C208 on Floats

[Stephanie Belser]

We were out gardening when a C208 with amphibious floats made several passes, probably because it was shooting landings at KGON. Pretty aircraft. I checked later on Flight Aware, it was a brand-new airplane on (presumably) Wipline floats. (N234WL, prolly north of $4Mil.)

[Scott Dyer HPN/NY]

The amphib 208s are used a lot between Manhattan (Battery) and Eastern LI and similar points in the summer.

[Terry Carraway]

I remember seeing one at Oshkosh on display in Cessna booth. VERY tall.

[Bruce Gorrell]

I remember seeing one at Oshkosh on display in Cessna booth. VERY tall.

I saw a Beaver on amphibious floats sitting on the ramp in Juneau once. That was a very tall airplane!

[Terry Carraway]

When I did my ASES at a small operation in Greenville, ME, the "big: FBO had a Beech 18 on floats.

A bunch of Beavers on floats across the inlet for the Forestry Service.

[Scott Dyer HPN/NY]

Greenville also had (has?) a DC-3 on floats. THAT'S big.

I had a C208 on floats, and for a time a Beaver on floats, tied down just across from me 10-12 years ago.

[Sean Franklin]

Saw a C208 on floats parked on the ramp at KVBT when I was landing today. That is one TALL airplane!

[Gil Buettner]

When I did my ASES at a small operation in Greenville, ME, the "big: FBO had a Beech 18 on floats.

A bunch of Beavers on floats across the inlet for the Forestry Service.

I had a trip from Duluth to a fly-in fishing camp in Ontario in the right seat of a Beech 18 on floats. We have a Beaver on amphibious floats based at the airport where I work.

[Scott Dyer HPN/NY]

I did an hour of dual in a Beaver on amphib floats about 10 years ago at Kenmore. Lots of splashing and the like! Fun.

[A. Niemyer]

I had a trip from Duluth to a fly-in fishing camp in Ontario in the right seat of a Beech 18 on floats. We have a Beaver on amphibious floats based at the airport where I work.

You went up to Gino's place, didn't you?

[Gil Buettner]

You went up to Gino's place, didn't you?

That's right. Had a great time for a few days.

[Terry Carraway]

I did an hour of dual in a Beaver on amphib floats about 10 years ago at Kenmore. Lots of splashing and the like! Fun.

We should go to FL together and do our ASES. There is a place that has a Maule on floats. That should be fun.

[Scott Dyer HPN/NY]

Nice idea, Terry. I did mine 10-12 years ago in Maine. It is loads of fun.

[Gil Buettner]

I did mine around 1998 at CAD with Rick Durden as my instructor. Flew Friday night and Saturday and took the checkride Sunday morning. It was $650 plus the fee for the DPE. I now have about seven hours on floats.

[Rick Durden]

My, gawd, Gil. It was that long ago?

Looks like the era may have ended. Derek has sold Northwoods. Nigel and Cole are attempting to keep things going with the new owners or others.

New AOPA Pilot has a piece on another pilot who got his seaplane rating with us in CAD - Aaron Singer. He now runs a tour operation over the San Francisco Bay area with a Beaver on floats. We had a mini-Seaplane Weekend there several years ago because he let us use a 172 on floats. Only place I've ever experienced the need to make a 90-degree left turn just as you're getting onto the step.

As I recall, Scott Dyer was there.

We all got a ride in the Beaver. Didn't get a chance to fly it.

Um, my first up close look at the Cessna 208 on amphib floats was on the airport on San Pedro Town, Ambergris Caye, Belize. It was parked at the Tropic airline facility (it runs 208s) and I was told it belonged to Jimmie Buffet and his pilot was ferrying it somewhere. Yeah, it stood real tall - I went through wondering how long it would take me to figure out where to flare to land it on wheels. My first few 185 amphib landings on wheels had been, "I think I should begin to flare in a second or THUMP!"