Comfortable Numbness Rules The Game

And Comfortably Numb – We Watch It All

Lets Not Talk About The Elephant

Probably a sign of the times when the seaplane association that claims to work on behalf of seaplane pilots, supports and likes ALPA and thereby endorses user-fees and the destruction of GA as we know it. Maybe all part of the politics game or probably a secret advocacy tactic we little idiots are not supposed to know about.

Probably a sign of the times when seaplane pilots in several states remain unheard and battle access issues with the help of Odin, because the association which claims to represent them is too busy event clowning and cuddling up with the proper fundraisers to finance its incredible grandiosity addiction.

Probably a sign of the times when people who donate their time, money, equipment and passion to bring 2 Million Young Eagles into the air get kicked in the rear and treated like idiots, after complaining about the new background checks and mandatory sexual abuse training. EAA is incredibly successful in destroying the program and remains willing to pursue its own members legally, rather than listening to them.

Probably a sign of the times when members of non profit pilots associations begin to add little disappointments to their “long lists” of big disappointments, after realizing that they are cash cows, but have no control over anything within the association. They complain but promptly continuing to vote by proxy.

Probably a sign of the times when what we currently see with H.R. 4441 goes by completely unchallenged because the wording of the bill excludes piston and small aircraft for the time being. AOPA and EAA are toothless tigers in this fight promising the impossible, but nevertheless tell people to renew. There will be privatized ATC before too long and we’re looking at the FAA giving billions of dollars of government assets into the hands of corporate crooks, for $0.00 dollars.

Probably a sign of the times that we chose to sit and watch it, rather than acting. Its more comfortable not to talk about these issues. We have become comfortably numb, deaf, mute and blind. We have become… THEM. The good thing is that we won’t have anyone to blame when its all done and finished. All meaningless, I know. Have you renewed your association membership yet?

Why not watch a kitten video on Youtube instead? Just look. You’ll find one!

When The Truth Stings

Different Clown – Same Old Show

Recently, the National Clowning Association announced that there soon will be a shortage of clowns. Membership declined from 3.500 to 2.500 and the ranks are thinning and aging. How do we get younger people into clowning the associations president asked. A valid question – surrounding a tremendous challenge of our times. Honestly, who wants to be the entertainment clown, behaving silly and flapping around, stumbling, self-humiliating, purposely acting in such a way that others can be distracted from their mobile communication device for long enough to crack a smile? Being a clown is hard work!

Most definitely, being a clown in our times is a liability. What if your joke was offending someone? What if a “concerned” parent saw you act in such a way that they could perceive a hidden discriminatory insult against their challenged child? “Are you mocking….” Uh! Oh! Lawsuit! Times have definitely changed, today’s clowning must be much different from what it used to be. Aviation is, too.

Scrutiny Is Normal. Whenever you step on a pedestal to hold a speech, or appear anywhere publicly, you are being “evaluated” and you’re being “judged”. Some people in your audience are prejudiced against you, some are favoring your acts and appreciate them, most watch and go on with their daily lives. Your “credibility” is constantly on the chopping block, even if just by anonymous little pricks who watch from a distance, silently, cowardly, trying to “expose” you for whom they think you are. Again, most don’t know you or what you stand for from a hole in a cows behind, but as we all know, opinions are just that… opinions. The simple fact that you have an opinion and share it with others, annoys and offends your enemies. Accept it and go with the flow on their little coward attacks.

Aviation

Our way out of this misery is through changing of ourselves and through open, constructive conflict and debate. Such conflict and debating may require a level of honesty most in our industry aren’t willing to expose themselves to. The nature of the beast is silence. We have been habituated to be silent, despite the screaming, ignoring the falling men around us. To change that status Quo requires no human being – it requires a downright act of god.

News From The Trenches

Lets Hit Like!

What better way to remain completely uninvolved, sparing oneself even the effort to click on anything, let alone type a word or two. If we type we do it to share meaningless expletives or or maybe a senseless “Wow” or “Super”. Carefully filtered for political correctness, we watch our connections and who we share what status with. We might LOL or ROFL and sometimes we OMG! or FML!!!, but sincerity and courtesy have somehow left. Nowadays we meet and our first thought is not to have a cup of coffee and catch up, instead we need a Selfie which then gets posted on Facebook. Depending on the popularity and social ranking of the people taking that picture it can collect a couple thousand likes within hours. Oh Wow! Nice. Facebook has changed the face of the earth. Despite being young, I have trouble following and staying interested.

Page Owners & Online Marketing

So, in previous years Facebook was a surefire way to attract an audience to a website. I grew my Seaplaneforum.com out of nothing – countless of my 650 Members found the site through Facebook and Google. Seaplane pilots are a funny, very political group of people with old ties, old boys club games and “Seaplane Gods” who direct the movie. Its not easy to get “Fans” on Facebook and its even harder to transfer those followers into contributing members of a website.

Seaplaneforum.com has collected 216 “Fans” of which less than 15% can be reached when a new post is shared. This is Facebook’s way of trying to force Page Owners to pay for promotions and boosting of posts. “Liking” the shared page does wonders, unfortunately people like posts before pages and very rarely share anything. It costs $5.00 to boost a post and reach an audience that wasn’t intended to be reached. The boost will bring likes, but rarely new members to a discussion board. The forum is doing well but could use more actively posting members.

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Aerobaticsforum.com has attracted some 256 “Fans” of which 2 have joined the forum. The site was heavily promoted during launch in 2013 and collected 350+ members who posted some 1000+ topics within weeks. Despite its beginning success people used it for heavy business promotion, there was a huge debacle with the International Aerobatics Club and finally I threw in the towel after a year. The site was relaunched in July of 2015 – and has since gained 9 Members. Silence has taken over – most of the 35 remaining members don’t know how to get it going.

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Gliderforum.com in turn had ~ 150 Fans for the longest time with extremely limited participation rates on the site and completely lacking any supporting members. Recruiting new members has been a struggle. The site was closed together with Aerobaticsforum.com and relaunched in July of 2015. To my surprise it is doing better than both other sites in terms of traffic and readers – something owed to a handful of dedicated members. Recent outreach to various Soaring Associations looks promising so the work will continue to bring the site back to its former glory.

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Again – Facebook has changed the world and I have my doubts that it has done anything to foster true communication amongst people. Discussion boards are information resources and depend on more than “Like” to become a melting pot for people who are passionate about what they do. My members tell me that activity depends on activity. I tell my members to take the first step. Be it by posting about a trip, an airshow or a long distance glider flight, everyone (independent of their English skills) has something to share that will help to inform someone else later. Its really not that we have nothing to talk about or are so terribly reserved in real life. Each one of us has something to contribute and everyone of us needs the feeling of being part of a community that goes beyond Mr. Zuckerberg’s financial mega coup. He became a Multi Billionaire by making personal interaction and communication an act of mindless posting, sharing, liking and forgetting about it a minute later. He milks users through advertising, advertisers through users and if that’s not enough, they manage to display only 15% of the information on display to get people to pay for communication.

