Hi all,
So the time of year is here, the winter is quickly approaching and it's time to take my PA-12 and turn the floats into some wheels. Now I've seen video's and heard from old timers that it's no big deal landing straight floats on a grassy surface. I am a bit more nervous! So I'd like to hear tips/advise from those who have. I much prefer to take it out of the water on a trailer but this would had a huge amount of cost/effort to the process. My mechanics who do a lot of float work have me convinced to fly it into the grass at our airport. Granted I know the basics, wet grass preferred, into the wind, pitch attitude set for least pitching moment upon touchtown, lowest possible controllable airspeed ect.... just wanted to have some other pilots tell me this isn't crazy...or worse that is is! Just a glassy water landing right.....

Here's an example of someone "throwing" their seaplane at the grass. This seams like they stall a bit high and come down hard at a high pitch attitude, but everything looks unharmed....




Mike

It's a non-event... Use a bit of throttle and set it on the ground like a slightly nose high wheel landing. Slow it down in ground effect, nose up just a little, and use throttle to eeeeeeeeease it onto the ground. Then full aft elevator once you start sliding.

Wet grass, dry grass, gravel, pavement, snow, ice... The floats aren't fussy, and as long as you don't run over a curb or something like a can-opener, you won't even see a mark on the keels from where they slid.

Gump

Gump got it, but the Cub didn't stall. He was flying slower than stall speed in low ground effect. He was in low ground effect and under power and slower than stall speed when he touched down.

When we need to get down both slow and somewhat level, we get slow enough in low ground effect to mush down under power. When we are about to touch down, we level the airplane. This is the same way a wheel landing should be done. Only difference in a wheel landing is that we want to take all pitch angle out on touchdown.

Yeah, use more finesse than the guy in the video. Don't just chop the throttle to idle while in the air. Hold power on until the floats kiss the ground. You're gonna slow down quickly no matter how much power you use once on the ground, and keeping a bit of power gives you more ooomph to the elevator and keeping the nose from rocking up and down. When done right it's baby butt smooth.

Gump

The most important thing I can add from dry ass West Texas is to have multiple camera angles.

First times a rush. Just slow it down with a little power. Wet grass is indeed better.

Cameras are good.

MTV

There was this Hero at the Nut Tree (VCB) that slid to a stop on asphalt three time in a 206 Amphib before having to replace the keels.
The upside, he never landed in the water with gear down…. I think….. it's been a while since I've seen him!

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