Canadair on the Duckpond

...finally flying off the pond

The field where I often fly was prone to flooding at the southern end; an event which occasioned the influx of birds of all kinds and the occasional kangaroo something for a splash.

However, unfortunately the sports club didn't share my enthusiasm at an inundated playing field and so instituted an engineered solution to pump the flood waters away. Happily, after a year or so, this fiendish system has failed, heralding a triumphant return of the ephemeral pond.

I had often been tempted to get something flying off the pond but for some reason never got around to it. However, for once, I managed to get to the field with a float plane while the pond was still full and when the weather was OK, in this case with the Canadair.

Unfortunately, as far as the video was concerned, the sun dipped away behind the clouds just as I the Canadair hit the water, so the video quality was frustratingly compromised. Despite that technical hiccup, the flying was a success, making the wait worthwhile...

Canadair CL-415 1390mm. Scenic Outing at the Little Lake

...a bit more successful

Following on from my rather unsuccessful previous expedition to the lake, I returned a week later with the Canadair again for another attempt.
I find flying off water to be rather stressful, due mainly to the inconvenience of failure, namely having to the boat out to rescue the plane and then pack it all up again. As a consequence I am much more nervous and therefore tend to fly much worse than otherwise.

The Canadair is easy to fly and I can generally fly it off the grass, not dissimilar in nature to taking off from water, with little issue. The takeoffs on this occasion were, happily, more successful although most were still a little nervy and one, which didn't make it into the video, was absolutely awful.

One contributing factor is that you don't always get to stand near the plane like you do at the field, and as a result you are literally distanced. I probably should've just gone to the large lake where I could have launched from right next to the jetty. However the little lake looked so scenic with the clouds in the afternoon sun..

Trainstar Floatplane First Flight

...it flies!!!

Opting to go with tenacity, due in part to today being the last very calm day forecast, this afternoon I headed off to the lake again with the Trainstar. The lake was not the location of first flight test, but rather another smaller venue promising virtually no onlookers, a feature which I found highly desirable.

There was a slight breeze blowing, not enough to unsettle the surface of the lake but sufficient to lend some assistance to the Trainstar to get airborne. The wind was also a northerly, helpful as access to the lake is at the southerly end.

The Trainstar was soon unpacked and on the lake, all tested and ready to go. I can't exactly remember the sequence of events, this first session also not being video'd for fear of tempting fate. Nevertheless, after a few false starts, I had the Trainstar in the air and flying.

Having had a brief airborne episode before I knew it would fly, although not exactly how, so the first takeoff was very much a beginner effort, with the Trainstar being hauled up, the climb angle eased off and then immediately increased as the plane started to drop, not being at all sure how it would behave.

The turns also took some getting used to, the weight of the floats dramatically increasing the self-righting effect the Trainstar has thanks to its wing dihedral. Nevertheless, the Trainstar still climbed and turned surprisingly well, and I cruised it overhead before turning back over the lake.

As I mentioned before, it becomes very floating with power off, I think due to the increased flap setting I'm using, although I'd expected the opposite with the float drag. However, having said that, I did expect the boat-shape of the floats to contribute some lift so perhaps that effect is more than anticipated.

At any rate the Trainstar floatplane is very predictable of landing approach once the speed has dropped off from cruise, although I still only managed one landing which was good, the others being a decaying series of slapping jumps off the lake. However, due in no small part to the generous nature of the floats, the plane never once ended in the drink, the buoyancy and stability of the floats righting and steadying the Trainstar every time, even once when I had the wingtip on the water with power still on full.

The only problem I had was running out of battery one one last approach, the Trainstar landing in the middle of the lake, having to resort to occasional brief bursts on reserve power and the breeze to return the plane to the shore...

Seaplane Risks

...clearly requires more consideration

Having successfully completed an on-water test of my Trainstar floatplane, I've been searching for suitable large expanses of water for it its first flight. Suitably large is a requirement as, with an additional 300g of mass, I'm not sure how well the Trainstar will fly.

I've found a couple of potentials, a dam and a lake, however standing on the shore and picturing the Trainstar scooting across the water one is struck immediately by a quandary; what if something should go wrong? While a large expanse of water mean no obstacles to avoid, it also means a swim if anything goes wrong.

Although I think the risk of a tip-over is small, the consequence is a rather unpleasant swim in cold lake. This sort of consideration isn't immediately apparent while enjoying watching videos of seaplanes happily taking off and landing. The local boat club has a dinghy for retrieval of boats in these circumstances, although this isn't something I have access to.

My ideal venue for flying the Trainstar has therefore been revised to a large expanse of water no more than a foot deep. I'll let you know when I find it...

Trainstar Seaplane Water Test

...and still floating at the end

This morning I did my first on-water test of my Trainstar fitted with 0.40 size floats, conducted at the local duck pond and home of the local model boat club.

I had no intentions of getting the Trainstar into the air here, simply because there are too many tree surrounding the pond, combined with the fact that I'm not sure how well the Trainstar will fly with carrying additional 300g of floats.

The floats will provide a little lift, given their curved shape at the front, however there will be a lot of drag, so the slow Trainstar will become very slow. I am going to increase the flap angle, and I'm also thinking of dropping the ailerons by half a turn of the clevis to make the wings higher-lift as an initial precaution.

The other concern regarding the flying capability is the need for a long pond or lake; while the local duck pond was fine for this first test (although I even managed to overshoot once into the bushes), I'd like somewhere to land straight ahead as part of the flight evaluation. It would also give the choice to opt out it things didn't look good, without having to go round when you might not make it.

Anyway, the water test went well with the Trainstar happily buzzing around the pond. The water rudder worked well with just the single cable operating it off the rudder control horn, and on a couple of occasions I got the Trainstar to the point of lift-off, which was encouraging. It is a little tricky to keep it on a straight take-off run, something I've experienced with it on wheels as well.

Anyway, now just to find a larger venue to get the Trainstar into the air...