Lessons Learned

Page owners who wish to see a lot of “Fans” on Facebook MUST pay for it, or like me have friends who help to spread the word by sharing my pages. Its the only “affordable” way to get traffic to a site and potentially an advertiser or new member. If this does not happen, promoting a website with Facebook seems as illogical as putting a billboard into the woods. Anything beyond the quick like and Oh Wow! or “LOL” with some emoticon which laughs tears – not too many things are funny or helpful.  Please think about this stuff. Its inconvenient and not painted in bright pink. Its reality for many of us who don’t measure their success in life or business by the amount of Facebook Fans we may be able to capture. Being connected beyond Facebook is what will matter when Zuckerberg decides to sell to the Chinese or someone else comes up with a new Rocket Science Social Media Experiment. Lets not put all our eggs into one basket…

Jason J. Baker, Publisher

Seaplaneforum.com, Gliderforum.com, Segelflugforum.de, Aerobaticsforum.com & JasonJamesBaker.com

Google Adsense & Yahoo/ Bing Scam

Been Taken For A Ride, Yet?

If you are a publisher, you might be interested in trying to monetize your little sites by using programs such as Google adsense (TM) or the “conceptional ad network” provided by Yahoo/ Bing, served by Media.net. If you are anything like me, you’ll do a fair amount of research before signing up, weigh the goods and the bad’s and then decide to take the plunge. I encourage you to think twice before you do and if you decide to go with it, keep all your records (screenshots/ screen-captures). Not that this would help you in your subsequent fight with Google or Yahoo/ Bing – rest assured there will be complications! – do it just so that you have documentation you can frame and hang in your bathroom, about how the giants of the internet once took you for a ride. What I am about to describe is theft, individually not worthy of consideration, yet on the scale they are doing it, should be hair raising enough for a movie. For simplicity, I will describe my experience with Google Adsense.

Chronology Of A Ripoff

The application procedure for Adsense is not all too tedious, yet rather time consuming. Expect no less than a week or two, often much longer, to get through the first step of approvals with the adsense network. During this time, Google employs several bots to scan and index your content, trying to assure that your content complies with the strict and unbend-able rules of adsense. Small sites and discussion boards that have content and open, uncensored discussions on anything like Guns or violence won’t be approved, hence you will be searching for  content that may possibly interfere with Google’s political Anti Gun agenda. If you are approved, you will receive an email, welcoming you to the glorious adsense network. Looks something like this:

Welcome to AdSense!
Your application has been reviewed. Now you need to create your first ad unit and implement the ad code on your site for the full activation of your account. Only blank ads will appear at first until the final approval goes through. Once your site is fully activated, you’ll receive a confirmation email and begin to see live ads. Please sign in to Google AdSense to create your first ad unit and get fully approved by using this guided tour: http://goo.gl/sZIGZ *

You will then receive access to a panel that allows you to design and develop your first ad units, rendering code that you are then supposed to implement on your site(s) for the second stage of approval. During the initial indexing, blank spaced ads are shown, a process that may take anywhere from a day to a couple, maybe three days. Upon this second battery of tests and scans, Google adsense simply starts showing ads on your page(s). You will receive a email alert about that.

Congratulations! Your Google AdSense application has been fully approved. Within a few hours you’ll begin to see live ads. Now you can get more value from your online content by showing relevant and engaging ads with AdSense.

Putz & Glory, there are ads shown within a short period of time! Amazing! The truly amazing thing is that these ads will be terribly well tailored for the content of your site. Don’t be surprised if you get emails and remarks about the new ads from members/ readers of your sites. You won’t be having lots of time to bask in the sun, cuz if you’re worth your salt, you’ll be monitoring what the robots and spiders do on your site, trying to gain access to privileged content. Yes, the monster bear is in the chicken pen, and it is sniffing 24/7 through your content. Don’t be surprised to find the Google Adsense Bot (“Media Partners”) on your page  constantly, amongst an armada of other Google bots. That’s fine, you knew that, right? Meanwhile you get to read hundreds of pages of rules and regulations, learning that your publishing account can be closed or disabled for such a large variety of silly reasons, you could not prevent it if you wanted to.

The Monster Revenue Wake Arrives!

Once the first few days have passed, you will start figuring that several things affect your revenue from those ads. First revelation, people IGNORE them to death. Honestly, who wants to click on any ads? I use ad disabling software, and have spent the last 6 years teaching people how to disable advertising on any page. $0.30 cents a click represents some 58% of what Google charges the poor stupid outfit advertising with them per click! Some ads pay much better, some much worse, so imagine how many dollars some schmuck who can’t be bothered to deal with publishers directly (no scams, no funny click business involved) is spending on this crap with Google. Of course Google charges and pays a kickback to publishers as well on “impressions”. The ads get served 1000 times, and the publisher gets paid again, amongst Google, who takes a little less than half of that revenue.

Order That Ferrari, Cuz Google Will Make Ya Tons Of $$$!

Google adsense or search for it on Youtube and you will instantly learn that many people make significant amounts of money online using these ads. Or at least they say that. True, adsense can make you money, but god help you if things don’t go as planned and you find your account disabled for “invalid click activity”. This was the case for me and my three sites. Recourse is pretty much impossible, unless you type the right number of “keywords” into your “appeal form”.  In 3000 words or less, sing the mea culpa, promise to do better and if the right robot reads what you wrote, your account may be reinstated. Except, your revenue is GONE!

Hello, With our advertising programs, we strive to create an online ecosystem that benefits publishers, advertisers and users. For this reason, we sometimes have to take action against accounts that demonstrate behavior toward users or advertisers that may negatively impact how the ecosystem is perceived. In your case, we have detected invalid activity in your AdSense account and it has been disabled.

There you have it, you crook! You did something (and we knew you would, eventually) that offended the gods and here goes the earned revenue balance and access to your adsense account. BANG! For all Google cares, you are now banned from the adsense network, eligible for appeal, but their final decision is their final decision. I am waiting for my judgement at the time of this writing, just to let them know to delete my publisher account. I will die or eat flies before subjecting my readers to scam artists and data mining thief’s, again.

