Floatplane Takeoff Performance

By J.J. Frey and Leon Kaplan

It’s no wonder takeoff competitions are so popular at splash-ins—it’s what performance is all about in a seaplane. Aircraft weight, water conditions, takeoff area, ambient condition all come into play on takeoff. Getting the most from a seaplane on the most critical phase of flight involves more than having a clean, dry hull or set of floats. Every aspect of the seaplane must be scrutinized and optimized. Our Edo veterans tell us how.

Still Flying the Maine Bush

By Paul J. Fournier

Most people associate bush flying with Alaska, but Andy Stinson has more than six decades and nearly 20,000 hours of flying the backwoods—the bush—of Maine. That experience has provided the soft-spoken Stinson with plenty of stories to tell, but one thing he doesn’t have is an accident to his name.

By Burke Mees

The annual Iditarod race between Nome and Seward commemorates what was the Alaskan version of the Pony Express: dogsleds brought mail, supplies, and news north, and then carried gold from Nome on the backhaul. Following the 2009 race in a skiplane reveals the grueling and heroic nature of the event.