Backcountry Pilot • King Katmai

King Katmai

Have you modified your aircraft? STC? STOL Kit? Major rebuild from just a data plate?
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King Katmai

So a few threads have dealt with Peterson conversions in the past but not really getting into it. I am looking for my next plane and the one that has my attention this week is a King Katmai thats advertised on peterson's website:
www.katmai-260se.com/for_sale/n324rh%20for%20sale.pdf

Expensive, but, seems like a great performer. Short field, 1100 lb useful load, good cruise speed, not bad fuel consumption, etc. Also the flat angles the plane operates in seems to make safety sense.

I'd like to go take a look at it, I'm torn though, I've worked hard at becoming a taildragger pilot, do I really want to regress?

I talked to Todd Peterson, and he makes the plane sound like it does everything (of course he would), what do you guys think?

How are these things to own? Someone in the past mentioned the cowl was a pain.

Lemme know what you think.
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There is a pimped-out Katmai for sale in St. George, Ut owned by Mr. Rainey. He had Todd find him a sub-1000hr. 182 and do the whole enchilada. Rainey says the only thing that remained were the yokes. Its gorgeous and he only wants $360K.

http://www.katmai-260se.com/for_sale/n3 ... 20sale.pdf

Screamin deal.

:shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock: :shock:
SixTwoLeemer offline
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Hey Brad, looks like your search is over. Go get it.

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"They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety". Ben Franklin
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those 182's rock! lots of h.p., cabin room, good heaters, etc.

will 'smoke an under-powered tail dragger...!

and it is nice to cover 170 nm in about 1 hr 30 mn...

great slow flight stuff...as well
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A stock 182 is a great aircraft. Do an IO550 conversion and a Sportsman kit, and spend the other $200,000 on a hanger and avgas. This is a crazy amount of money for a 182, and a 182 with a good pilot will do 95% of what the Katmai will do. I would like to see what the dry weight of the Katmai is. I'm guessing 1900-2000lbs. My advice, get a IO550 185, and learn how to fly it well.
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I have to agree with Wingnut. While the Katmai is novel and pretty neat, it is outrageously expensive. A really nice low-time 185 with amphibs would be less than half of that price.
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Todd had his latest Katmai up in Idaho this summer. It made me take a double take as I rolled past it at BC. What a pretty bird. I'd love to give her a whirl. But I have to agree with the previous posts. There are a lot of good birds out there for a lot less money.

Sounds like Joe is having to part with some toys. Wonder if he is still flying his TBM. Last I heard he was trying to squeeze money out of his home building company in northern UT that wasn't there to be had.
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I know a couple of guys who fly a 260SE and a Katmai and really enjoyed them. So much so that they both bought two additional 182's to perform the conversion on. While they were awaiting their slot for the Peterson conversion they proceded to install the ART wing'x, O-520, and Sportsman STOL. Needless to say both of these individuals are not proceding with the Peterson conversion as they are more than happy with the performance of the second 182's with those mod's only.

I don't know specifics with regards to the performance differences but I do know that it would be a heck of alot cheaper than $360k.
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I would never pay $$$360K for a 182,even if it was a turbine with a gold prop.....................you can find a BEAVER for around that much!The Katmai does perform unbelievable but anything that cost that much should.I am sure it is an awesome plane just a bit spendy.
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Hey, it's a 79 model, only $360,000 for a thirty year old 182 ain't bad is it?
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Some excellent points, thats why I put it out there. I think part of whats made me interested is my experience in my murphy rebel. It initially had some issues and I've had to spend almost as much time working on it as flying it. That said, I think I've learned alot from my little experimental. As I move on I kind of want the opposite of my built in a garage plane, new has some appeal to me. I've also been wanting to fly a Bush Hawk thats for sale up in Idaho which is gonna go for about the same money. The Bush Hawk seems a much more limited plane though.

Also I don't think that King Katmai is going to go for the full 360k.

Regardless of the cash which is sizeable, the Katmai seems to be a plane that has a large number of things it does well.
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Let us know what you end up with Brad.

