Originally Posted by
bushy
A few years ago I went for a fly with a gentleman in Hawaii, in a C206 on floats. He showed me how he lifted one float out of the water on takeoff, to reduce the water drag so it go fast enough to fly.
He had 27,000 hours on seaplanes, and was trying for 29,000 hourswhich he said was the highest total he knew of.
That method/technique is quite normal for heavy and/or glassy water situations. The reduction in hydrodynamic drag is quite marked. It can also be utilised in crosswind conditions where an into wind take-off is not achievable.