the river again=20
in the 35C heat and thought we might have to stay the night - =
=E2=80=9CDoes your jail=20
have air conditioning?=E2=80=9D =E2=80=9CNo, but it=E2=80=99s real =
historic.=E2=80=9D But it turned out to be no=20
problem at all, with a light breeze running against the current.
CAPTION:=20
The Cessna 195=E2=80=99s small split flaps do little to aid lift, but =
add a little to=20
drag =E2=80=93 as if the floatplane doesn=E2=80=99t have =
enough!
Chapter 8 =E2=80=93=20
Rocking through the Rockies
Western Montana contains North =
America=E2=80=99s=20
main divide, a large and high chain of rocky mountains imaginatively =
named the=20
Rocky Mountains. N3877Y obviously wasn=E2=80=99t capable of leaping tall =
peaks with a=20
single bound, so it was a matter of finding a low enough pass in a =
roadless=20
region. Close map inspection suggested a likely gap and Nick, to his =
credit,=20
left the finer points of navigation to me.
Landmarks came and =
went =E2=80=94 a=20
reservoir here, a ranger station there =E2=80=94 and we entered
the =
wilderness more=20
than usually alert. By this time I=E2=80=99d grown familiar with the =
sectional charts=20
and directed us through a series of right-angle high valleys, with no =
exit=20
visible until we reached the next one, while Nick found enough blue =
thermal=20
activity against the valley walls to ease upwards. The promised pass =
eventuated=20
and we popped out into that part of Montana west of the main divide with =
some=20
relief to put down at Flathead Lake.
Lack of wind and a flat calm =
lake made=20
take-off a challenge, but Flathead Lake was one of the biggest around =
and we=20
finally got airborne, heading west across the narrow part of Idaho and =
the=20
poisonous devastation caused by lead and silver mining near Kellogg. By =
this=20
time the sun was getting low and, thanks to westbound progress and time =
zones,=20
it had been a long day.
That last leg seemed interminable. Moses =
Lake was=20
at least in inland Washington, our destination state, and we touched =
down in the=20
semi-dark to find probably the last two beds in town =E2=80=93 as a =
state fair was in=20
progress. Airborne time was something over 10 hours in a 13-plus hour =
day across=20
five states, not bad progress in a 35-year-old floatplane with high =
built-in=20
drag.
The plan next day was to cross the Cascade Mountains, pick =
up=20
another passenger at Silver Lake and drop into Vancouver, Washington, =
for a=20
fly-in. A major wake-up near Yakima was an evil-looking A-10 Thunderbolt =
II=20
appearing off our port wing, and a rapid map inspection revealed the =
presence of=20
a large military reservation. Oops! Black mark, navigator, but a rapid =
departure=20
towards the nearest boundary seemed to satisfy our escort. Either that =
or our=20
speed was too much for him. On the Columbia River at Vancouver we tied =
up among=20
a floating community and wandered around the antiques and classics at =
the=20
fly-in, but on arriving back at the Cessna we found a problem. The =
Columbia=20
River level fluctuates considerably, something to do with hydro power=20
generation, and the starboard float had been against a previously unseen =
log,=20
with a bump on the log working a seam below the waterline. More pumping, =
something we were pretty good at by now.
Chapter 9 =
=E2=80=93 That sinking=20
feeling, again
Northwards this time, to Lake Tapps, a =
largely=20
residential artificial lake on the southern edge of the Seattle built-up =
area.=20
Reunited with families, we could relax for the first time in days, =
adventure=20
over. Yes, one float compartment had a leak, but the things are designed =
so that=20
the other compartments have sufficient buoyancy to keep everything =
afloat.=20
Perhaps. Nick was awoken early next morning by a phone call bearing news =
that
N3877Y was semi-submerged in the lake and he might like to come =
and have=20
a look. It was not a pretty sight. One float was fully submerged and the =
weight=20
of that side was taken by the wing on the dock, with attendant wrinkling =
of the=20
top surface. It appeared that float had sunk far enough for the minor =
leaks in=20
the other compartments to start letting in water, and things progressed =
from=20
there.
CAPTION:=20
Lake Tapps outside of Seattle is not used to the sight of stricken =
Cessna=20
195s.
The salvage effort took all day, not helped by Lake Tapps =
being=20
glacial water from the
slopes of 14,411 ft Mt Rainier, the most =
prominent=20
peak in the Cascades. With no
noticeable progress by lunchtime, Nick =
rang the=20
local floatplane operator on Lake Washington for advice. The solution =
was simple=20
in the extreme =E2=80=94 stuff a deflated inner tube inside the largest =
compartment and=20
inflate it. The buoyancy would lift the float top
clear of the water =
and the=20
rest of the compartments could then be pumped out. And so it proved. The =
Cessna=20
floated properly once more, the wrinkly effect went away, and a test =
flight=20
suggested no lasting effects of the dunking. But N3877Y had one last =
trick up=20
its sleeve. Just before we headed south again as a family by car to Los =
Angeles=20
and home, Nick ferried the 195 to Lake Washington for more permanent =
attention=20
to the floats.
Before putting it ashore, he took the rest of the =
King=20
family on a local jaunt around Seattle to show them what had kept me =
occupied=20
all that time, away for a birthday and wedding anniversary. Waiting for =
them on=20
the slipway, I skidded on the weed and ended my time in Seattle with wet =
shoes,=20
wet and stained jeans and a knock to the coccyx.
Looking back =
over the=20
long flight, a striking aspect was the complete lack of =
significant
weather.=20
A similar period of flying in New Zealand would bring a full cycle of=20
anticyclones and depressions, but across the entire width of the USA =
there was=20
little wind to speak of and no conditions to stop flying. That was all =
of 27=20
years ago, but I=E2=80=99ll never forget Cessna 195 N3877Y.
![3D"Cessna](3D"http://www.australianflying.com.au/images/dmImage/SourceImage/floa=)
latest comments
| 12:18PM | "Pilots! Note from the information that =
the only=20
way into the GA park is via the Golf taxiway at the 36=20
thresho..." Hitch on |
| 9:26PM | "This should be an awesome day, as most =
Temora=20
aviation days are. I was there last time F18's were there; they=20
..." Lindsay Merkel on |
| 5:10PM | "If evolution is a series of small =
improvements=20
over time then a Carbon fibre Gyro probably counts. Pretty=20
thou..." Ian on |
flight = tests (more=C2=BB)
Tecnam=20
P2008 flight test: Tecnam goes composite
Having made acquaintenances with the Tecnam P2006T light twin in = 2010, John=20 Absolon returns to get all cozy with the latest model from the Italian=20 manufacturer =E2=80=93 the P2008.
events =C2=BB
-
YWBN (near Campbelltown) | 13 Nov - 13 Nov, = 2011=20
-
Darling Downs | 11 Mar - 11 Mar, 2012 =
-
Parafield Airport | 25 Mar - 25 Mar, 2012=20
new=20 equipment =C2=BB
![](3D"http://www.australianflying.com.au/base/images/yaffa-logo.jpg"){kind=logo}
Yaffa Publishing Group
17-21 Bellevue Street
Surry Hills NSW 2010
Australia
<=
/DIV>
aviationbusiness.com.au
australianphotography.com