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| Alexis Park Inn & Suites |
| 1165 S. Riverside Drive |
| Iowa City, Iowa 52246 |
| Toll Free: 888-9ALEXIS |
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(888-925-3947) |
| Local: 319 337-8665 |
| Fax: 319 351-4102 |
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This page was last updated on 09/27/2007
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| In recent years, flying boats and float planes have become a rarity -- but in the 1930s, this type of aircraft ruled the skies. Water can be as unforgiving as it is beautiful, as some of these videos show... |
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| Amphibious Landing Gone Bad Witness what happens when an amphibious float plane lands on a lake -- with the wheels down! |
| Catalina Departure The PBY Catalina was the work-horse amphibian of the US Navy during World War II. This video shows the crews pushing the plane into the water by NAS North Island, followed by a departure from San Diego Bay. |
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Dolly Takeoff! D'ja ever wonder how a float plane gets off a regular runway after maintenance? Wonder no more.
Contributed by Andrew Wall: "Thought you might enjoy this video! Here is some background about it: You have seen thousands of float planes come and go...but I'll bet you haven't seen one take off like this. Video was taken in Prince George, BC....and got to give the pilot full marks for guts. I imagine you only get one shot at this. Notice the fire truck following them... they obviously had a few doubts themselves. Anyway, you have probably heard in 'aviation lore' about all sorts of things pilots have attempted with airplanes. Well, be prepared to witness one of them. When a floatplane is landed on the grass and taken to the hangar for maintenance, obviously it has to depart once again. Landing a floatplane on grass is easier than becoming airborne on grass. This is where "Dolly" comes in. Put the aircraft on a 'dolly', fire it up, tow it down the runway, and once a certain speed is attained, push the throttle to 'Warp Factor 9' and you are airborne. Get ready; here is how the good people at Hill Aircraft Service Ltd. in Prince George, B.C. accomplish a 'dolly take-off'!" |
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Dolly Takeoff -- The Cub Version Here's a similar video, but taken from the perspective of the truck driver. Contributed by David Schuck.
" I really enjoy the site and thought you might like to see how we launch our J3 on straight floats from a runway. This was our first attempt and it worked out well. I am driving the pickup towing the trailer, and my brother is in the bed of the pickup with the camera." "The tricky part is matching the truck speed to the airplane speed so that it doesn’t blow off the back of the trailer or climb into the pickup bed. We had radio communications between the cab and the cockpit and an excellent pilot, Mike Kincaid. You can see more at our site www.seaplanerating.com Thanks again for the great videos you share." |
| Gone Fishing The opening scene from the movie "Always", featuring a PBY Catalina, an idyllic morning of fishing, and, well, you'll see...! |
| New 9/27/07 Hoverwing! This video shows a VERY cool "ground effect vehicle" flight demonstration. Kind of a cross between an airplane and a hovercraft. Contributed by Joe McKnight. |
| Martin Mars Flying Boat Great home video of this awesome 4-engine flying boat in action as a fire-fighting aircraft in the suburbs of Victoria, B.C., Canada. Video shot by Fran Benton, and kindly contributed by her husband, Gordon Hillsden. |
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Seaplane Crash Amateur video of the Grumman Mallard seaplane crash in Miami, Florida. Initial reports suggest wing spar failure due to metal fatigue -- but the NTSB report is still pending at this writing.
Click here to view the NTSB report about this crash. |
| Seaplane in Fiord This lovely video shows a seaplane touching down in a Norwegian fiord. |
| Seaplane Under Bridge -- During an airshow, this seaplane pilot surprises everyone by flying beneath a nearby bridge. |
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Wild Landing! Hang on for one wild and crazy water landing! (Several sources are now describing this as a TAKE OFF gone bad. Either way, it's a wild ride!)
Click here to read the whole story of this incident. Click here to read why it can't be "the" Hoot Gibson piloting this aircraft -- and why it's probably a departure accident, rather than a landing! Received from a spotter: "Regarding the Hoot Gibson controversy. I believe that the Hoot Gibson flying the accident airplane was actually the same gentleman who was the captain of the TWA 727 that experienced asymmetrical leading edge slat extension and rolled inverted at cruising altitude. The incident occurred on April 4 1979 and the aircraft went from 39,000 ft to 5000 ft in about 63 seconds." For info on this incident, see: http://aviation-safety.net/database/record.php?id=19790404-0 |
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