Here’s how the scam works

Google sets a “payment threshold” of $100 on adsense accounts. For many small sites, it can take weeks to reach this threshold. Generally, your first issues arise shortly after signup, when your ads miraculously appear on “other websites”. After you fix that, and reach the Address verification threshold ($10.00) Google will send you a PIN card to your home address. Suddenly your ad revenue will show severe fluctuations and your site may rate negatively on “Site Monetization” if you are like me, running a discussion board, Google is telling you that they would love to sniff and read your privileged content. Crawler errors are bad choo choo, so make sure your ads NEVER show behind a login required page.

You are then supposed to enter this PIN to verify your address, another happy step towards seeing this money, some time in the far future. MEANWHILE, DON’T FORGET TO NEVER CLICK ON YOUR OWN DAMN ADS! (I never did, but it’s said so often, it is now burned into my poor brain, excuse me…) OH, AND NEVER TELL ANYONE TO CLICK ON THESE DAMN ADS, YOU CROOK! WE KNOW YOU WILL, HENCE WE’LL SAY IT OVER AND OVER AND OVER, CAPICHE?

At the end of the month, it adjusts your earnings for what it deems valid and initiates a ~ 1 month hold on your money. During that time you are happily showing ads, getting the occasional 2% CTR (Click Through Rate) on your traffic, making Google wads of petty cash or real money. The real scam is only halfway done, so bend over! No, DEEPER!

The Internet Is Shady

My sites undergo roughly 3-5 unusual events per month. Small, low traffic, low revenue, really small stuff in a niche market within niche market. Seaplane-, Aerobatic- & Soaring flight, all niches within one of the smallest industries in the world: General Aviation. Yet, we will have probably hundreds of fraudulent visits per month, originating Russia, China or India or from behind proxies. The goal: Gain access, gain admin level access, post pornography, junk and backlinks by the use of SPAM Robots. I’ve had everything from DDOS to Website Floodings, all forums go through these phases, and so do I, with mine.

I can prove that we have previously been “Click Bombed” by asking you to look at the banners and outbound counts on this page. Do you notice almost 37,000 outbound redirects (those are hard links) going to one particular site? Yeah… that’s called click bombing. Can I prevent this? Nopety Nope! Imagine 1000 click-robots clicked on all your ads for two days straight. Google knows this. Every other ad serving entity out here knows this, because it happens. It would be easy to fix and it would be easy to fix fairly. Simply discredit the fraudulent traffic, adjust to average daily minimum revenue and try it again. This way, webmasters and publishers have an INCENTIVE to fix the issue, instead of joining the Click-Bomber club. By taking all their honestly earned money (stealing it for a single, isolated, unpreventable offense) Google essentially sides with the bad guys.

Do you want to get lousy, dirty money, defrauding helplessly stupid Adword/ Adsense advertisers of their money, or do you wish to run a honest, straight-forward business website? I know my answer, but only you know yours. I chose NOT to artificially boost my traffic by using any shady domain redirecting service for $14.95 for 5000 additional visits. I chose NOT to buy clicks, I chose NOT to encourage or reimburse my members or readers to click on ANYTHING, unless they find that particular ad interesting, I even discouraged them from clicking by simply not mentioning Adsense on the public side of the forums. I can prove that.

The Big Money Burn & Grab By Google Adsense

Google makes billions of dollars from stupid people, advertising their business in a PPC (Pay Per Click) scam. These advertisers are charged serious money for impressions (integrity of the system = NIL) and clicks (integrity of the system = NIL). Google tells publishers that they have to “refund” advertisers the money paid for invalid clicks, yet they only refund a certain amount of clicks they deemed invalid, while the publisher has their complete account disabled, frozen & seized. Whatever the balance on your account was before, and no matter how many dollars in payments are pending, Google Adsense TAKES IT ALL and you won’t see that money, ever again. I doubt publishers get an adjusted balance after their accounts are reinstated, that money is KAPUTT!

This is called a short term rip and gain where I come from. Collective punishment, questioning the publishers integrity and honesty, hence seizing all their EARNED MONEY on the spot. Almost like the NSA, declaring you a risk to national security and stripping you of constitutional rights and humane treatment.

If you think you’ll be fine, think again…

Enter into any agreement only after repeating the following sentence 5 x over the next few hours:

I am a idiot, willing to be deceived of honestly earned money for providing valid impressions and clicks for stupid Google Advertising Customers for absolutely NO DAMN REASON AT ALL! I know I won’t be able to prevent clickbombing on my site and I am willing to be financially punished by Google for being the victim of internet criminals, Google could have long stopped. I will not worry about the lost revenue, nor will I become mad about being wronged by Google or any other click to get paid scam artist, because I HAVE BEEN TOLD! I won’t run around looking for Class Action Lawsuits against Google, because all they will do is laugh, despite the fact that Google Adsense would CEASE the second someone was able to access their scam forensically. If I am not a idiot, I am at the very least slightly dumb for thinking I could make a lousy $100/ month from Google Adsense without having my intellect and integrity insulted by Google or any other online PPC advertising network .

There. Make your own decision, but don’t go whining if they screw you too!

My amount was laughably low. $35.00 gone without a chance to get it back. Some group of poor advertisers paid a combined $70.00 to Google for just about two weeks of advertising on my pages. Google DIDN’T and WON’T refund their payments, they will simply adjust for invalid activity on day 6 or 9 of their advertising campaign, if that.

What happened to my piece of the pie?

Thousands and thousand of honest publishers are asking that very same question. Dozens of thousands will ask tomorrow. Hundreds will get the kill notice, loosing 30-50 or 500 and 1000 dollars of validly earned money tomorrow. 2% will see their accounts reinstated, being given another “chance”. Imagine the scope of easy money being raked in by Google and Yahoo/ Bing advertising alone. Yet, nothing will come from it, nobody will take this monster on, legally, for fraud, theft or breach of contract.

No Middleman Advertising Only on Seaplaneforum.com | Gliderforum.com | Aerobaticsforum.com

King Answers The Peasants

The Peasants May Now Ask

Unarguably, Fantasy’s Come True! The new AOPA CEO & President, Mark Baker has granted interviews to AvWeb & ANN. One published in textual form, one as a podcast.  Astonished, this peasant read and then listened to the chosen one’s words of wisdom on resuscitating our death bed ridden general aviation world in the country of busted dreams and limited opportunity.  While China cynically smiles and ramps up to take the United States over, piece by piece, dollar by dollar, airplane by airplane, we are busy trying to find a balance between financial greed and lust for power. Make no mistake about it, our throne is shaking in the world of first class aircraft production (with many manufacturers already relying on China), but also with our last bastion, which is, or at least used to be high quality pilot training. The old days are gone, we’re being schooled, no question about it.

