I've mentioned before I'd like to try water skiing with my wheel skis on, but I dont think I'd try this way.

Looks like a great way to kill yourself and your passenger with the nice cleavage! Looking at the airspeed indicator seems like they are at the top of the white are.....maybe 90mph? I understand using a small section of water with big wheel to aid in a short landing, but this is just someone who is looking to get hurt....

You can fast forward to :59, to get to the good part.

Just yesterday I was having a beer with a rancher friend who was hoping his fields were going to be completely flooded, that way all the gophers and voles drown, and he doesn't have to irrigate for a while. Right now they are partially flooded. This is the same rancher friend I take flying a couple times a year, landing in said fields to pick him up, so....it looks like some flooded field water skiing as soon as the weather cooperates!

I too thought of doing it (water skiing) on my wheel skis, but it was all frozen

After all these years flying, I just don't get it. The girl gets in the plane. The guy says, "hey, watch this." She just sits there and lets him. Darwin is just waiting on the side lines... to see if they can join the list. If you want to die young... at least go by yourself man.
(Don't get me wrong... I have used Tundra Tires on a Super Cub to make many beach landings at the edge of the water in Alaska. It involved WORK. It did not include the innocent. It was not onto fairly glassy water on small tires.)
Anyway, glad you survived to make an instructional "Darwin Club" video post. Cheers.

I can't say enough about the potential bad mojo of doing this with glassy water as in this video.

I ended up swimming as a passenger in a helicopter due to flying into glassy water. Exercise extreme caution.

lowflyin'G3 wrote:I can't say enough about the potential bad mojo of doing this with glassy water as in this video.

I ended up swimming as a passenger in a helicopter due to flying into glassy water. Exercise extreme caution.

Yeah, and leave the passenger out of it. That's a whole different deal then doing it solo, in my book anyway. I had 3 unintended glancing touchdowns last winter on skis (while solo BTW) and I had a whole lot more visual clues then over glassy water. I want to play and accept the hazards of doing so, doing it with a passenger?

That knot-head is an instructor too, or he wouldn't be flying from that seat.

I'm curious, how many members here have used the water landing technique? My cousin and I would do this in the Cub occasionally, mostly for landing. The Cub had 29x10x11 bushweels. We both agreed when we bought the 180 that it's wheels were going to stay dry! 8.50's just LOOK like a bad idea on water!

flightlogic wrote:Anyway, glad you survived to make an instructional "Darwin Club" video post. Cheers.

Except L-19 didnt make the video, he was sharing.

Only question I have is why it's posted. You gotta be sadistic to share anything these days even with fellow enthusiasts. I love how we eat our own in aviation. I've never done it but from talking to people who have you can't get into the water any easier than you can pavement if it's smooth. I understand the flat light glassy water risk but it looks somewhat mitigated by not being out in the middle of a huge lake, good horizon, overcast day. I sure know how it feels to go skipping across the water at 45 mph on a water ski. And I know we all love to take the risk of off airport landings, why do we crucify for one risk, but enjoy the other? Maybe off airport landings should only be done solo too? Why pass that risk on to a passenger?

edit for redneck spelling

I think SHortfielder posted a bette vid than this one a year ago... It was on the Colorado River up by Caveman... SOmeone will find it I haven't time to look for it now....

Ya know I never even noticed the cleavage until you mentioned it, I was looking down at the wheel just like her!

Here's a couple more I found since were discussing it.

Anyone else find it ironic that the music chosen was Crazy Train by Ozzy, which is kind of the signature guitar sound of Randy Rhodes, who was killed while riding in an airplane while they pilot was having a "het watch this" moment?

Speed is your friend when you're on the water. I've seen guys water ski on 500x5s. At 90mph the water is as hard as concrete, you can bounce the plane off the surface, and it will never flip. It would frighten me to do a water assisted landing because your at the edge where the water quits holding you up, you start sinking and can flip over.

Well did he at least get laid? Your only cool until you fuck up and then your the biggest idiot.

Meat Servo wrote:Only question I have is why it's posted. You gotta be sadistic to share anything these days even with fellow enthusiasts. I love how we eat our own in aviation. I've never done it but from talking to people who have you can't get into the water any easier than you can pavement if it's smooth. I understand the flat light glassy water risk but it looks somewhat mitigated by not being out in the middle of a huge lake, good horizon, overcast day. I sure know how it feels to go skipping across the water at 45 mph on a water ski. And I know we all love to take the risk of off airport landings, why do we crucify for one risk, but enjoy the other? Maybe off airport landings should only be done solo too? Why pass that risk on to a passenger?

edit for redneck spelling

I couldn't agree more with you D, very accurate observation.

Didn't the old Turbine Cubs video show them water skiing?

I can land places I can't get out of, so I really don't need to use the technique to land on gravel bars etc. I have passed on some shorter bars that would have required a water assist TAKEOFF, now that is a real leap of faith! You see lots of shots of cruise flight skiing or landings, takeoff skiing a bit rarer, I have yet to feel that urge. I only started skiing last year, and to tell the truth was a little underwhelmed, it got old rather quickly, and I rarely bother now. Short hillside ops seems a lot more interesting and ever challenging, more fun actually for me anyway then skiing.

Water skiing is a technique use for short landings on to gravel bars. But this is something one should do alone. When a person or persons climb in to your plane you are responsible for there safety and well being. What one dose with there life is up to them. Putting others at risk and in danger is not something to toy with. What will happen only takes a second then its to late. It dose not matter how proficient you are flying from the right seat as it looks in the video, if your trying to impress some one do it in other ways and not by flying. If your an instructor and doing this to show how it its done, then you should know better and should lose your sertific for a time..
Just my thought in the matter.

Delete.....to many beers