Small Tail Caddy wrote:Playing on rivers and gravel bars have been some of my most memorable trips in a plane. My biggest fear has been other planes doing the same thing.
I met the turbine Sherpa last summer over the Willamette river on a corner, we past within 100 or so feet going in opposite directions.
I have always thought if I met another plane at the same altitude I would not pull up, but go down if I had the room, hoping the other guy would pull up out of instinct.
I know there are a lot of people that fly the Willamette river, some with a lot faster planes than mine, makes me wonder if it worth the risk.
Something I have been wanting to do, but have not had the kahunas to do yet, is touching the tires on the water.

Not a bad idea to make blind announcements on the radio even if you think no one's around. I do that a lot. I know there's other guy's that go out to the Owyhee River and play down low. When I'm doing the same whether I know there's others in the area or not, I'll just simply say "area traffic, Slylane 36Delta down low along Owyhee River south of Pelican Point south bound". But of course when your in the canyons, others may not hear ya. Might be different flying along tree top level in an open valley. You know what I mean though.

Mongo wrote:To bad that Santa forgot my Bushwheels this year

I was going to say, "Is it about time to give them boys a call??" I'm thinking so!

But hey, If I remember right, your still a newbie? If so, be careful! We all like good story's, but never want to hear anything tragic!

Fisherman wrote:

1SeventyZ wrote:I don't claim to be that knowledgeable on this topic (read posts from guys like G3^^ with both eyes open) but I have dabbled in flying down rivers, although not in my Cessna.

Like this guy? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o40_MzuKIGA

Kinda like Mr Shar Pei Neck, only a narrower river and 1/4th the speed.

You wouldn't be the first guy to go whipping through a set of wires doing what you're doing.

If you are flying where there might be female power lines, it is always best to fly up sun. The sun shining on the wires make them somewhat visible, down sun they are almost totally invisible.

TD

Not a bad idea to make blind announcements on the radio even if you think no one's around. I do that a lot.

OK, just who are you talking to? What frequency? 122.8. 122.7. 123.45. 121.5???? Doesn't matter, it's blasting out there for 100+ miles for all to hear.

I listen to guys, and gals, out here in the desert who must be scared of the emptiness, because they never stop broadcasting their location.

"Podunk Unicom, Cessna XYZ is 10 point five northhbound, twenty miles south." Thirty seconds later it's, "Podunk Unicom, Cessna XYZ is 10 point five northhbound, nineteen miles south." Thirty seconds later it's, "Podunk Unicom, Cessna XYZ is 10 point five northhbound, eighteen miles south." On ad nauseum....

They're 6,000 feet above the ground, and they never f**king stop talking on the radio. Nobody cares, nobody wants to know where they are, and if I had time to drive out to the SAM site on base here I'd shoot them down just for the peace and quiet.

Same folks are the ones who never shut up in the pattern. "Thinking about downwind. Still downwind. Downwind some more. Downwind to right base. Oops I mean left base. Uhhh, left final. Short final. I land now. I'm gonna leave the runway now. I'm on the taxiway. I'm taxiing. I'm gonna find fuel."

Holy shit. Meanwhile three airports away two guys are looking for each other, just guessing where the other guy is because nobody else can talk while motormouth is busy playing tour guide!

OK, rant over.

Gump

Thanks, Gump Happy New Year

TomD wrote:female power lines

I've been thinking about this one, and still got nothin'. What exactly is a female power line?

Sneaky bitches that strike unseen and ruin a guy's life....

Male powerlines sit there in plain sight, daring you to hit them.

Gump

While I see 58's point when in certain middle of nowhere high traffic area's my comment is, That's no shit Gump! It make's me laugh thinking about hearing that crap all the time. Especially the one's that are up in the stratosphere. You wanna talk to someone up there, talk to center, their the only one's that are gonna give a shit about you anyway.
Back to 58, I would generally make those types of calls on 122.9 if there were strips of that freq in a ten mile or so vicinity. The down side, whenever I'm out playing with the boyz in a group we're usually on another freq so's we can "watch this",each other! So it probably wouldn't be any use anyway. I do make position reports in the b/c on 22.9 when getting in the canyons around airstrips.

Gump,

My thoughts PRECISELY

As to low level ops--while there may be nothing wrong with flying around low level, it has its risks. Power lines being one set of risks.

Puke an engine down there, and you WILL be landing pretty much straight ahead, on whatever is there. Engine failures are rare--I've only had three. Okay-pretty rare. I was a conference where the CEO of the company that owns Pratt and Whitney was bragging about their PT-6 engines. He stated that they have engine failures down to a rate of 1 for every 100,000 flight hours. Those are about as good a statistic as you'll find, and waaaaayyyy better than a piston engine, but--they still have a measurable failure rate.