AOPA’s Baker has a tough job of taking the associations blunders and oopsy daisy’s out of the public spotlight and stop the ever lasting critique and challenges by the membership, which has clearly suffered under Fullers revenue driven arrogance and ignorance. Not an easy job for someone who doesn’t know how to live on less than a million dollars in salary per year and suddenly finds himself asked questions by lesser people, the general aviation pilot. Fuller had created an entourage of followers around him, shielding him from peasants and little people, his emails filtered and pre-chewed with an array of canned responses to select from.  You don’t talk to the boss. End of story.  It hurts to read the truth, I know.

So, Here We Are!

Wherever you go, there you are! Grandma taught us that and only a healthy chicken will lay a healthy egg. We know about garbage in –> garbage out, so… no need to regurgitate.  But, where do we go from here? What are the questions the members and committed non-members of any pilot advocacy association should be asking? Here’s a sample and this writer and declared association enemy is waiting on the sidelines, money bundles on hold, until those questions are answered…

1. Every single aviation business should be a strategic partner to AOPA, independent of it’s Fortune 500 Status. When will AOPA start to work hand in hand with all of us?
2. Members want fiscal and administrative transparency. When will AOPA change from its secretive Board Of Directors selection to a democratically driven system and when will members and prospective members learn what EXACTLY happens with their membership fees. Itemized, you are reporting to members and owners of the association, not to idiots who can be confused by clumping and insidious accounting practices.
3. When will AOPA stop to compete with aviation industry members?
4. Other than being a party and event clown, how will AOPA change from being an invisible force, to a grassroots based aviation association. Mr. Pelton may provide guidance on such subjects, but when exactly will AOPA become a BOOTS ON THE GROUND association? We need soldiers to go to battle, not lawyers constipated with technicalities.
5. What will AOPA do to win back disgruntled and highly annoyed former members?
6. When will the salary of the President & CEO as well as the top ten earners in the association be adjusted to actual market conditions? We’re struggling down here, you know?
7. When will AOPA (and any other advocacy group, for that matter) stop to treat advocacy issues like privileged, members only information?
8. When will the jets currently flown by AOPA be sold? (We’re struggling down here, you know?)
9. When will AOPA management and public relations fulfill its legal duty to release its financial statements in such fashion that members and non members alike can gain an insight into how all these millions of dollars are being put to use for the # 1 purpose of the association? ADVOCACY!
10. When will AOPA stop to raise funds half a year early, by pressuring early renewals and sending stupid final notices?
11. When will AOPA’s Legal & Medical Plan become what it ought to be, a member benefit, not a revenue creating option?
12. When will AOPA stop catering stupid and senseless rental car discounts and fake insurance offers to members?

I could keep on going, but who gives a flying rats ass, right? Its never going to happen, and we know it.

Good Luck, Baker! You’ll need it.

There… Take A Poll:

 

 

 

Don’t Ask Questions Pilot Member!

Cosa Nostra Style Aviation Associations

For decades, the United States Government refused to acknowledge the existence of La Cosa Nostra in the country. Its a natural desire of any government or leadership team to discredit something that has managed to circumvent law and order and has perfected its ways to such extent that proof of intentional wrongdoing is hard to obtain.

The Cosa Nostra (also called the Mafia) is a comparative honor society with access limited to very few. Principals run high, with extremely stringent rules and a certain code of conduct. In the perfectly romantic Mafia world, the code of silence and rather tough methods of rule enforcement are held high. Principals run the show and those principals are rather solid.  Almost as if they are set in stone. You ask too many questions, you will eventually end up knowing too much. A misplaced whisper will then subsequently get you killed, or whacked, to use proper terminology. A “Commission” rules on your faith and calls a hit on you. Unless someone is offering you a witness protection program against your knowledge and disclosure of it, chances are you will become a memory. The rule of Omerta prescribes absolute silence, when questioned by law enforcement.

We Americans (and Canadians, too) LOVE to ignore the obvious and we love to sit problems out, rather than acting upon them. Its our culture (or our lack of culture) to pretend that problems don’t really exist, because we don’t want them to exist. As in all “civilized” societies, if we repeat a lie often enough, the lie will become the unchallenged truth, to be preached from the rooftops. If we just say “There is no Mafia” often enough, then logically, the Mafia ceases to exist… if we close our eyes, we can’t see the obvious.

Lets Compare & Contrast The Mafia With Aviation Associations

For the sake of clarity, a non profit aviation association would rarely be subject to questioning by official government law enforcement. Other than the Internal Revenue Service (IRS) or the Agence du revenu du Canada  questions, chances are, the activity transpiring is happening within the somewhat defined scope of the law.  Instead, bylaws regulate the code of conduct and the vision and strategy of the association is brought about by a commission of what we call a Board Of Directors. In many aviation associations those Capos set the course of the association by proxy and on behalf of the many members.

Appointments generally happen by referral from within. The commission selects and grooms its new Capos, who in turn and appoint the soldiers.  Not surprisingly, many aviation non profit associations use the same system, in other words, the vote to make someone a Board Of Directors member comes from above, generally not from the soldiers and associates. There are requirements to be met before being allowed inside the inner reigns of La Familia.  Remember, full authority can only be upheld if the selection and appointment process is build on a solid foundation and based on integrity.

For non profit aviation associations these requirements are usually unwritten, but a few have leaked through the cracks of the inner sanctum.

• Aviation Business Owner
• Aircraft Owner
• Reputation Or Known Leadership Experience
• Liked & Respected By Fellow Board Members

Board of director members generally do not apply for their “volunteer” activity. They are asked to serve, appointed from within and approved by the Commission/ Board. Great opportunity lurks for those selected to the secret chambers, ranging from prestige to increased wealth by associating their business with the group.

Associates & Soldiers

Just like in La Familia the group needs earners and money makers and people to do the actual legwork of getting the family fed and supplied with its most desired loot, which is money. In the Mafia, a part of the loots go to Capo’s the rest goes to the bosses. In aviation associations, a part of the loot goes towards “programs” and quite a large sum of the money gets put into the production and distribution of magazines, as well as salaries and benefits for the associations leadership team and administrative staff. Sometimes shady foundations are set up and amass great loads of cash, as people are pleased to give to the cause. Its an honor to donate, there are tax advantages and people LOVE to ignore and not know what will happen to the money they give. The average member is hence an associate, but certainly not part of the intricate inner sanctum of the family.

