Back in the air.... [Archive] - Forums Forums

fogtender

12-01-2008, 01:18 AM

Well I went and did it.... Broke down and bought another airplane....:clap:

This time with 2000 Edo floats, although it is a bit frozen to use them, had them put on the 2500 Skis instead.

Am down in Anchorage today to get the paperwork done on it and will fly it back to Fairbanks area. Weather isn't going to be very good until about Tuesday for the trip. Have to get my Bi-Annual Flight review done tomorrow if the weather breaks, but may be "Iffy".... Been snowing all day here.

It is a 7GCBC with 160hp constant speed, which is quite a bit of differance over my last plane which was a 7ECA with the 115hp engine. Although they looked the same, the newer plane had the horsepower and flaps, not to mention the floats!!

Anyway, will post a few photos of it and the trip home in a few days!

It looks exactly like this one does, except where it is blue, mine is orange.....
http://www.controller.com/images/Controller/fullsize/73275213.jpg

pirate_girl

12-01-2008, 01:24 AM

pixie

12-01-2008, 05:54 AM

Really cool looking plane !! Congratulations :thumb:

There used to be a character on the RedGreen show who had a little operation called 'Buzz Off Airways' ..... his plane looked like that :yum:

Av8r3400

12-01-2008, 06:52 AM

Do you have to live in Alaska to have cool toys like this?

I hate you.

:censored:

Doc

12-01-2008, 08:59 AM

Congrats Foggy!!!! :thumb:
Do you need extra HP to be able to take off from the water?

bczoom

12-01-2008, 09:04 AM

Cool and congrats!!

Anyway, will post a few photos of it and the trip home in a few days!
Can you do a wing-walk and give us some pics of it in flight? :hide:

Av8r3400

12-01-2008, 09:13 AM

PBinWA

12-01-2008, 10:21 AM

Very cool Foggy! We want pics of the real thing! :thumb:

fogtender

12-01-2008, 12:56 PM

I didn't mean to sound like a jackass, I'm just really jealous!!

I just got my medical back last month and now I'm saving for some rental time in the spring for a biannual and a tailwheel endorsement.

If things get better I may be looking into an Avid Flyer (http://www.avidflyeraircraft.com/avidblog/) or Kitfox (http://kitfoxaircraft.com/) type experimental project next year.

Well with the sport license, you don't need the medical for the Avid or Kitfox.... If you flunk your flight physical, you can't even fly an ultralite.... So if you don't get one, you can fly the sport planes without issues cause you don't know you got them....:whistling:

Av8r3400

12-01-2008, 01:00 PM

I unfortunately started the process and the ME found old stuff in my records that needed a sign-off (headaches). I had gotten a waiver for this years ago, but the 'new' system they have now didn't have it on record.

Now it does. :punk:

fogtender

12-01-2008, 01:01 PM

Congrats Foggy!!!! :thumb:
Do you need extra HP to be able to take off from the water?

Yeah, my 7ECA was a nice plane, but the 115 hp and no flaps to "Pop" made it a poor plane for float flying. The 160 hp and constant speed will make this one preform like a rocket by comparison. The prop will take a good bite for the power side of takeoff and will allow the plane to fly faster when in cruise with the pitch being adjustible....

Should be able to spend more time at the cabin this summer with the floats, not to mention the added ability to hunt down and kill those killer pikes that are menacing the lakes in the region. Tough job, but someone has to step up to the plate...:hammer:

fogtender

12-03-2008, 04:55 AM

Well went down to Anchorage and flew the plane around on the skis to get the hang of it. Really nice with lots of power, not having flown with flaps on any of my planes that I have owned for the last twenty years, it was neat to have them again!

Did the Bi-Annual out accross the Inlet from Anchorage, landed on the remote frozen lakes with the ski's on the plane and had a lot of fun, with the 160Hp engine and constant speed prop, the thing leaps off the lake in a heartbeat!

Was all set to fly back this morning, but the cold had dropped to -40 in the flight path and a nasty storm front is moving in from the South. So for the better part of valor, flew back on a commercial flight and will go back sometime next week and bring it back when the weather breaks.

At those temps, the breather tube starts to freeze the water vapor coming out of the crankcase and can plug it up with frost, then blow the oil out though the dipstick. Almost lost and engine once before from that, not interested in a repeat. They drill a small hole at the base of the tube where it goes into the crankcase to relieve the pressure, but still don't like it.

