I fly into the Dryden Ontario airport a few times in summer to go to our cabin (that is in that area) to do some fishing. Wondered if any of you guys are familiar with North-West Ontario and can suggest any good destinations to play with the taildragger. Thanks. Steve

Steve:

I'm from NW Ontario and there aren't alot of strips to play on! A few East of here, and Lac Seul has some big beaches later on in the summer!

Richh

Rich, I saw a Bush Hawk on floats tied up by the restaurant in Sioux Lookout last summer, was that yours? We are driving up to our cottage on Dinorwic Thursday (bringing a trailer load of stuff). Will probably fish out of Deception Bay at least once this trip. Hope to drive the Cessna up the first of July if they are not working on the Dryden runway.

Steve:

That Found is actually the competitors, we operate the bright orange planes next door! Sounds like you know the spots to fish, and you must know how big some of the beaches get on Lac Seul! Could land a tail dragger with big tires easily!

richh

Not sure that I am ready for the beaches yet. Just bought the 185 this last year and am still adjusting to that little wheel on the back, I still have the utmost respect for it. I don't know that I will ever get as good as all you guys going in and out of super short strips. I admire that ability and guess I will have to work on it, but the main reason for buying the skywagon was to put it on floats and let it live it's life out in the North Woods. Hope to figure out this summer if I can build some type of float plane storage to keep it in on our property year around. All my shoreline is fairly steep so I am not sure. Second choice is to put it on amphibs and build a hanger at Dryden, but I am not wild about the thought of amphibs. Anyone seen a way to deal with this situation? Rich are there any that have built float plane storage on the lakes in your area? Hope I have not traveled to far from the Back Country theme but this subject has been on my mind. Thanks. Steve Riggins

You will often see me travel much farther from the backcountry flying theme than that. I also second what John said, float flying is just as backcountry if not more. Afterall, the logo is a floatplane.


Z

Steve:

No hangars or storage on the lakes around here! Most people leave their aircraft outside year-round! Stop by any maintenance facility in the winter in Canada and the yards are usually full of float equipped aircraft!

Richh

Zane, speaking of logo how is the shirt thing going, or did I miss that? Yes I have noticed that most of the float planes seem to sit out all year. I know most are used as a flying pickup truck and are probably looked on differently then those of us that have them more for recreational use. I guess I have been on the farm to long and am used to keeping things under cover. Seems with the wet weather we get here in the midwest that farm equipment does not hold up quite as well if it is left out all the time and trade in is always better if it is shiney and new looking. I think the same thing holds true for planes. I don't know how the cost-reward ratio would work out in the case of a hanger, but I do know that when I started looking for a 185 that was one of my requirements and I paid extra to get nice. This sounds like a new thread, but how does everybody else feel? Is it really that important to keep them under cover? Maybe this is more of a regional thing, I perceive the west as being mostly dry, this may not be an issue where a lot of you guys are.

Can you build a covered dock, or something like a covered dock? When you pay that much money for an aircraft, why skimp on weather protection?