Chain Of Command In The Elite Club

We know from history, that Board Of Directors members generally live in the unlit parts of an association. They happen not to talk much, they happen not to be accessible to associates and Soldiers, there is a definite chain of command that has to be followed when trying to reach the President or Executive Director of an aviation association. In other words, Joe Schmuck cannot simply talk to the Capo’s or Boss.  There is the Underboss, generally the outside figure that takes the heat for the commission, (President/ Executive Director) and makes public statements on behalf of the Family/ Association, but that person (unlike believed) does NOT report to the soldiers and associates, he/ she reports to the Commission and translates the commissions wants and desires into the doctrine of the larger group.

Don’t Cross The Bosses!

In the most recent example of association crooks and politics, COPA, The Canadian Owners & Pilots Association comes to mind.  The association has a board of directors. Represented by otherwise legit characters, had a little conflict between one of its Board Members and Mr. Psutka as well as Mr. Hayes. Usually a member of the family isn’t given the opportunity to just resign and retire, but Doug Ronan was asked to resign from COPA’s Board Of Directors when he disagreed with the commission and substantiated his points. When he declined to resign, a wonderful little trick was played. When his membership renewal was due, he dutifully paid his fee. Shortly after, he found his membership fees refunded, and his membership expired. Result: According to the bylaws of COPA, one cannot serve on a board of directors unless being a member. This stunt is the equivalent of a farce and spits in the face of every single member of COPA. The associates and soldiers are getting a major plug up their bum, no other way to say it, really nothing but shame comes to mind. This story is captured here.  The obvious code of silence now prevents members from learning what has transpired.

Well, Mr. Psutka and Mr. Hayes..

The ball is in your court. You decided to whack a boss and that boss has revealed some of the dirty games and tactics applied by your kind, so that the associates may learn who’s salaries and benefits they’re paying for. Get your shit straight, quickly, before all your associates leave you high and dry. You know as well as anyone that your strategic silencing and sitting out of the issue will only go so far. The truth ALWAYS comes out.  La Familia isn’t happy and some of us will not be threatened by your demeanor or the threat of legal action.  Bring it on! You might have the bigger part of the press in your pocket with your slimy doctrine, but not all of the little people have enough to loose to focus on bringing you down for what you did there.

May God help me if I ever join or support one of your little non profit pilots associations again! Not in this life. I’d rather be in the Mafia. At least they have STYLE and a minimum of CLASS and RESPECT for themselves and their family left! You serve your members, they don’t serve you. In reality you report to your members, you work for them. Do your goddamn job or get the hell out of the way and let people with some integrity run the show.

About The Author:

Jason J. Baker is a 38 year old Commercial & Instrument rated pilot living in Maine. He has written extensively on association politics and the sometimes amazing ways of associations hiding the truth from paying members. He owns and operates three independent discussion boards for pilots and is a self declared Persona Non Grata in the Association Wonder World. He’s got nothing to loose, so he can be honest and blunt.

U.S.S.A. Is In Distress

That’s All, My Friends!

Two Boys Suspended For Pointing Pencils At Each Other Like Guns

Retirement From Seaplane Advocacy

Knowing when to walk away, is wisdom. Being able to, is courage. Walking away with your head held high, is dignity. ~ Unknown

The time has come to call it quits and to pull the plug on a volunteer activity which has occupied the better part of five years in my life. By golly, it wasn’t an easy decision and I didn’t know how to do it. But, it finally clicked, the chips fell and an executive decision was made. Enough is enough, time is money and the basic need to retain a minimum amount of dignity and self respect has won. Its true, everyone around you can think you’re a clown, look down on you or laugh, but none of those people matters one bit in the grand scheme. All you have to do is look in the mirror and ask yourself: “Have I done everything in my power to help my fellow seaplane pilots?” My answer was: “Yes!”. The next question you need to ask is: “Is there anything else I owe these people?” My answer was: “No!” From there on out, the rest is the equivalent of finishing an accounting ledger. Black & White stuff. For those who think that volunteering leads to job opportunities or anything, please think again. You might be fooling yourself.

Non Revenue vs. Revenue Activity

Ask any forum and discussion board administrator as to their daily workload in running their website(s). I recently evaluated my “schedule” as a unemployed job seeker who happens to run 3 discussion boards and found that I am generally accessible to my ~ 700 members at least 12, often 16-20 hours per day. I love my members! This means that I often spend time dealing with other peoples problems from 7AM to 8PM, most of the time long beyond that, with being on the machine working on something up until 10PM. Besides a cellphone number that is shared with (only) supporting members of my site, it is absolutely normal to feel like being “ON CALL” 24/7. Recently I watched a 1 and 1/2 hour movie on my work laptop (online) and during the time of the movie, no less than 12 emails hailed into my inbox.  Upon count for several days, I determined that I received an average of 190 emails per  day on 13 email accounts. In addition I manage 3 Facebook Pages, 3 Twitter Pages, 3 Forums, 1 Personal website, monitor and read (selectively) 26 discussion boards, 5 media outlets constantly, with probably 10 more on occasional basis. Imagine this: I do not have a backlog! At any given time in space, there is not a single person out there who tries to get to me and doesn’t get a response. If that isn’t customer service, I don’t know what is. What does it pay, you ask?

$3.28 Per Day!

(This money goes to the forums, not my personal funds, mind you!)

Email Bankruptcy

I am hereby declaring Email Bankruptcy. From this point forward I will not respond to any email or message that does not meet the following criteria:

Personal & Professional Development:

• Friends & Family
• Job Offer Related

Websites & Forums

• Registration (Verifications) Related
• Founding Member Related
• Supporting Member Related
• Sponsorship & Advertising Related.

In other words, I am strategically reducing any and all non revenue activity from my life. If its not contributing to the bottom line, it isn’t there. Yes, you just read this right, I am done and finished working like a clown, jumping up and dropping anything I do just to help people who see no value in anything I do and subsequently refuse to push the donate button on my forums to donate a lousy $25.00 per year. The buck has to stop and it stops now and here, literally.

Blame the sequester if you want, but cuts have to be made and this whole show needs to be brought back to what it really is: A UNPAID HOBBY. Sounds arrogant and harsh? Sorry. The truth hurts a little before it can set you free. If you think I am an asshole, read this and tell me why I should work for free. If you don’t get the point, I am not sure what else we could possibly talk about.

How Its Done

The next step was/is to cancel all my local seaplane association memberships and newsletter subscriptions. Things have slowed down considerably since and there is more fat to be trimmed. I still have tons of email alerts about news items and things I used to post about to go through and eliminate. The goal: 5-10 emails per day, with a maximum of 1 hour per day dedicated to answering them. If the topics I am obligated to answer fail to fit into the one hour per day, additional emails go blank and will be deleted. The clock and count starts over, every day. In other words, if I didn’t get back to you on the day you wrote me, chances of a reply are limited to me feeling like I’ve got nothing else to do and that I should be responding to emails, instead.