My earlier plane had a 115Hp engine and no flaps, but otherwise, looked the same as the new one and it took a lot longer run to get off with skis on the same type of snow. Can't wait til summer and put the floats back on!

Av8r3400

12-03-2008, 06:40 AM

All that and you still didn't take a picture of the danm thing?? :furious:

fogtender

12-04-2008, 12:43 PM

All that and you still didn't take a picture of the danm thing?? :furious:

This is the plane when I was first looking at it this fall, will show it on the skis when I get the photos. Floats appear to be almost "new", not banged up and such.

pirate_girl

12-04-2008, 01:12 PM

This is the plane when I was first looking at it this fall, will show it on the skis when I get the photos. Floats appear to be almost "new", not banged up and such.
It's about time!! :brows::smile:

Av8r3400

12-04-2008, 04:56 PM

Okay. I'm back to hating you again. :shifty:

fogtender

12-04-2008, 06:39 PM

Okay. I'm back to hating you again. :shifty:

Just wait until I can post some of the flying video's:whistling:

RedRocker

12-11-2008, 09:14 PM

Well, I hate you too!! I really need to hang out with you for a year or two and play with all your toys. I did fly J-3's back in the day, but it's been a while.

fogtender

12-12-2008, 02:42 PM

Well, I hate you too!! I really need to hang out with you for a year or two and play with all your toys. I did fly J-3's back in the day, but it's been a while.

I would hate me too if I couldn't fly....

Still haven't been able to get the bird home though, the Alaska Range isn't helping out. The weather is bad either on the Anchorage side, or the Fairbanks side. Should be able to get it home this weekend if all goes well.

Went from about 5 above here with 50 mph winds, to -20 and calm, but cloudy in Anchorage and windy pass closed...

Keep watching the weather forecast and the weather cams...

http://akweathercams.faa.gov/allcams.php

RedRocker

12-12-2008, 04:29 PM

We've got the good weather going on here now, I'll try to send some up your way.

fogtender

12-12-2008, 09:05 PM

We've got the good weather going on here now, I'll try to send some up your way.

:thumb:

RedRocker

12-22-2008, 07:23 PM

Well, our weather went to hell, so the good stuff must have made it up there.
Did you get the new rig home?

fogtender

12-23-2008, 02:57 AM

Well, our weather went to hell, so the good stuff must have made it up there.
Did you get the new rig home?

Well with thank God for "Global Warming" and all, the weather is getting by, we just don't know what to do with the temp's so high up into the zero range... Everyone is doing BBQ's with such warm weather!!!

Yeah, got the bird up to Fairbanks, getting a Voltage Regulator replaced and some seat work. The seats don't move and my legs were a bit too long so I got the front one moved a few inches back to keep my knees from hitting the bottom of the dash!

Regulator is suppose to be here by friday or the weekend, will get it on and then heading home with it (weather permiting), which is about 60 miles to the southwest. Snow is in the forecast here, airplane on skis, Imp standing by... Life it good!

Av8r3400

12-23-2008, 06:18 AM

Have fun with it, Foggy and take lots of pictures for us, please.

I need to feed my addiction through your photos. :w00t:

RedRocker

12-23-2008, 12:35 PM

fogtender

12-23-2008, 12:56 PM

Have fun with it, Foggy and take lots of pictures for us, please.

I need to feed my addiction through your photos. :w00t:

Well should be able to start this next week if the Global Warming trend keeps going!:thumb:

Was planning to fly out to the cabin and take some aerial shots and check the trail out for the snowmachines and track rigs. Roughwoods left his Imp stored out about another twenty five miles past our cabins and wanted to do a flyover on that too...

Our days are getting longer now by about a minute a day, so I should have a whole seven to ten min's of extra daylite in this next week or so, that gives us about four hours of sunlight now....:brows:

fogtender

12-23-2008, 01:01 PM

When I was in high school in the 60's, my friends Dad was a captain for Continental and had a J3. That was my first ride in a small plane and has been my favorite ever since. Seems like you could pick one up then for about 4K.....those were the days.

Yeah, a four thousand dollar bill won't buy the down payment on one now...

I have flown without flaps on my last two planes and that I forgot how much slower you can set it down or take off. Kinda spoils you in that I don't have to "Slip" the plane anymore, just nose it over and cruise on in.