It must be raining hard and really blowing today as I am posting some many photos on here today.

If you like looking at airplanes as much as I,there is know place in the world like lake hood. Winter or summer. Loaded a lot pics into my Spenard / Hood gallery today. I think you will enjoy them.

http://www.backcountrypilot.org/gallery ... album=1016

Here are a few.

Wishing I was flying....

[url=http://www.backcountrypilot.org/gallery/albums/userpics/12335/_PNH9057.JPG]

I would have to agree with that statement. I used to be stationed at Elmendorf AFB a few years ago and I spent a lot of time roaming around Lake hood, Merril Field, and Birchwood wishing I had a plane.

Cool Pics! Happens to me too when I get bored. I start surfing http://www.Airliners.net for hours upon hours. Lately I figured out how to quickly post those pictures on your Facebook page. One night I got done posting to my Facebook page and had a big long line up of Airliner.net pics on my wall. Anyway.......

I have to agree Lake Hood is the best........spent 25 yrs standing where this web cam is located. Never got tired of the view

http://alaskaairmen.org/index.php?pagename=web-cam

I chartered that Rusty's Aviation Beaver during a TDY at Elmendorf one time. Had them take me up to a Glacier and do some water landings...was a totally awesome experience. I spent all day after my flight just hanging out and plane spotting. This was before I had my plane.. I was in Heaven.

My first Lake Hood visit put me on the fast track to being an airplane owner. I got my PPL in 1971, but never having an airplane, I quickly stopped flying. Ended up in Anchorage in 1986, stumbled into Lake Hood. I spent a couple days just watching take off's and landings. I made my mind up to buy a plane then and there, fifteen years since I had flown.

Lake Hood strip.



An Alaska beach with my airplane a few years ago.

This is the beaver flown by Branch River Air just 2 weeks prior to its crash with Marco

What is the blue & white floatplane in the fifth picture down in the first post- an Arctic Tern? Don't see too many of them, at least around my neck of the woods.

hotrod150 wrote:What is the blue & white floatplane in the fifth picture down in the first post- an Arctic Tern? Don't see too many of them, at least around my neck of the woods.

Yep. They are one of the best looking and coolest bush planes ever in my opinion. A semi-modern version of the Interstate Cadet, very Super Cub-like.

That would be an Aeronca Sedan. Whats cool about these is that they have a crosswind landing gear allowing it to land with several degrees of crab. Dont ask me how....Cool old plane.

Sorry...the "Float plane" is the Arctic tern, yes. I was looking at the other.

It is indeed an Arctic Tern. The Tern is a great bush airplane. It was built for many years in the 70s and 80s by Bill Diehl right at Lake Hood. As Z mentioned, it is an upgraded version of the Interstate Cadet with a 150 HP Lycoming. I did a pre-buy on the following Arctic Tern but it turned out to have a bent cam shaft, so I passed.


Arctic Tern Panel

Was that the one for sale in Palmer? I remember seeing it for sale when i was up there.

I don't think it was the same one. I also saw that one in Palmer that you saw parked down by flight service, but don't know what it's status is right now. At any rate, the Tern is a nice back country airplane and can get into most places that a Cub can.

The guy that bought out the Alaska operation moved it down to one of the eastern states (Connecticut?) and was just getting ready to bring it back into production with some great mods (O-360 engine, metal spar, significantly increased gross), but I believe that he was killed in an accident in his own hangar. The new Tern would be a great airplane if ever brought back into production.

Its amazing how many photos I have of this place...



Lowrider

This is in front of the lodge at the Big Ku

I think that bear's licking his chops, & I'm not so sure he's looking at the fish....

aktahoe1 wrote:That would be an Aeronca Sedan. Whats cool about these is that they have a crosswind landing gear allowing it to land with several degrees of crab. Dont ask me how....Cool old plane.

Didn't see a Sedan in any of these pics. If you're looking at the blue & white plane in the 3rd pic down, it's a Champ not a Sedan.
And I've never heard of (or seen) a Sedan with crosswind gear, although I admit I've only seen a small handful of Sedans.

According to an article in Kitplanes several years ago, Bill Diehl also built several "Arctic Privateers", sort of a widened 4 seat experimental Tern. Sold the first 4, kept the 5th. According to the FAA database, it's still up in Anchorage but with another owner.

The aeronca sedan 15ac looks much like the champ. Google it. That's how I learned about the crosswind gear. Surprised myself. Now weather this is an aeronca champ or the 15ac....you have me curious. Google pictures of both. I am Curious?