This Gun Is For Hire & Looking For Work!

Yours Truly;

Jason Baker

Waldo Lake – Public Hearing & Rulemaking

Read Up And Write Letters – Please

Corresponding Thread On Seaplaneforum.com

Case History On Seaplaneforum.com

The Oregon State Department of Aviation (ODA) Board will be holding a Public Hearing on the proposed Final Rule for Waldo Lake on January 31, 2013. The Hearing will be held in the Ken Long Conference Room at the Willamalane Center, 250 South 32nd Street, Springfield, Oregon between 6:00 p.m. and 8:00 p.m. This meeting is the culmination of the action by the ODA Board to craft rules that will allow continued use of Waldo Lake by seaplanes. If you are unfamiliar with this issue, or need a refresher, please visit the Columbia Seaplane Pilots Association (CSPA) website for the story. Read, particularly, Aron’s May 6, 2012 Bull-a-Ton article Waldo Lake:Finding Common ground.

CSPA greatly appreciates the work of the ODA Board in attempting to find common ground with the other users of the lake. The ODA effort has been met with opposition by those not wanting motorized use of the lake. Oregon Wild and the U.S. Forest Service are so opposed to this rule that they categorically refused to participate in crafting the Temporary Rules back in May. They and their constituents will not, however, refuse to participate in this hearing and will no doubt be there in force. For this reason CSPA is asking that any local pilots, seaplane and otherwise, that can take the time to support the ODA Board come to the meeting and sign up to speak. It will probably be a rather lively proceeding.

If you are out of the area and interested in preserving you rights to use the Sovereign Waters of the State of Oregon in the future you can send a brief, or lengthy, letter or email to the Oregon Department of Aviation expressing your support for the Board action to:
Oregon Dept. of Aviation Board
3040 25th St., SE
Salem ,Oregon 97302-1125
FAX (503) 373-1688
Or Email: aviation.mail@state.or.us

Thanks in advance,
CSPA Board of Directors

The Advocacy Monopoly

Aviation Associations play a vital role in defending pilots rights to fly. For almost every type or category of aircraft there is at least one available that promises to unite and further the cause of Recreational, General and Business Aviation. Each one of them comes with its own area of expertise and mission profile. Within associations, enthusiasts find fellow members, equally interested in having their interests represented, issues resolved or seeing their rights and privileges secured.

To associate or collaborate lies in the very history of mankind and it is absolutely normal for people to seek each others help and expertise in matters that are close to their hearts. Equally so in aviation, where thousands of small and midsized, even very large associations exist. Rest assured, listing just a few of the thousands of associations in the aviation industry alone, would flat-out exceed this blogs capacity.

Right at the start of this paper, we need to divide some of these associations into those who advocate for their members, and those who just host and foster mutual exchange. In other words, we need to look at the many mission statements these associations have published. You will find a couple thousand of those on the internet. Of those, lets focus on the ones who claim to advocate for their members in governmental, rule-making or legislative/ regulatory affairs.

A few questions to prop the readers grey cells into action…

• Is being a member of the Mushroomgrowers Association required to grow mushrooms?
• Are Notices Of Proposed Rule-Making  (NPRM’s) limited in who has a right to comment on them or does the word public mean everyone?
• Do you think that pilots have no right and no duty to advocate for their own cause, unless they belong to an association?

… If you answer yes to any of the questions above, please stop reading here, you are wasting your time and effort and you are insulting the intellect of quite a bunch of people, all over this planet. If you answer no, please read on.

The Oxymoron Of Association Marketing

Somehow, over the last couple of decades, associations have managed to portray themselves as the only form of passionate expression about aviation. Cheap marketing still works and emotion is a good tool to close the sale. Creating urgency and putting the pressure on sells a TON of memberships every year. Sheep always follow.

“If you love aviation/ to fly/ to work in aviation/ to land on water/ to speak with fellow pilots, you owe it to yourself to join our cause! If you don’t join/ renew/ up your membership/ sign up with our special double super program, you will surely see aviation’s demise within the next few years!”

Only a total Putz ridden by monumental idiocy would knowingly do something to hurt what they love, right? Hence – the majority of members join, rejoin, renew, renew early or sign up for lifetime memberships; and generally do as they are told to preserve their “freedom to fly”. The majority of members don’t have many questions about how membership dollars are spent, how effective their associations really are, how small or big their association is and how many of their fellow members they could actually reach if they needed help and push came to shove. How could they know much, after voting their representatives in by proxy, effectively giving them the power to manage everything behind closed doors and among their own?

What I am trying to say is that most associations have managed to portray and sell themselves as the ultimate savior. Questioning their integrity, political drama, lack of financial transparency or vision and decision making as well as salary and staff selections, is frowned upon and often censored or strafed with bitter silence. People challenging the status quo and having the atrocity to speak up about it are sued or dismissed as noise-makers, sometimes called “Anti Association Guys”. It is only a short time from angering the Kings to finding one’s business struggling, or one’s professional job outlook in aviation shrinking and shriveling to nothing. Yes, been there, done that.

Another Kahoohoo Looms

Somehow, the associations have managed to create a false picture in terms of who’s job it is to advocate for us with decision makers. Further, association have been observed intentionally keeping advocacy issues out of the public light, much aligned with the secrecy and earmark deals behind congressional doors. Commenting on a public notice of proposed rule-making suddenly becomes a privilege limited to those who paid money to belong to a special club?! Who are we kidding? Are we really trying to tell people that we don’t want their help unless they pay us membership dues? How stupidly idiotic and arrogant! Talk about turning your already sinking ship smack towards the biggest iceberg in sight.

What About The Independents?

At the end of 2011, there where 617,128 certificated, medical carrying active pilots in the United States Of America. This number is down from 800,000+ back in the 1980’s. Would you volunteer to fall for a conservative, non scientific estimate of probably 1.4- 1.8 million people who have held or still hold a certificate but are no longer able to fly for lack of medicals? Did they turn into pumpkins or are they still around? Do they all hate aviation and no longer care for advocacy? Ohhh, NOOO, dear reader… they are not gone. They read media articles, they follow facebook pages, they follow and post on forums, they visit airports and most of them probably still love aviation more than anything. They just no longer see a need (many may not have the budget) to belong to an association anymore. Many of them may have realized that one cannot buy advocacy through a membership, or magazine subscription. Some of them may even realize that all that Washington talk is really BULLSHIT, advocacy is in fact a grassroots thing……. and politics shouldn’t be a part of an association that promises to advocate as their first mission statement bullet.

