Allan, does the Puppy have any suggestions? :-lolRob, the Puppy has been very busy lately, He's learning how to fly his own Plane. What A smart Puppy "Aye"http://forums.avsim.com/user_files/88492.jpgOf course he has a excellent teacher and I'm watching over him big time :-lolhttp://forums.avsim.com/user_files/88493.jpgHave Fun :-vuurAllan and PuppyBush Flying Unlimitedhttp://avsim.com/hangar/air/bfu/logo70.gif

Its good to hear that Puppy is practising flying - Puppy's should get out and do things too. It worries me a bit that you said he's got a good trainer, but in your pics I could only see Puppy and your plane. Where's the good trainer?Is your plane a Beaver? The cockpit looks like a Goose. I've only seen the beaver and goose in FU3, so I'm probably missing something here. I gather that Beaver's are still the plane of choice around Alaska (judging from Computer Pilot magazine). I don't trust them because they spin so viciously.RobD.

RobD.Where's the good trainer? Ouch!!! that would be little ole me.Is your Plane a Beaver? No I quit using Beavers, they are to hard to keep clean. :-lolhttp://forums.avsim.com/user_files/88724.jpgPuppy and I are both flying Turbo Otters DHC-3 Mine is Ampib. Puppy hasn't passed his float plane test yet, so he's got wheels only.You said I don't trust Beaver Planes because they spin so viciously?I have to say that I got to fly a 1952 Beaver float Plane for about 20 minutes on one of my fly-in fishing trips, and it was the most docile Airplane I've got ever had the chance to fly, I can't imagine ever losing that one. A guy could go deaf riding in it, but it's super easy to fly.Have Fun :-vuurAllan and PuppyBush Flying Unlimitedhttp://avsim.com/hangar/air/bfu/logo70.gif

Hmm have to clean up your sense of humour.:-bang I'm sure they're docile in flat flight, but I got into trouble in FU3 a few times in accelerated turns where the plane got ahead of me and I couldn't break it out of its spin in 3000 ft, even by throttling back and opposite rudder (my usual way of controlling spin) which works on the Cessna. So its hard to start a spin, but once one wing is heavily stalled, I found it difficult to get out. Well, impacting the terrain seemed to fix the spin fairly well.... I suspect that in a full yaw/roll spin the airflow over the rudder is blocked by the high wings. But I was never a pert so can't claim to be an ex-pert.Any real or sim experience here from others?RobD.

Rob,The DHC3 is pretty docile in reality and can feel underpowered - especially when the wharf is closing-in during takeoff :-eek I had the pleasure to fly a few times in one a couple of years ago. This was before I started my PPL but I got to fly it for a few minutes here and there. I agree with the noise factor too. I was working on the GeeBee at the time and imagined how LOUD it would be with no muffler/pipe (and a wooden fuselage)!!!The problem/advantage of planes like this is stall speed. Due to the massive wings and floats, the stall speed is affected by the floats. As you bank sharper and sharper, at some stage, the floats 'drop' their lift and you'd better have some climb in reserve! Once in a spin, the complex aerodynamics of huge wings and floats creates a complex, assymetric lift characteristic. A what? Well, fly along at 3kft noting all surface and power settings. Now, roll her over into inverted flight. 2 things will happen; you'll lose altitude and you find yourself using a lot of down trim just to stay level. This is because wings are somewhat assymetrical and do not provide the same lift when inverted. So what? Well, those huge floats ONLY provide lift when upright. Whilst they have slabbish sides, towards the top they curve over to the top, meaning that lift is not maintained beyond a certain bank. Add to that the fact that the wings are stealing lift from them when inverted and you can see why the flight characteristics can change so unfavourably. Experienced pilots avoid these situations!Rob, you may remember a floatplane crash near Cottage Point some years ago (air crashes in Sydney are rare!). This was a Cessna 185 with floats and was caused by a sudden loss of lift due to excessive bank when turning after a go-around under arduous conditions (there were many more reasons, including lack of experience with this plane but this was the crux of it). The plane plummeted into the trees before reaching the water :-( The ATSB also found that the aircraft manual had not been updated with the higher stall speed of a float version and instead reflected a standard wheeled 185.Me? I've never spun a DHC3 or Beaver - either in real life or in a sim. Guess I'm no 'pert' either :-lolRegards,**************Jonathan Point**************"I'd rather be down here wishing I was up there than up there wishing I was down here"