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"They who can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary safety, deserve neither liberty nor safety". Ben Franklin
http://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Benjamin_Franklin

doth wrote: While they were awaiting their slot for the Peterson conversion they proceded to install the ART wing'x, O-520, and Sportsman STOL. Needless to say both of these individuals are not proceding with the Peterson conversion as they are more than happy with the performance of the second 182's with those mod's only.


This is my plan when the lottery comission calls......find a clean 182, ART wing-x, Sportsman STOL, P-Ponk motor and some 8.50's all the way around. All for less than a hundy.

I have personally inspected Rainey's Katmai and it is gorgeous, over the top. However the concept is backcountry with Maybach paint and interior, a toy for the rich. He told us that he had landed at one grass-strip near Freedom, WY and that was it. I don't think he wants to scratch it. As you have said, it prolly won't fetch $360K but anywhere near that is near nice house and a nice airplane dough, IMHO.
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[quote="SixTwoLeemer].....He told us that he had landed at one grass-strip near Freedom, WY and that was it........ [/quote]

Well, ya wouldn't want to get any mud on it! What are you thinking? :P
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Neat looking plane- I'd never heard of it before. Just noticed the canards too!

Definitely looks like the airplane equivalent of a monster truck with subwoofers behind the seats, as in "how much can I add stuff onto this airframe to jack it up and pimp it out." Seems opposite to the approach with many working backcountry planes, of "how much can I take out of it, to lighten it up and improve performance?" Start with the leather headliner and upholstery, the autopilot, the TCAS, the aux power plug, the cockpit organizer, the visors, oxygen, (paint...)

Course, that's all just sour grapes talk, cause if somebody gave me one, I'd probably learn to like it pretty quick :wink: (or trade it for a Husky A-1B, a C-180 and a hangar to store them both in) :P
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What ever happened to the real pilots who flew mostly stock SC's and C-180's. Ability is much better than throwing money at ( advanced stc's ) to be able to get into the backcountry.
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7853H wrote:What ever happened to the real pilots who flew mostly stock SC's and C-180's.


I think they're out having fun and flying the dirt in Northern Nevada!!!! Not a turbo charger one in the whole bunch. :lol:

Adding horsepower and tricks to incompetence and poor decision making is like putting tennis shoes on your Grandma. Might look fancy, but doesn't do much.

Gump
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wingnut185 wrote:I really feel that aircraft like this are being marked to to people who have no business operating in the backcountry. An experienced pilot can operate a 172, 180,182, 185, or 206 out of almost anything considered an airstrip. Big tires help alot. I can't argue with more horsepower, but modifying and bolting crap all over an aircraft dont make you a better pilot. Spend some time in Idaho and a look at what the commercial operators do every day with stock 172's 180's 206's and Islanders. The best modification any pilot can do is modifing their skill by getting some good instruction, like a mountian canyon flying course, and learning what your airplane will do. It spooks me anytime I hear the phrase "can my airplane go there" on these fourms. The ability of any aircraft is 90% the pilot and 10% the aircraft. You need to know the capabilities of your aircraft most importantly the capabilities of you as a pilot before you get there, asking others "can my airplane go there" is a shure sign you don't need to go there. Sorry about the rant, get a good spam can and fly the shit out of it!!!


Extremely well stated.
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I would never spend three and a half large on a 182, Mine would be a helio stallion clone, turbo porter, or beaver... something that burned lots of oil and made a bigger crowd piss and moan...

but I do think those things are pretty cool.

I don't understand what all the hoopla is about the mods? I suppose we should never try and come up with a better flying airplane :roll: Maybe "Real" bush pilots should start flying balloons... :lol: Sorry.... make that muddy, shit covered balloons with tape and bailing wire, wouldn't want to actually look good while you are having fun...

The trick shit sure won't replace incompetence, but neither will a bone stock airplane, on the otherhand, the trick shit in proficient hands will always whip the snott out of a "stocker" in the same hands. If you don't believe that you either have your head in the sand, or you have never watched ANY performance related motorsport period....

Sounds like a lot of penis envy on this thread.... :wink:

Sorry... that would be my terminal assholiosis showing again :oops:
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