How will we reach these people when disaster strikes and airports get closed or seaplane bases get shut down? Do you want to trust the associations to reach them with emailing their alerts to a constantly declining number of members?

Bring passionate and honest people into the game and stop pretending that the current superstar CEO style leadership game works. Members would come hailing in instead of leaving in droves and renewing memberships wouldn’t be such a sticky subject, requiring the association to start soliciting half a year early. Gosh, people have a better chance to forget their birthday or wedding anniversary, than loosing sight of their membership expiration date…

2012 Blogging Year In Review

The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2012 annual report for this blog. As you can see, the blog has suffered in 2012. Maybe 2013 will be a better year…

Here’s an excerpt:

600 people reached the top of Mt. Everest in 2012. This blog got about 9,900 views in 2012. If every person who reached the top of Mt. Everest viewed this blog, it would have taken 17 years to get that many views.

Click here to see the complete report.

Seaplanes – Marketing 401

Social Media & Forum Conflict Management

Sometimes, but very rarely, people feel like holding up their “freedom of speech” argument to have a fight of galactic measures. If you are unlucky, they decide to have this fight on your website. When that happens, you, the website owner or Facebook site operator will be dealing with the virtual pickets being held up. This can have tremendous consequences for your business and a positive attitude in how to deal with it will be crucial for your businesses continued online existence. A nice example for this kind of human behavior can be seen when something bad happens, such as the CT School Shooting in CT, a few days ago, and the nations largest and oldest civil rights organization had to shut their Facebook page down. Imagine the fear and anger spilling over and people getting so bent out of shape that they select your personal domain for their idiotic arguments?!

What is “Freedom Of Speech”?

“freedom of speech [noun]: the right of people to express their opinions publicly without governmental interference, subject to the laws against libel, incitement to violence or rebellion, etc.”

Pretty clear, isn’t it? The government cannot infringe on your right to express your opinion unless you violate the laws against libel, incitement to violence or rebellion, etc.Does is say, Joe Blow cannot infringe on your right to do so in his living room? Does it say you can simply walk (virtually) onto someone else s property and start yelling your opinion? What if the property owner asks you to leave and take it elsewhere? Do you have to leave? It is your constitutional right to be you and to communicate your opinion, but where? The answer is pretty straight again: In Public.   What about badmouthing or disparaging someones character or business on someone else website? Nope. No can do.

The Argument Remains

People who post on a forum or publicly kept website or social media page are not on “public domain”, in other words, they are perfectly fine to hold up their picket sign on the town halls parking lot, but are at the mercy of the property owner if they wish to do it in someones backyard or on someones personal property. Most people, especially aviation people understand that. The property owner has every right to restrict your freedom by censoring or removing material which could cause the entity hosting it any harm. Doing so is not an infringement upon the freedom of speech rights. Moreover, the author of inflammatory material looses all editorial rights by submitting such material to any software or storage device not under full ownership and control by the author. There is no implied responsibility for a website owner to allow any and all behavior to occur. This stems from the fact that website owners can be held liable for content depicted on their website.

What can you do when two or more boneheads have it out on your website?

That’s subject to individual and personal evaluation. For the website/ page owner it’s a simple risk assessment in terms of potential risk. You can either allow the discussion/ argument and monitor it closely, or you can edit, remove or delete it. In extreme cases, such as the outrageously heated debates over gun rights or impending gun laws, or when posts display the behavior of rebels on the loose (national security), you might be better off taking the content off the line and/ or restricting people’s ability to use your site as a tool in displaying their personal opinion.  Some call it “Political Correctness” some call it protecting your personal/ business domain from being used as a battlefield.

Whatever you decide to do is your prerogative. Doing nothing will bite you in the ass!

U.S. Gun Politics & Hypocrisy

If You Ain’t Pissed, You Ain’t Paying Attention

Paying attention under an oppressive government is important. You see, we live in a country where a total nutcase can walk into a school and open fire on unsuspecting and innocent children before ending his own life. The whole ordeal may take less than 10 minutes given the right weaponry at the murderers disposal. This strikes our nation at the very core, as we are finding ourselves rather fearful and helpless.  This feeling is invoked as a basic fear of being under attack, ill prepared in defense and largely unarmed. While the press slaughters such cases, giving maximum exposure to the terrorists involved, it also bends over backwards to display people in their darkest hour. This is not done to inform, it is done for one pure and simple reason and that is to cause the maximum amount of anger and upset within the otherwise peace-loving nation of Americans.

We Fight Abroad, Not Within Our Own Borders

This status quo is being challenged whenever we see shootings or catastrophic events that cause the violent death of more than one person. The CT school shooting does little to shed a light on the fact that a city like Chicago experiences 46 murders per month! That is 46 body-bags, often filled with and by people with tremendous criminal history and energy. Please put in perspective that murder is outlawed as a crime and even though its fundamentally against the law to kill someone other than in fully established self-defense, it nevertheless happens. Would it be scientific enough to state that most criminals show very little regard for the law? Putz! Who would have thought?! Please consider that your fight might not be against the weapons used in these crimes, it might be against those who use those weapons in any other purpose than self-defense. Criminals will continue to break the laws. End of story.

So, What Can Be Done To Prevent This?

Everyone with experience as a soldier, law enforcement officer and anyone who has ever had a weapon in their face, knows the basic rule of combat. In a life and death situation, all de-escalation measures are exhausted or have failed, the time of productive dialogue has passed. Quickly, the matter will cook down to a very basic question of survival. Will it be the victim or will it be the offender? The simple and quick answer if the victim is unarmed is painfully clear. We remember the saying: “Don’t bring a knife to a gunfight” and we remember comparing “bullets to cotton-balls”. An unarmed security officer placed at the door of your child’s school is ineffective and won’t last in a defense situation, nor will such person ever prevent a real evildoer from doing evil. A gun, handed to an untrained (and mostly politically pacifistic personality) may not save the day, either. Locking such a “classroom defense weapon” up in a safe could sign the death order to the children caught in that classroom. As a parent, I would like to have a say in how my child is defended, in a case of  an internal terror attack on them. A quick, deadly force- response, is the only answer. We will have a choice to either place armed guards (please do not let TSA select and hire them!) in and around schools, or close our schools to prevent the increased risk of terrorism within our own country. Banning assault rifles, automatic weapons, or large weapon magazines is about as effective as speed limits or any other laws, which do not prevent criminals from breaking them. More laws will affect the wrong part of the populace, because they effectively only apply to those with any regard for the law. Outlaws and criminals always have and always will ignore LAW. Mentally ill people, on a suicide rampage will continue to do bad things. The United States has a extreme societal issue to take care of, and our issues have absolutely nothing to do with guns or access to them.

