Well, the dream took a big step toward reality this week with my first couple lessons and tons of ground school studying. I must say I didn't realize the immense body of knowledge that private pilots accumulate on their way to a PPL and I take my hat off to all of you that have already achieved that accomplishment.

In between study sessions and the rest of life's duties, I spend most of my time dreaming about which airplane and which configuration. In deference to Zane's plea that we not litter the pages with 'what airplane is best for me?' threads I've done a ton of reading in the archives and decided that something in the 180, 182, or 185 will fit the learning and utility curve while offering some comfort that I might not lose too much to depreciation. My wife works for an authorized Cessna sales center so I may be able to scrounge a deal on parts at some point too.

So, in trying to narrow down my choice it has largely become a question of floats or wheels, or maybe an amphib, and I'd like to ask opinions of the people that regularly fly where I want to go. I'm primarily interested in hunting, fishing, camping and exploring. I love the northeast (Muskwa-Ketchika area), and the coast, and the vast Chilcotin. In the Chilcotin I know I'd like to fly into Chilko Lake, probably Tatloyoko, and definitely the Gang Ranch strip because we often hunt in the Churn Creek Protected Area, but there are probably lots of places I don't know I want to go to yet. I'd also like to explore the northwest. The videos of Alaska and stories of the Yukon have me drooling too.

Can it (mostly) be done on wheels, or should I set my sights to floats from the get-go?

All insights appreciated.

Allan

Ok, everybody else is quiet so I'll give it a shot. Get a 182. Put bigger tires on it (like 8:00 mains and a 6:00 nose). Low maintenance, can handle reasonable strips like the ones at Chilko, has the range, speed and the climb performance to punch through the Cascades from Squamish. Won't be an overload on your skill level after a ppl, yet you can continue to gain utility as you get more proficient.

No amphibs, no floats. Huge learning curve on both. Not so many places for fuel these days for floats and amphibs cost you big payload and limit strips you can go to.

Yeah, I used to fly floats out of Squamish, quite the adventure in your reputed winds. And our other more experienced pilot ground the keel strips down on the runway there when he forgot to put the wheels down. Hey, it happens.

I'm not nearly as concerned with new/duplicate "what plane is right for me?" threads these days with the knowledge base being built. I know people enjoy being at the center of a question and answer format. No big deal.

X2 what Karmutzen said. Look serious at the earlier 182's with the straight back not the one with the back window only because with the extended baggage kit you can put full size mountain bikes in without folding them down. They are also much easier to put really big horns inside.

Ya, I'd stick with wheels. As much as I like flying floats, the cost is just too much. Lots and lots of great places to go on wheels! And ya...an early 182 is a great aircraft. Nick at Lakes District Air in Burns Lake might be looking to sell his. Big engine, big tires, jump door, clean and tidy working interior. Grab it if you can...that plane really impressed me and I'm not that easy to impress!

Hey albravo, not sure what your price range is, but my buddy is selling a 73 182 with a pponk and canards on it. Great performance. Nice plane.

David

My estimates on flying to Canada from Oregon on amphibs vs straight 8.5 tires:

* insurance is 300% vs 8.5s
* maintenance on MLG is 200% (bearing, hydraulics, inspections, tires) vs 8.5s
* fuel is 150% vs 8.5 tires
* W/B, climb, ceiling, cruising speeds, choices of runways is adversely affected

My friend Ford used to keep his 185 based at Bridge Lake in BC, and he was convinced that floats were the ticket to the best spots away from civilization. You have to pay to play.

LOTS of waterways around here, not many sandbars or airstrips.
If you want to explore, not just land where everyone else does, you need floats.

Pay to play is right.

But if you can pay, both in $$$$$ and time to get the experience needed to operate safely in that environment, it's worth it. We've had our BC property on the Dean for 30 years now, and have flown it both wheels and floats, and there still is just something magic about kissing the water and sliding to a stop on your own beach in that breathtaking country.