Bird strikes have been all in the news lately, and are now a focus of attention of the FAA, NTSB, and US Airways.... I've flown around a LOT of birds and never had a bad problem, but low level is right where most birds are going to be found, and surprising them may not be good. Many birds react to threats by diving. If you're below..

As G3 noted, ag pilots have aircraft designed to crash, cause they do with some regularity. That's not because they're stupid or bad pilots--it's because they're low a lot, and do a lot of maneuvering. I spent much of my flying career operating at low level, looking at stuff on the ground. It's fun, most days, as long as you pay attention to the risks. Helmets aren't a bad idea, either, by the way.

Oh, and there's the wires.....

MTV

Like I said a long time ago I want a system that say's

Click your mic three times " For Shut the F**# UP"

What exactly is a female power line?

The ones without balls. (Courtesy of Dave Wiley)

Mongo wrote:I have a funny story about underwear.
While on a flight the other day to go see about towing some gliders this spring I Sharted at 3000'...
I must say it was very hard to get them of while flying with a stick, maybe yokes are ok..
Once I got them off ( and cleaned up a bit ) I through them out the window,nothing like a good old crap bomb.

I almost just did, just reading this...

Damn... I do miss Dave.

Gump

1SeventyZ wrote:

Fisherman wrote:

1SeventyZ wrote:I don't claim to be that knowledgeable on this topic (read posts from guys like G3^^ with both eyes open) but I have dabbled in flying down rivers, although not in my Cessna.

Like this guy? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o40_MzuKIGA

Kinda like Mr Shar Pei Neck, only a narrower river and 1/4th the speed.

Ha Ha! That exactly what I thought when I saw this for the first time. Look! The poor man has no neck!

TomD wrote:

What exactly is a female power line?

The ones without balls. (Courtesy of Dave Wiley)

I laughed then I cried. RIP Dave. I was going to do my float rating with him.

GumpAir wrote:

Not a bad idea to make blind announcements on the radio even if you think no one's around. I do that a lot.

OK, just who are you talking to? What frequency? 122.8. 122.7. 123.45. 121.5???? Doesn't matter, it's blasting out there for 100+ miles for all to hear.

I listen to guys, and gals, out here in the desert who must be scared of the emptiness, because they never stop broadcasting their location.

"Podunk Unicom, Cessna XYZ is 10 point five northhbound, twenty miles south." Thirty seconds later it's, "Podunk Unicom, Cessna XYZ is 10 point five northhbound, nineteen miles south." Thirty seconds later it's, "Podunk Unicom, Cessna XYZ is 10 point five northhbound, eighteen miles south." On ad nauseum....

They're 6,000 feet above the ground, and they never f**king stop talking on the radio. Nobody cares, nobody wants to know where they are, and if I had time to drive out to the SAM site on base here I'd shoot them down just for the peace and quiet.

Same folks are the ones who never shut up in the pattern. "Thinking about downwind. Still downwind. Downwind some more. Downwind to right base. Oops I mean left base. Uhhh, left final. Short final. I land now. I'm gonna leave the runway now. I'm on the taxiway. I'm taxiing. I'm gonna find fuel."

Holy shit. Meanwhile three airports away two guys are looking for each other, just guessing where the other guy is because nobody else can talk while motormouth is busy playing tour guide!

OK, rant over.

Gump

I'm not even going to respond . Clearly I dug myself a hole on this one. I love your reply though, Gump!! That's some funny shit there!!! I about fell out of my chair laughing my ass off!!!

58Skylane wrote:I'm not even going to respond . Clearly I dug myself a hole on this one.

I wasn't picking on you Pat!!! But if you come winging in here chattering like a magpie, I'm gonna have Floyd slap you upside the head.

Gump

GumpAir wrote:

58Skylane wrote:I'm not even going to respond . Clearly I dug myself a hole on this one.

I wasn't picking on you Pat!!! But if you come winging in here chattering like a magpie, I'm gonna have Floyd slap you upside the head.

Gump

I know you were just giving me crap!!! Funny as hell and so true the way you put it!! But yeah, I don't want to get on Floyd's bad side!!!

Small Tail Caddy wrote:Playing on rivers and gravel bars have been some of my most memorable trips in a plane. My biggest fear has been other planes doing the same thing.
I met the turbine Sherpa last summer over the Willamette river on a corner, we past within 100 or so feet going in opposite directions.
I have always thought if I met another plane at the same altitude I would not pull up, but go down if I had the room, hoping the other guy would pull up out of instinct.
I know there are a lot of people that fly the Willamette river, some with a lot faster planes than mine, makes me wonder if it worth the risk.
Something I have been wanting to do, but have not had the kahunas to do yet, is touching the tires on the water.

i am new at this type of flying, i am hoping to fly idaho someday, i am learning quite alot just by reading all the posts, the experience these guys have is amazing. i was taught by an old mentor of mine, to always push the stick forward when there is the possibility of a midair, the majority of pilots will pull !!!!!!!!!!!!!!