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#51
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Seaplane Resurgence? Pinging Eugene and jack
"TMOliver" wrote:
I note that the poor deluded and apparently deranged woman who died - strangled in an attempt to get out of the irons - while cuffed and shackled at Sky Harbor, the Phoenix Airport, was the daughter of a retired SA Navy CDR. Nope - never knew a Cmdr Henry Stiger. Cannot find him on the Navy list during the time I was in the service or the press has the name wrong. Supposed to have been OC diving school. Rings no bells, unfortunately. Eugene L Griessel Communication - the art of transferring thought from one brain to another successfully. - I usually post only from Sci.Military.Naval - |
#52
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Seaplane Resurgence? Pinging Eugene and jack
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#53
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Seaplane Resurgence?
On Sun, 30 Sep 2007 08:16:23 -0700, Ken S. Tucker wrote:
On Sep 29, 7:01 pm, "Mike Kanze" wrote: but will they now make a comeback in the US? Short answer: No, IMHO. Longer answer: Attempts at large-scale revival of seaplanes in the U.S. will likely meet the same ends as attempts to revive LTA. a.. Too few suitable seadrome possibilities near most U. S. coastal population centers. And no possibilities at all in the continental heartland, other than the Great Lakes cities like Detroit or Chicago. b.. Constant pre-landing obstruction clearance would be a major headache for near-urban seadromes - would not take a very large piece of harbor flotsam to hole a hull at takeoff or alighting speed. c.. Need for major infrastructure improvements (large hangars, ramps, etc.) along increasingly expensive / scarce near-urban shoreline. d.. Even a modest sea state can hinder or prohibit operations in more open waters. One of my fav's is the Martin Sea Master, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P-6_Seamaster Martin tried hard, even to go commercial, but practical issues intervened. The seaplane ramp at the former Martin factory airport still exists [1], so there's a seadrome ready-made less than an hour's drive from our nation's capital. Sure, I suppose it's possible that Frog Mortar Creek may have silted up a bit in the forty years or so since Martin last launched seaplanes there. Yes, arriving and departing aircraft might have to avoid the locals' crab pots and pick their way through swarms of recreational boaters while taxiing past Bowley Bar between the upper Chesapeake and the airport, but so what? Minor details. So-called "practical issues" can not be allowed to stand in the way of the inevitable comeback of the seaplane! ljd [1] 39-18-56.06 N, 076-24-19.52 W |
#54
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Seaplane Resurgence?
"R.C. Payne" wrote in message
... Bill Kambic wrote: On Mon, 1 Oct 2007 18:51:14 -0500, "TMOliver" wrote: The awful truth.... Them dannable Tscherman N*zis and the Hirohito's aggressive pursuit of the East Asian Coprosperity Sphere sealed the doom of the flying boat and sea plane by causing we Merkins to pave or at worst lay steel mat over the majority of the Western World's (and some Eastern's too) long flat places. When there were runways everywhere, planes that floated were relegated to niche market status, quaint curiosites in the midst of a dynamic world. Yup, what he said. Floatplanes are romantic as all get out, but lack economic practicality. Maybe someday somebody will figure out how to make money on them the way some folks make big cruise ships pay. Until then they are just a chapter in Naval Aviation (and aviation) history. I know it's a niche market, but there are at least two companies flying otter and twin otter float planes between Victoria and Vancouver in BC (as well as a few other destinations in the area). The geography of those two cities is such that the seaplanes can provide a downtown - downtown service with a short journey time, indeed in less time than it would take to drive to the airport. They seem to cope quite well with the other traffic in the harbours. I chartered one of their Twin Otters to take the Standing Committee on Fisheries and Oceans to look at the situation of salmon farms in the Broughton Archipelago back in 2002. It was a bit like being on a date with the family car because we had to return in time for the a/c to fuel before its evening commuter run. Great flight, though -- we were about 1,000 feet all the way up and down the Island, and we could see the white-sided dolphins rolling to take a look at us as we dropped down. -- Andrew Chaplin SIT MIHI GLADIUS SICUT SANCTO MARTINO (If you're going to e-mail me, you'll have to get "yourfinger." out.) |
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