Well as most of you know, I sit about 35 feet from the front door to the seawall on a small lake. 2700 acres. From the back door, around this old log cabin that is falling apart and with funds not in great abundance, this place may fall apart one of these days. From the back door, around the cottage/ cabin to the float fly dock is about a total of 75 feet.

At the end of the dock, the water is about calf high most of the time, the water level raises and falls depends on the amount of rainfall over the summer.

In the evening, many times the water is just about like a sheet of glass and float flying becomes an art form when you have to dodge the boat hoists, docks, while taking off and landing. The best part is when the wind lays down and at dusk and into the twilight of the evening, you can fly with lights on your plane till it gets dark. On a night when the full moon rises, you can fly well into the darkness that comes creeping in and the stars start twinkle.

The Puddlemasters are a great airplane. My friend Fred, has built about 3 or 4 of them, they are so neat to see in the air and when Fred covers them, they are a work or art. He usually covers them in yellow or gold transparent covering.

I don't have a float plane that is a canard. That would be a rather unique airframe. I can think of a few that may be possible, but I don't have a shop to build like all the rest of you. I am building a Sea Monkey right now and it is all I can do to keep 3 young cats from playing with all the foam. So far so good. Tomorrow I will assemble the wing and install it. I am planning on putting led lights on and in it.

Conehead
Orrin Eldred

Here's one:

Short EZ Rises off Water (1 min 23 sec)

Later I lifted the motor up a bit higher.


PS, watching the video again, I wonder if that landing / flop at the end of the flight was evidence of a backward CoG? I believe we should not be to scared to fly canards with a slightly backward CoG. After the maiden and a few conventional flights to get used to handling a new model.

With Orrin's handy amount of water, I probably wouldn't buy many wheels...

It wouldn't take that much to transpose the pretty standard waterdynamicals to put a hull step at the right place under a canardly set of aerodynamicals. Foam having a tremendous advantage in that it floats pretty well, of course. I mostly wait until there's a floatyplane meet, then buy a Pondside kit and sit up working on it every night before the event.

D

Here are a couple of photos of where I have to fly.

Conehead
Orrin Eldred

Nice lake, Orrin. I can see why you are enjoying it.

Charles

This is why I like float flying so much. I don't have to drive anywhere to fly, I got electric to charge batteries on the table that is close to the house, it is metal, so if something happens, I just run to the beach, we have 10 feet of it, get some sand and I am good to go.

No gas to burn to get there, have to pay the electric bill anyway, so another killowatt is no big deal, I think I use one a year charging batteries for my float planes.

When things go well, I get an audience, they all clap when I land, so I get some kudoos now and then.
Conehead
Orrin Eldred

While we're on the subject of float flying and the Icon 5. I've made a start on a Republic Seabee. Here's my buildthread.

As always, all suggestions and encouragement will be gratefully received.

Charles,
I just found another thread on the Icon-5 on the Waterplanes forum.

Thought you would like to view it also.

http://www.rcgroups.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1759782

Now this fellow who started it calls himself an Icon-5 addict, so Canard Addict, meet, the Icon-5 Addict. So you can now be Addict to Addict, so to speak.

Conehead
Orrin Eldred

Hah!

Well done Orrin.

Thanks for the link, Conehead. I do hope that the Icon does not have a weak spot in the fuselage behind the motor. Whatever, the Icon addict seems to still love it. I have pledged to finish my new canard before flying the A5 but will probably go ahead and bind it today to be sure that all works well.

Nick, Your new Seabee looks good. Please keep the views coming.

Charles

Set up the Icon on Friday night and perfect weather on Saturday weakened me, so took the A5 to the field. Three Icon owners who fly it only on water told me that the model was nose heavy and had a small tail wagging problem. The 2.2ah battery was moved rearward about 2 inches but the elevator needed 1/8 inch of UP trim for level flight. The tail did wag at times. To remove weight from the nose, I will change to a 1.8ah battery and remove the bottom from the hatch including the pilot and the dash. Due to high wing loading, the model is not a floater and required extra power for a slow descent on landing. The power is sufficient to pull easily through a loop. I had two smooth landings with no damage. The beauty of the model got lots of attention.

Charles

Here are pictures of the present state of the model.

Charles

Alright, woodwork shaped like no other - love it!

D

You are very kind Dereck, Thanks. Doing something different is what I love most.

Charles

Now I get it. That is ok, my mind must have been out for a walk, without me. I thought that you were going to take the twin wing and put it on this new fuse. Now I know you are building a whole new airframe. Wow, looks great.

Glad the Icon-5 went so well. Everyone says there is some tail wag, some have drilled a small hole and put in carbon fiber rod to stop that, but I don't know if it helped much.
Conehead
Orrin Eldred