Gump

Thanks all,

I expect I will end up on floats eventually but there is probably a good few years that I can spend learning and exploring on wheels. There are probably a number of airstrips in BC that are sufficiently remote to start with.

I especially hear the 'pay to play' advice. I know it will be more expensive to get off the beaten track but ultimately that is where I want to go.

I've asked for info on both of the planes mentioned. Probably won't hit enter on anything until I have my PPL in hand but I am definitely in information gathering mode and appreciate the referals.

Believe it or not, there are pilots out there with ASES only, no ASEL, due to where they learned to fly. How weird would that be?

I know of a couple guys that are like that Zane. They put their planes on wheels for annual inspections and need someone else to fly them to the mechanics and back...

"My friend Ford"??? Yes, I did base a 185 on straight floats from summer of '05 till summer of '12 on Bridge Lake, BC. In retrospect, this was the pinnacle of my 4,000+ hrs of flying Cessnas. To give my $.02 on this thread, I would comment on the issue of wheels vs floats.

For me I was only interested in remote area camping, fishing and exploring. I spent one summer in BC on wheels and never could find many places I wanted to visit on wheels. A few lodges, Indian Villages, a strip in the Spatsizi, etc. but for the most part all of these were too civilized for my liking. I also was a bit nervous flying over this very remote area on wheels as lakes or trees were virtually the only choice for an emergency landing. After almost a 1,000 hrs on floats I felt like I had many more options than on wheels but then again, in a single engine plane you have to trust, gulp, in Karma and good maintenance.

I never considered amphibs because of the cost for buying, maintaining, AND insurance costs in regard to amphibs. Insurance Companies just hate amphibs and you will pay dearly for them. The equally strong reason against amphibs is the huge penalty you pay for payload. I flew numerous trips with a friend in a 185 on Aerocett amphibs and I was faster in the air, quicker off the water, and could carry much more of a load than he could or would. Of course this advantage comes at a price, fuel availability challenges, maintenance concerns, and the convenience of reloading food and beer on trips. One real help was belonging to the BC Floatplane Association. The contacts thru BCFA made the fuel problem much less as there is a network of guys with their own fuel tanks scattered across Western Canada. I, too, had a tank at my home that was used a couple of times by visitors. Lastly, my personal opinion on learning to fly floats is much different than previously stated as having a huge learning curve. The mechanics of take off and landings are fairly easy to master and you rarely have to deal with a crosswind. Learning water handling around docks with wind and current is certainly the most challenging of this type of flying, or it was for me. I am not saying you won't have any scary moments but that can happen with any plane. Common sense and some planning go a long way in avoiding these pitfalls. Ask Nimpo Cub about trying to land on the short side of a 10 mile long lake and end up in the bushes. This happened to a guy we both knew as he was flying his Maule into Nimpo Lake for a summer of flying. I don't know if he even still flys any more. As far as floats go, I bought a set of Edo 4300's from Kenmore Air. They had been completely overhauled, including a new ID plates, for $16K. At the time a used set of straight Aerocetts were about $24K. I elected to go the cheaper route as I did not know if Canada AND floatflying was going to be something I wanted to do and having to sell the floats was a concern. If I had to do it all over again I would probably buy the Aerocetts. They have huge float lockers, the better to haul gas and beer in. My 4300s had nice size lockers but the Aerocetts were even bigger. I also liked the resiliency to dock rash the Aerocetts have, the great traction on the top of the floats is quite nice as well. I also believe that Aerocetts have proven to hold their value very well.

