Husky PIREP

[Springloaded]

Had a good friend ask me to fly him in his husky on Amphibs to Central Florida for a meeting. The plan was I fly up he fly back. He hasn't been flying much and just wasn't comfortable going alone. I told him sure sounds like fun.He obtained permission to land in a private lake and guy would pick us up there. I'm thinking this gonna be fun. I looked at it on google earth and thought its was plenty big enough to get in & out of. I have about 50hrs in this from 4-5 years ago when he got it so I already knew these things are kinda dogs and you need big lake to operate out of. Now I haven't flown it since flying CC on floats so I really don't remember all it performance issues. When we got there I found that my little canal on google earth that I thought I could use for take off was closed off and trees had grown across it. When I landed the first words out of his mouth was think we can get out,I thought O'boy not good when the guy who owns the plane ask that and I'm just not used to flying something that won't get out of what you get into. Looking out I thought heck I have 3/4 mile that should be plenty. The guy who picked us up asked is that pond big enough to take off in. Owner said no but Chucks half nuts not afraid of anything.
We went on to our meeting. We got back and he said I don't think I can get it out of here you fly us back.
I taxied out and I'm looking at this lake and it just doesn't look that big anymore. What looked to be the Longest run had maybe a 5knt quartering head wind. The plane handles terrible in the water so I didn't taxi to close to the docks worried I wouldn't get turned around by them so probably left some runway behind me. Half way across the lake it finally got on step and I'm having to decide at what point I need to stop if I'm not off the water. (Mind you a CC would of been off the water before I even got the second rise in this thing)I saw it was accelerating and picked a spot I would stop if not off ,it finally had enough speed to milk it off with the flaps and we started climbing ( on a god day that 500Ft min)We cleared the houses by 150 Ft or so. It was dead silent in the back. Then he says were you thinking about aborting? I said no we were accelerating and had picked a spot we had to be off by. Beside there was that sheriff helicopter circling watching us take off so I knew we would be rescued pretty quick😀
On the way back I decide to landed at a local airboat restaurant on a BIG river for lunch. As I'm taxing up to the dock I'm having to push the rudder pedal as hard as I can and the thing just didn't want to turn. He's has some hip issues so I knew he wouldnt be much help and I would have to jump out and grab the dock so I'm trying to get in position to deal with on my own (I'm sure I was cussing it pretty bad) So we sit down for lunch and had quite the conversation. I think I started with something like that has to be worst plane I ever flew in my life and I understand why you don't fly it very often. I got home and my legs were actually sore from pushing on the rudders and just wore out from having to fly this thing for just 2 1/2 hrs. When we got back we sat in the hanger I explained to him he would get 10 times the enjoyment of flying if he had a carbon cub and flying should be fun. I said this thing is like work the Whole time your in it. There nothing fun about it. We're cruising at 90mph 12gal Hr and it feels like a German tank with manual steering,we are running it a 25/2500 to keep it flying. I have a red mark on my leg from the flap handle rubbing on it the whole time, it's super tight inside,has no storage,pull the throttle back turns into a lawn dart. He's agreeing with me.
He talked a lot on the way up about how much he enjoyed us taking A CC over to the west coast,how nice it flew and couldn't believe we were doing over 100 and burning 6gals hr.
I don't think there is anybody enjoys flying more than I do. That's the first time I can ever remember getting out of a plane totally miserable.
Yes it going up for sale and working on his wife for a Carbon Cub. 😀

[alejo]

Although we are biased, I have always looked at the Husky and thought: there's no way it is similar to the Carbon Cub, there's a big gulf in the technological gap. Not to mention the innovative thinking behind most details in the Carbon Cub.

This post just confirms it.

AG

[40m]

Come on Chuck tell us how you really feel........

[Springloaded]

Chuck it's nice to see that you passed your seaplane BFR in a real airplane. Why bother making CC drivers get a float rating, all they need is a docking rating. Welcome back to the real world Chuck

Glenn

You can have your so called real airplanes. I'll stick with my Lamborghini.
Thanks

[chipallen]

I can see a problem with someone who gets the SES in a CC. They don't learn anything and would have trouble even transitioning to your Top Cub. The floats on a CC just keep it from sinking, they have nothing to do with taking off skill.

Glenn

I demo'ed a Carbon Cub on Baumann Amphibs to Jon Brown, owner of Jack Brown's Seaplane Base in Winter Haven, FL a few years ago (actually just threw him the keys and told him to "go fly"). He was super-impressed, but said it would make a terrible SES trainer for exactly the reason you stated. It's just TOO easy!!

[jeepgord]

WOW. what husky were you flying and what floats. I currently fly a A1B husky on whip 2100 and think it does well. I also have a custom experimental pa 14 that took a lindy at osh last year on whip 2100. and now I am working on a EX2 with areoset amphibs.I hope it performs as well as they say it will. it will be nice to get in to the smaller lakes.

[Springloaded]

I received this from a husky owner the other day. Different plane then the one I flew.
Chuck,
I wanted to send you my experience with the Carbon Cub FX and the Husky. As you know we have owned both aircraft, all of my flying the Cub has been on floats and I have flown the Husky on both floats and wheels. The Cub has much better performance than the Husky, with the Cub if you thought you might be able to get in to a water landing spot you could, wouldn't attempt that in the Husky. You could be off the water with the Cub in less than 5 seconds with the correct techniques, under the same conditions the Husky might take between 12 to 15 seconds. I understand the Husky is a heavier aircraft but I'm more interested in performance not a possible slightly smoother ride. Another big advantage with the Cub is the easier floating ramp parking, much easier on and off the ramp than the Husky.
The interior of the Cub is much larger than the Husky with more leg room and a wider fuselage. My knees actually rub against the lower instrument panel of the Husky.
Being that the Cub is an experimental aircraft it allows for a better avionics package with the installation of a Garmin G3X with an autopilot. Our Husky has a Garmin 796 with no autopilot possible. The experimental category allows for easy modifications and owner maintenance, which is a big savings.
The awkward placement of the Husky's flap handle on the left side floor is another issue, during critical phase of flight (takeoff and landing) you have to lean way over to you're left and down to operate the flaps. The Cub flap handle is located to you're left and above the glare shield, reaching for the flaps still allows for perfect forward visibility.

I miss flying the Cub and regret we purchased the Husky.

[Rick Bosshardt]

Awesome referral, Chuck!

i wish there was a way he would put that on the public Forum... or allow us to use him as a reference to other prospects via phone. Those customer referrals are worth their weight in gold!

Rick