AT-6 out for a ski

[Guest sulaco]

Check this out. AT-6's in formation water ski.

http://www.flightzone.co.za/media/harvards.wmv

[Guest C-21 Pilot]

Nice vid...pretty good skill, as well.

[Guest CBStud]

Quite possibly the dumbest thing I've ever seen anyone do with an airplane. Those guys are asking to be killed.

[Guest sleepy]

You ever skipped a rock?

I know two of those guys. In fact, I sold them the helmets they are wearing.

[Whitman]

Awesome video but seems a bit dangerous...the closest I ever got to the water in an AT-6 was 200 feet and that was close enough for me

[Hacker]

Originally posted by '2':

Quite possibly the dumbest thing I've ever seen anyone do with an airplane. Those guys are asking to be killed.

Not really...go read the thread on the photographs of the same event. Bush pilots do this all the time and it's not as dangerous as it looks.

[PlanePhlyer]

That was pretty impressive...can't wait to try that in a T-38 Think the AF would give out a waiver to try it??

[Riddller]

Originally posted by Hacker:

Not really...go read the thread on the photographs of the same event. Bush pilots do this all the time and it's not as dangerous as it looks.

Are you kidding?? If those guys were off altitude by like 4 inches, the gear digs in and they're nothing but an oil slick left on the water!!

And just because you DO have the sack for it, doesn't mean its NOT dumb!! The internet is full of videos of people doing stuff that 'seemed like a good idea at the time' and ended up with extended stays in the hospital or pushing up daisies!

I'm not saying it doesn't look cool as $hit, and impressive as hell, it does and it is, but Darwin has a way of keeping too many people like that from reproducing.

[ellsworb]

Hacker is spot on. This "ski" technique is tought extensively in the bush flying community to get their planes on tight sandbars and debris free areas. After a little practice, its really not a HUGE deal. . Granted, the bush pilots are doing this usually comming on or going off of the shoreline. . so no deep water. .

[Hacker]

Originally posted by Riddller:

Are you kidding?? If those guys were off altitude by like 4 inches, the gear digs in and they're nothing but an oil slick left on the water!!

No...I'm not kidding. Read up on it.

I know several guys who have done it before in an Aviat Husky and in a Dh Beaver and (acording to them) it's not as dangerous as it seems. The surface tension of the water at that airspeed is significant, as is the ground effect. The airplane wants to fly away from the water and not get stuck down into it. Apparently, it takes a bunch of forward stick pressure to keep it sticking on the water.

This is obviously not the first time these guys have done this. They didn't wake up one morning and decide that it would be cool to do this in formation sometime. I'm sure they've practiced this individually a bunch before doing it in formation as well.

The news release that was issued with the initial photographs a couple weeks ago said this:

This unusual act, approved by the South African Civil Aviation Authority

CAA), and supported by Castrol Aviation, was meticulously planned and took

place under the watchfull eye of divers and paramedics that were on site.

[ 08. April 2006, 17:45: Message edited by: Hacker ]

[egochecks]

That's a great video.

Forget digging in the gear...did you see those birds fly by? I'd be more worried about taking one of those to the prop or the face.

Anyway that's pretty impressive in my book.

[Stuck]

4fantrashcan,

"2".

-Stuck

[Stuck]

However, birds are a definate risk. I've been around 100AGL in a Texan over the beach, and that is VERY close, if not past the safe envelope to evade a gull.

Rediculously sweet, however.

Cheers,

-Stuck

[Guest sulaco]

No...I'm not kidding. Read up on it.

I know several guys who have done it before in an Aviat Husky and in a Dh Beaver and (acording to them) it's not as dangerous as it seems. The surface tension of the water at that airspeed is significant, as is the ground effect. The airplane wants to fly away from the water and not get stuck down into it. Apparently, it takes a bunch of forward stick pressure to keep it sticking on the water.

This is obviously not the first time these guys have done this. They didn't wake up one morning and decide that it would be cool to do this in formation sometime. I'm sure they've practiced this individually a bunch before doing it in formation as well.

The news release that was issued with the initial photographs a couple weeks ago said this:

I personally have not done this but I do have few friends with Cessna 180's and 185's that have done it. They all say the same thing. It is hard to get the plane to go down in the water. The only thing I am unsure of is that I have heard it is best to keep your brakes locked while skiing. Can anyone confirm this?