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keystone(at)gci.net
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 Posted: Wed Sep 24, 2008 9:43 am Post subject: a report on 801BW on Full Lotus floats |
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I now have 25 hours on my Zenithair CH 801 on 2150 Full Lotus Floats.
Unfortunately I was busy early in the summer and did not get the floats on
until August so my experience is limited. With winter approaching I will be
taking off floats shortly. I must admit the only other float planes I have
any time in are a C185 and a C206 both on amphibious floats. Both are
grossed out and on the front CG limit with two people and 50 gallons of gas.
I installed the floats with a higher than normal angle of incidence. That
is the angle between the floats and the chord of the wing. Because the 801
has such a large amount of lift at high angle of attack, I figured I needed
more than the "normal" 4 degrees. I probably have at least 7 degrees.
Cessna drivers are aghast at the angle. Full Lotus's only concern was that
I not get into an "open alligator mouth" problem. That is the drag from the
top of the floats would reduce the cruise speed too much and create too much
drag. The only down side I have found is seeing over the cowl while step
taxiing.
I have always had nagging problems with over heating. They became extreme
when I went on floats. I finally figured out I needed to open up the bottom
of the cowl to let more air out.
When I asked Zenithair about gross weight on floats I was told to maintain
my useful load. On wheels my empty is about 1200 lbs and gross is 2200 lbs.
The floats added about 170 lbs over the weight of the wheels.
The other night I loaded up the plane to 2200 lbs. This is about 800 lbs of
useful load. At sea level I was operating it in and out of less than 1000'
of water. It was dead calm and the water was glassy.
I asked my passenger who flys a C185 on floats what he thought. I got a
blank stare. It is like asking a truck driver what he thinks about riding
on your motorcycle. He said every thing is different. An example is he
said in his plane you had to put in full aileron to lift the float out of
the water. I just had a slight stick movement to lift the float.
I look at the Full Lotus Floats as a new generation of floats. I remember
when all white water kayaks were long and round. They are now short and
flat. Full Lotus is just keeping up with the times and changes in
materials.
I have not really been successful getting the 801 to step turn. The only
turns I have been able to make are very slow turns. Unless I really pull
the power I am in the air before I can get set up to do a step turn.
One really nice thing about the floats is since they are full of air they
adsorb much of the sharp impact from waves. Last week I was operating in
white caps that were just starting to have streaks. The impact to the plane
by the waves was not any where as noticeable as on conventional floats.
The only disadvantage I have found is the nose of the floats will bury
easily. Do not push the nose forward once you get to the sweet spot. When
I first started I did this both on landing and on take off. The angle of
attach becomes extreme both up and down. To my surprise the forces were not
that great. On landing pull the power and it settles down in one
oscillation. On take off the angle of attach and speed were high enough the
plane flew. I now always make sure the nose is well above the horizon prior
to touching down. I also probably drag the tails more than I should when I
take off. The factory says that I may want to move the plane back 1" to
reduce this tendency.
I must admit I feel like the talk of the town. Every body wants to look and
see how short it gets off. It is really different checking the air pressure
rather than pumping out the floats.
There are some things I plan on fixing this winter. The way I set up my
water rudders when the plane is heavy and the floats are in the water the
stiffeners flex upwards and loosen the water rudder cables. I will add the
second water rudder this winter and I will also reroute the cables so the
length doesn't change.
I will probably just set the angle of incidence at 6 degrees next year. I
am also going to modify some of my connections at the floats to improve the
strength and durability. I have not any problems but they are not they way
they should be.
Bill Wilcox
Valdez, AK
N801BW
395 hrs
About ready to come off floats for the winter
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dougsnash
Joined: 14 Apr 2008
Posts: 281
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| Posted: Wed Sep 24, 2008 1:37 pm Post subject: a report on 801BW on Full Lotus floats |
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Bob, gald to hear that you are having good luck with the Full Lotus floats. I had a set of 1200s on an ultralight a couple of years ago, they worked fairly well but were very sensitive to balance.
The one big problem I had was a buildup of condensation inside the badders. I dumped about a litre of water out of each badder after one season. This is with the plane sitting out of the water while not in use. Given that you are in Alaska, it would probably be a good idea for you to deflate and pull each badder and make sure that there is no water buildup before it has a chance to freeze and stretch the badders.
Doug MacDonald
CH-701 scratch Builder
NW Ontario, Canada
Do Not Archive
| Quote: |
I look at the Full Lotus Floats as a new generation of
floats. I remember
when all white water kayaks were long and round. They are
now short and
flat. Full Lotus is just keeping up with the times and
changes in
materials.
Bill Wilcox
Valdez, AK
N801BW
395 hrs
About ready to come off floats for the winter
|
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