At the time I bought my 185, I didn't really have much of a chance to figure out what I wanted to do as my 210 had been stolen and I was in desperate need of a replacement I troubled MTV with many questions and got good advice from him. I had soloed in a Cessna 140 many years ago but that was not any advantage. Putting 182's on floats was just starting to happen and I never really considered this choice. In hindsight, I wish I had. There are far more 182's to choose from than 185's and they have not been subjected to the abuse that 185's are routinely forced to endure. For me and my mission, I have stated that I would never buy a taildragger(as an only plane) if I weren't on floats. During the winters I always switched back to wheels and I never "needed" a taildragger to land where I chose and this includes over 200 flights into Mexico and dirt strips. The 182 has a much larger cabin than a 185 and after owning a 182, 206, & a T-210, the 185 was like a phone booth. Back to the 182 for me, I like the comfort of the training wheel up front even though I think I was a decent tailwheel pilot, you just can't relax.

SO, if I were you, a 182 solves two issues, floats AND wheels with easy ground handling vs the need for constant concentration, a larger cabin for man "stuff". It would only cost me 2-3 hours and $200 to switch from wheels to floats or the reverse at Springhouse, BC. I would leave my floats there for the winter at no cost, something others did as well.

Which every way you go, BC is an awesome place to fly in. I only got a sniff of places to visit, you would need a couple of lifetimes to do it right. Good luck, FF

Floatflyer, thank you very much for the detailed reply. I've taken it to heart and appreciate your insights.

northernguy wrote:Ya, I'd stick with wheels. As much as I like flying floats, the cost is just too much. Lots and lots of great places to go on wheels! And ya...an early 182 is a great aircraft. Nick at Lakes District Air in Burns Lake might be looking to sell his. Big engine, big tires, jump door, clean and tidy working interior. Grab it if you can...that plane really impressed me and I'm not that easy to impress!

He decided not to sell. Is selling a Beaver instead and asked me to pass along the info here in case anybody looking for a Beaver.
http://www.csplane.com/7728.htm

albravo wrote:

northernguy wrote:Ya, I'd stick with wheels. As much as I like flying floats, the cost is just too much. Lots and lots of great places to go on wheels! And ya...an early 182 is a great aircraft. Nick at Lakes District Air in Burns Lake might be looking to sell his. Big engine, big tires, jump door, clean and tidy working interior. Grab it if you can...that plane really impressed me and I'm not that easy to impress!

He decided not to sell. Is selling a Beaver instead and asked me to pass along the info here in case anybody looking for a Beaver.
http://www.csplane.com/7728.htm

Whew! The temptation is past

albravo wrote:

northernguy wrote:Ya, I'd stick with wheels. As much as I like flying floats, the cost is just too much. Lots and lots of great places to go on wheels! And ya...an early 182 is a great aircraft. Nick at Lakes District Air in Burns Lake might be looking to sell his. Big engine, big tires, jump door, clean and tidy working interior. Grab it if you can...that plane really impressed me and I'm not that easy to impress!

He decided not to sell. Is selling a Beaver instead and asked me to pass along the info here in case anybody looking for a Beaver.
http://www.csplane.com/7728.htm

Heck, buy the beaver!!

I don't know much about British Columbia, but here is my suggestion: Take a look at a map of the Province. Note the number of water bodies. Now check out the number of airstrips.......

If you need/want to visit towns, go with wheels. But if you're looking for backcountry adventure, a seaplane might be a better deal in that part of the world.

FWIW

MTV

A1Skinner wrote:

albravo wrote:

northernguy wrote:Ya, I'd stick with wheels. As much as I like flying floats, the cost is just too much. Lots and lots of great places to go on wheels! And ya...an early 182 is a great aircraft. Nick at Lakes District Air in Burns Lake might be looking to sell his. Big engine, big tires, jump door, clean and tidy working interior. Grab it if you can...that plane really impressed me and I'm not that easy to impress!

He decided not to sell. Is selling a Beaver instead and asked me to pass along the info here in case anybody looking for a Beaver.
http://www.csplane.com/7728.htm

Heck, buy the beaver!!

No doubt! I would consider the -2 as an investment that will just appreciate more and more as time goes by.

Besides... they're attention grabbers, and they sound great!

Alan