Damn! Decisions, decisions

[India Four Two]

Up until today, my “When I win the lottery” list has been cut and dried. Top of the list is an amphibious Beaver:


Today, I saw this Waco YMF-5:






What to do? I guess I’ll have to buy both!

Where can I buy an electrically-heated Sidcot suit?

[Pilot DAR]

The Waco is very pretty! The Beaver will be easier to dock, and very much easier to fuel up!.

[India Four Two]

All true, but with the amount I’m planning to win, I can build a private dock with no nasty posts and have flunkies to do the refueling!

[pilotmike]

I'd do the Beaver every time.

[Jan Olieslagers]

Let's team up: you fly the Waco, I fly the Beaver. Problem solved!

[Big Pistons Forever]

India 24

Phhhfffff…you are not dreaming big enough. I will take a totally restored Grumman Mallard

[India Four Two]

Now you’re talking! I take it for granted we’re talking about the round-engine Mallard!

Back in the 70s, I had a ride in a BC Airlines Mallard that was doing a round-robin flight - Vancouver to Tofino (land) to Tahsis (water) and Vancouver.

The flight was delayed due to a maintenance issue. We could see a pair of legs in white overalls sticking out of a hatch from the cabin into the tail cone!

Just before departure, the captain comes over to my colleague and me and says:

“You two are the only passengers for Tofino. Because we are so late, would you mind if we went to Tahsis first?“

”Of course not!”

So I got to have the whole amphibious flying-boat experience - landing in the water, taxiing up the ramp, turn around, taxi down the ramp and takeoff. I must dig out and scan my slides.

It was an amazing experience. The water was so calm that it took us more than a mile to unstick!