Today's Message Index:
----------------------
1. 08:17 AM - Beaver in the news saving boaters -Floatplane lands to save boaters (D. Fisher)
2. 05:46 PM - Re: float rigging (Peter C)
3. 07:31 PM - Re: float rigging (Malcolmbru@aol.com)
4. 08:01 PM - Re: float rigging (Noel Loveys)
Message 1
| INDEX | Back to Main INDEX |
| NEXT | Skip to NEXT Message |
| LIST | Reply to LIST Regarding this Message |
| SENDER | Reply to SENDER Regarding this Message |
|
| Subject: | Beaver in the news saving boaters -Floatplane lands to |
save boaters
.http://www.canada.com/vancouversun/news/westcoastnews/story.html?id=b4
e8d1a2-2e90-4133-8b06-c4335da4c6ff&k=5111
Wednesday =BB March 21 =BB 2007
Floatplane lands to save boaters
Chad Skelton
Vancouver Sun
Tuesday, March 20, 2007
STRAIT OF GEORGIA - A father and son from Vancouver whose boat
capsized in the Strait of Georgia Monday may well owe their lives to a
veteran seaplane pilot from Saltspring Island and his sharp-eyed
passenger.
Around 5:20 p.m., St. Clair McColl, owner and pilot of Saltspring
Air, took off from Vancouver harbour for his last run of the day back to
Saltspring Island.
It was a light load, with just two regulars on board -- Jonathan
Yardley, who sat in the co-pilot seat, and Mary Paul, who sat a row
behind.
Due to high winds, McColl was flying much lower than usual.
The plane was about two kilometres off Point Grey when Paul looked
down and noticed a small red speck in the ocean -- what, on closer
inspection, appeared to be a life jacket.
"She tapped Saint on the shoulder and said, 'Down there. Look,
down there,'" Yardley recalled.
McColl circled around and, after confirming it was a capsized
boat, called the Vancouver control tower to report the emergency.
Then, despite choppy seas, McColl, a pilot for 30 years,
successfully landed the plane alongside the 16-foot aluminum boat.
"We made several attempts to tie up to the overturned vessel
without injuring the people who were on it, because there was quite a
bit of swell and chop," McColl said.
Eventually, the two men on the boat threw McColl a line and he was
able to pull them close enough to his plane so they could jump aboard.
The two boaters -- a 55-year-old man and his 16-year-old son --
were wearing life-jackets but were very cold.
They told him they had been on the overturned boat for an hour and
a half.
"They were glad to see me, but in hypothermic shock, so they
couldn't say much," said McColl. "[The father] asked me my name and I
said, 'It's Saint.' And he looked at me and said, 'Yeah, right.'"
McColl took off again, landing at the Richmond seaplane terminal,
where paramedics treated the two men for hypothermia and shock.
Yardley, an architect who flies to Vancouver once or twice a week,
said McColl is the best pilot he knows and he doubts many other pilots
could have landed in such rough conditions.
McColl, modestly, credits Paul for spotting the boat in the first
place -- and his plane, a deHavilland Beaver.
"They were lucky it was a Beaver," he said. "It's really
time-tested -- it's a good aircraft to land in such waters."
Marc Proulx of the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre said the pair
aboard the capsized boat were on their way to Valdez Island from
Vancouver -- about an hour-long journey -- when they ran into mechanical
difficulties and capsized.
Asked if such a small craft was safe to travel such a long
distance, Proulx replied: "If you were to ask the people onboard, they'd
probably say no. And I wouldn't ... argue with them."
cskelton@png.canwest.com
=A9 The Vancouver Sun 2007
Message 2
| INDEX | Back to Main INDEX |
| PREVIOUS | Skip to PREVIOUS Message |
| NEXT | Skip to NEXT Message |
| LIST | Reply to LIST Regarding this Message |
| SENDER | Reply to SENDER Regarding this Message |
|
| Subject: | Re: float rigging |
The point about setting up for good performance with an aft cg is sounds
reasonable. We have all likely experienced having to move forward in an
outboard boat to help get it up on plane. However, a friend pointed out
that perhaps the best route is to rig for the most common loading which
may be one person and little baggage. Guess it all comes back to
personal preference.
One thing I have noticed with two Rans S-7's I've owned which were both
rigged with step just a little aft of empty cg is very little tendancey
to nose down after touch down. With all ther other certified planes I've
flown especially Cessnas is the need to be ready with up elevator after
touch down; the Rans needed very little of this.
Peter
Message 3
| INDEX | Back to Main INDEX |
| PREVIOUS | Skip to PREVIOUS Message |
| NEXT | Skip to NEXT Message |
| LIST | Reply to LIST Regarding this Message |
| SENDER | Reply to SENDER Regarding this Message |
|
| Subject: | Re: float rigging |
I really enjoy the chatter about float flying and such I have completed my
zenair floats but don't expect to install them for a while. I still need to
build a trailer and then reg them to my model 2. i have flown several plans on
floats and also watch the kolb site, they are talking about Jim lee now and
some of the paten's he had for float flying Please keep up the chatter I
really enjoy it mal Michigan kit foxer
Find out more about what's free from AOL at http://www.aol.com.
Message 4
| INDEX | Back to Main INDEX |
| PREVIOUS | Skip to PREVIOUS Message |
| NEXT | Skip to NEXT Message |
| LIST | Reply to LIST Regarding this Message |
| SENDER | Reply to SENDER Regarding this Message |
|
Come back next month when I get my 'Fox in the water!
Darned cold here tonight Blizzard this morning no float flying for a
few
weeks yet.
G' night all
Noel
-----Original Message-----
From: owner-seaplane-list-server@matronics.com
[mailto:owner-seaplane-list-server@matronics.com] On Behalf Of
Malcolmbru@aol.com
Sent: Thursday, March 22, 2007 12:01 AM
Subject: Re: Seaplane-List: float rigging
I really enjoy the chatter about float flying and such I have completed
my
zenair floats but don't expect to install them for a while. I still need
to
build a trailer and then reg them to my model 2. i have flown several
plans
on floats and also watch the kolb site, they are talking about Jim lee
now
and some of the paten's he had for float flying Please keep up the
chatter
I really enjoy it mal Michigan kit foxer
_____
from
AOL at <http://www.aol.com?ncid=AOLAOF00020000000339> AOL.com.
Other Matronics Email List Services
These Email List Services are sponsored solely by Matronics and through the generous Contributions of its members.
-- Please support this service by making your Contribution today! --
|