Forced Landing - Full Lotus Proves Beneficial Over Aluminum Floats
I was returning from my outfitting camp, along The Mossy, in northern Sask. I was close to Weirdale when my engine started to cough and sputter. It acted as though it had fuel starvation but both tanks still indicated some fuel. The right tank indicating a little more fuel than the left. But never the less, the engine was dying.
I flipped on my emergency electric pump and the engine started again, but it only ran for a short time and it started sputtering again. I was fairly close to a large slough that was with in gliding distance.
As I was circling and preparing for a landing on the slough, I started to check to see what the problem could be. When I checked my primer valve, I noticed it wasn't locked into place. I pumped it a couple of times and locked it in. The engine started again. I circled the slough about two times and the engine kept running fine. So I thought that was what the problem was since the indicator showed some fuel in the tanks.
I started to head for home - Prince Albert. I only went about 10 miles, and it started coughing and sputtering again. I knew I had a fuel problem so I picked a landing spot and radioed flight services that I was going down.
I landed in a cow pasture full of mole hills and cows. The landing was hard but I knew that my Full Lotus floats had saved my airplane and me! If I had, had aluminum floats, I know that they would have collapsed and the airplane most probably would have flipped over.
After walking to a road and hitch hiking home, I returned with my truck. I spent the rest of the evening looking for a small patch of water in order to recover my plane. None was to be found. Dusk settled and my Cub spent the night surrounded by cows, mole hills and a barb wired fence.
Sept. 25/97
Morning came early, as I was thinking of various methods of retrieving my plane. The first method involved water. The second, loading it onto a trailer and taking off from the trailer when the trailer and vehicle were in motion.
I had tried the first method the night before with no success, but maybe I just needed more water. So about 7:30 am. I phoned Bob's Water Supply. I explained the situation and requested him to bring a full tank of water.
We dumped part of the tank and I tired to get the plane to move, but no luck. It would not budge. I was ready to consider option number two, when I thought I would try to drag my plane with my Toyota truck. I tied a rope to the top of the floats and pulled the plane with my truck for approx. 15-20 feet. Meanwhile, Bob dumped the remaining water along my taxi path and got stuck in the damp muddy grass.
I was still busy attempting to get my plane to move. I asked Bob and his brother to push on the struts in order to help it move. The cub started to move, but it was heading straight for Bob's water truck. I pushed on the right rudder to swing around the truck, just barely missing it. I just kept it wide open and kept going and going over mole holes.
It would pick up speed and slow down. It hit 40 mph and I pulled full flaps. It wouldn't lift off! I dumped the flaps to pick up speed again. Again, it hit 40 - 42 mph and still it wouldn't lift off.
I was debating to chop the power because the fence was getting closer and closer. I dumped the flaps again and it seemed to be accelerating well. I knew if I didn't stop now, I would hit the fence, but I held it down for about three seconds and I was about 30 feet from the fence. I pulled full flaps and pulled the elevator stick full back. I could almost hear the guys on the ground yelling, "You can do it! You can do it! Yea!!"
I just cleared the fence!! Another second and I would have hit the fence and totalled my plane. However, my floats were slightly ripped, so just maybe they had touched the tip of the fence. Anyway, I flew my cub over to the Saskatchewan River where I usually land and started to sew my floats by hand. I had no time to waste, as I wanted to leave again tomorrow, for my next trip into my camp.
I wouldn't have an airplane today if it hadn't been for my Full-Lotus floats! To sum up my experience: 'I felt it was too much luck for one person to have.'
Larry Medynski
P.S. Bob and his brother had thought they had seen and done everything in their water tank business until they helped rescue a Cub on Full Lotus Floats, sitting in the middle of a cow pasture
I was returning from my outfitting camp, along The Mossy, in northern Sask. I was close to Weirdale when my engine started to cough and sputter. It acted as though it had fuel starvation but both tanks still indicated some fuel. The right tank indicating a little more fuel than the left. But never the less, the engine was dying.
I flipped on my emergency electric pump and the engine started again, but it only ran for a short time and it started sputtering again. I was fairly close to a large slough that was with in gliding distance.
As I was circling and preparing for a landing on the slough, I started to check to see what the problem could be. When I checked my primer valve, I noticed it wasn't locked into place. I pumped it a couple of times and locked it in. The engine started again. I circled the slough about two times and the engine kept running fine. So I thought that was what the problem was since the indicator showed some fuel in the tanks.
I started to head for home - Prince Albert. I only went about 10 miles, and it started coughing and sputtering again. I knew I had a fuel problem so I picked a landing spot and radioed flight services that I was going down.
I landed in a cow pasture full of mole hills and cows. The landing was hard but I knew that my Full Lotus floats had saved my airplane and me! If I had, had aluminum floats, I know that they would have collapsed and the airplane most probably would have flipped over.
After walking to a road and hitch hiking home, I returned with my truck. I spent the rest of the evening looking for a small patch of water in order to recover my plane. None was to be found. Dusk settled and my Cub spent the night surrounded by cows, mole hills and a barb wired fence.
Sept. 25/97
Morning came early, as I was thinking of various methods of retrieving my plane. The first method involved water. The second, loading it onto a trailer and taking off from the trailer when the trailer and vehicle were in motion.
I had tried the first method the night before with no success, but maybe I just needed more water. So about 7:30 am. I phoned Bob's Water Supply. I explained the situation and requested him to bring a full tank of water.
We dumped part of the tank and I tired to get the plane to move, but no luck. It would not budge. I was ready to consider option number two, when I thought I would try to drag my plane with my Toyota truck. I tied a rope to the top of the floats and pulled the plane with my truck for approx. 15-20 feet. Meanwhile, Bob dumped the remaining water along my taxi path and got stuck in the damp muddy grass.
I was still busy attempting to get my plane to move. I asked Bob and his brother to push on the struts in order to help it move. The cub started to move, but it was heading straight for Bob's water truck. I pushed on the right rudder to swing around the truck, just barely missing it. I just kept it wide open and kept going and going over mole holes.
It would pick up speed and slow down. It hit 40 mph and I pulled full flaps. It wouldn't lift off! I dumped the flaps to pick up speed again. Again, it hit 40 - 42 mph and still it wouldn't lift off.
I was debating to chop the power because the fence was getting closer and closer. I dumped the flaps again and it seemed to be accelerating well. I knew if I didn't stop now, I would hit the fence, but I held it down for about three seconds and I was about 30 feet from the fence. I pulled full flaps and pulled the elevator stick full back. I could almost hear the guys on the ground yelling, "You can do it! You can do it! Yea!!"
I just cleared the fence!! Another second and I would have hit the fence and totalled my plane. However, my floats were slightly ripped, so just maybe they had touched the tip of the fence. Anyway, I flew my cub over to the Saskatchewan River where I usually land and started to sew my floats by hand. I had no time to waste, as I wanted to leave again tomorrow, for my next trip into my camp.
I wouldn't have an airplane today if it hadn't been for my Full-Lotus floats! To sum up my experience: 'I felt it was too much luck for one person to have.'
Larry Medynski
P.S. Bob and his brother had thought they had seen and done everything in their water tank business until they helped rescue a Cub on Full Lotus Floats, sitting in the middle of a cow pasture