Amphibious Planes

On Tue, 02 Sep 2008 18:39:05 -0400, Bryan Martin wrote:

The Great Lakes have a big problem with zebra mussels, a salt water
species that were imported in ballast water from seagoing freighters.
They have thrived in the big lakes and have been spreading into more and
more inland lakes.

The effect being...?

On Sep 2, 11:02 pm, Gezellig wrote:
On Tue, 02 Sep 2008 18:39:05 -0400, Bryan Martin wrote:
The Great Lakes have a big problem with zebra mussels, a salt water
species that were imported in ballast water from seagoing freighters.
They have thrived in the big lakes and have been spreading into more and
more inland lakes.

The effect being...?

Having zebra mussels in a lake is like putting glass shards all around
and attaching them to anything where the water flows. They are
extremely prolific (1 million from one in a year), stink up
everything, and the shells are so sharp that chainmail gloves are
needed to handle submerged boat parts or dock hardware etc.

There is an organization (the 100th Meridian initiative) that has been
trying to keep ZM confined to the eastern half of the country. They
had propagated as far as Kansas but in Dec 2006 they were discovered
in Lake Mead. It was probably a single boat that did this 1000 mile
jump, but now the west coast lakes can look forward to this.

I am concerned that Lake Winnebago in Oshkosh is listed as having a
zebra mussel infestation, which could quickly be spread all over
Wisconsin by seaplanes.

This is a very serious issue.

On Sep 3, 12:02*am, Gezellig wrote:
On Tue, 02 Sep 2008 18:39:05 -0400, Bryan Martin wrote:
The Great Lakes have a big problem with zebra mussels, a salt water
species that were imported in ballast water from seagoing freighters.
They have thrived in the big lakes and have been spreading into more and
more inland lakes.

The effect being...?

They kill a number of native fish. In Lake Erie they set back the
recovery
of lake perch. ISTR they are also a nuisance in cooling systems such
as
those used for nuclear power plants.

--

FF

Fred the Red Shirt wrote:
On Sep 3, 12:02 am, Gezellig wrote:
On Tue, 02 Sep 2008 18:39:05 -0400, Bryan Martin wrote:
The Great Lakes have a big problem with zebra mussels,

(snip)

The effect being...?

(-ppity snip)

ISTR they are also a nuisance in cooling systems such
as
those used for nuclear power plants.

Yes, they're quickly becoming a terrific problem for cities that drop a
pipe into the river to draw drinking water. They're tiny and have very
sharp-edged shells, and apparently glue to rival the toughest barnacle.
With no natural enemies, they've completely choked off water intake
systems and also eat up all the food for less aggressive native species.

And even a fishing boat with a gallon or two of bilge or a bait bucket
filled at the last lake can carry the damn things to a new waterway
several states away.

On Sep 1, 4:36*pm, Gezellig wrote:
Who determines where you can or cannot land one?

Currently it is kind of open ended. If its a private lake you
obviously need the owners permission. If its a public water there may
be local restrictions to prevent you from landing there (like a
drinking water reservior). I did seaplane flying in several states and
still do so on the gulf coast. Common sense has a lot to do with where
you go and where to avoid. Aside from the blatant and/or obvious, a
casual question to the local FSDO may be of benefit. But, the FSDO is
often submerged with people who don't know their ass from a hole in
the ground and can be more of a hinderance than help.
Probably the best place is to check with any local seaplane operators?
They will be up to speed on where to go or not and what kind of
problems you may encounter.
I had a delightful hour in a homebuilt seaplane up in northern
Minnesota a couple years back landing on several of the many lakes
available there. Here on the gulf coast we land on any number of
rivers and a few lakes. Most of the lakes are water sources so we
avoid them. As others have said, watrer pollution is a problem with
boaters and jetskis but let an airplane land and they will point a
finger at you as the root cause!
Have fun while you can. Aviation is getting more and more restrictive
each year and here in the USA we have the most liberal flight laws in
the world.
Cheers
Ol S&B - flying and instructing in seaplanes since 1967

On Fri, 12 Sep 2008 09:53:45 -0700 (PDT), Ol Shy & Bashful wrote:

I did seaplane flying in several states and
still do so on the gulf coast

I'm in SW FL, any knowledge of this area (from Tampa to Everglades
City)?