Stop Press Hypocrisy/ Bias

In times of universal deceit, telling the truth becomes a revolutionary act. It is hard to overlook the fact that our press is biased and joining the liberal anti gun movement in banning and straight-out disarming the U.S. In fact, the press reports on every move made within the White House, treating the whole shebang as if all weapons were already banned and a Government seizure was imminent. (Y)our rights to free speech and self-defense if faced with a combat situation are not yet changed and are still intact! Don’t let the press treat the subject as if it already was done and over with. We have a civil war to go through before this is all said and done. Meanwhile, exercise your CCW with caution, protect your family and loved ones and don’t let emotional garbage cloud the fact that there were 20 tiny children murdered in CT by a person who would have done evil no matter what.

Final Thoughts

Our sitting President owns an arcade of Secret Service personnel to protect his life and the life of his wife and children. I doubt the Secret Service agents will use cotton balls to defend their president. Make no mistake about it, no human life is worth more than another, hence, as long as our President does not drop his armed security guards, I will not surrender my self-defense weapons. Those liberals who wish to continue to believe in “redemption” and “the good in everyone” shall be my guest in promoting their cause. I would prefer a sign on them, to make sure I will not waste a $3.00 bullet in defense of a totalitarian pacifist with an obvious death wish.  Oh – and by the way: Join the NRA. If at anytime our constitutional rights have been under attack, now is the time to defend them. We already have “Taxation Without Representation”  – so please don’t let this one slip. Adolf Hitler would have had a field day in this country. I know this sentence offends many people who have only left & liberal concepts of  history and what brought him to ultimate power. For everyone with a background in this field, the writings are on the wall.

Seaplanes – Marketing 301

Facebook & Twitter Presence

Of course, the internet is just a fluke and will go away shortly. Consequently, nobody should use it, learn to use it or even talk about it. By all definition, we’ll be going back to more conservative forms of communication soon, so keep that old phone handy, better yet, lets dig out the old crank-phone! Fact is – History is History – sad, sad, sad!

So, in today’s business everything depends on technology and much business comes to you through the electronic world. This requires at least the basics to be covered in terms of social media, website and email conduct. The airplane we fly may be a 1930’s Stearman or a 2012 Cirrus SR22. Unless people have a way to share with the world what they experienced when they came to your outfit, you will remain a secret.

Setting up a Facebook presence takes surprisingly little time. A button on your website could lead to your Facebook page. Brochures and business cards can have a link printed on them which invites your clients to like you on Facebook.  What does this do? It gives people a shot to find and like your page, and all their friends get to see it. This in turn brings more Facebook visitors – which in turn means that more people learn about your company, eventually. When this happens on Facebook – its on a $0.00 advertising budget. Its basically “Word of Mouth – on Steroids” if you tend to it, once or twice a week.

Same with Twitter, except Twitter will require more activity on the business’ side to keep it active and going. How about reaching 300+ people with one little blurb of 140 characters or less? “Special on Sightseeing Flights Today – Stop By The Seaplane Base!

The perfect mixture can be had, its not elusive or unattainable and with a little bit of time and effort invested it can help you run a better, more active business. Maybe your customers would actually like to help you spread the word? You will never know, unless you try.

What about Online Conflict Management?

That’s the subject of the last article in this series and coming up soon…

Seaplanes – Marketing 201

This is Part 2 of a multi part article on Seaplane Business  Marketing

Part II – Websites & Online Presence

The utterly shocking and unexpected revelations in the last article have filled my email inbox with dozens of concerned comments and questions, verifying that I indeed claimed that the 80’s are over.  Since I take my own medicine, I responded religiously to all emails with a short and simple “Yes”! We have arrived in a day and age where emails, online websites and social media presences are a largely determining factor for your businesses chance for success.

Who’s Your Web Guy?

Are you in the aviation business (association or corporation) and did you pay more than $2500 for your website and forum? If so, I’d recommend a jar of Vaseline (TM) which is known to help with the burning of having been, well – you know… Did you look around with your membership or staff to see who might have the skills required to help you with your website? If not, you might have been taken for a ride. Websites are NOT rocket science and generic, carelessly slapped together templates are not a professional expression of your corporation. Complexity isn’t King!  If the web-designers first response was “Uhh, thats a bit complicated, so we’ll charge $X you’re either looking too high, or your web-designer is getting ready to take your money. Do your research and learn that simple, straight forward websites are the way to go. Look for “Mobile Readable” because the internet is so much of a fluke, people don’t access it from a computer anymore, they use smart phones! The websites purpose is to make the prospective customer nosy about your offerings. Select the person you task with creating your website carefully.

Who’s your Customer?

I’m 37 and have near 20/20 vision. Weekly, I land on websites which either require me to pinch my eyes, or move the laptop 20 feet away, because everything is out of size and proportion. Especially associations have a habit of creating incredibly complex and hard to read websites, overstuffed with needless and outdated information. For the seaplane industry, your average customer either wears bifocals or is at war with their personal computer. Anything that wiggles on the screen is an annoyance (unless naked women are involved).

Keep it Simple & Clear

Old rule on the sales floor: “Get in – Say Hi – Sell – Say Bye – Get The Hell OUT!” Quick and simple websites are the way to go. Old and outdated information (stories) are reserved for personal telling, unless you have a really hilarious story to tell. Pictures always tell more of a story. Crisp, clear and informative. Typpos and missbelling isnt welcom!  Show your customer a way to get in touch with you. Email – Phone – Skype – Facebook – LinkedIN – Twitter – you name it. Be as revealing and informative as you wish, but keep in mind that Habib in India, who’s been in the data mining business for 22 years is reading too.

Consult someone who understands AVIATION!

Many of us are available at extremely competitive rates. These rates are low because some of us understand that it takes lots of money to keep the doors open in today’s economy. I’d rather do my fellow aviator a favor, getting 20 referral deals, than to take one person or association to the bank for a quick buck. Okay, I admit, some of us aren’t “Superstars” and we don’t run $150.000 dollar discussion boards, but we’re still capable to help the right people succeed with their website.

http://jasonjamesbaker.com/aviation-consulting/

Next Up – Social Media & Twitter

Seaplanes – Marketing 101

This is a multi part article on Seaplane Business Marketing.

Part 1: EMAIL

The 1980’s Have Passed!

As unfortunate as it may sound, scientists have confirmed that the 1980’s are history. We have arrived in 2012, almost 2013! While the Mayan calendar gives millions a reason to believe that the world will end, chances are, it won’t. It is safe to assume that the Mayans ran out of space, or at the very least chuckled when they figured out that some of the homo-sapient in today’s day and age would use their calendar for dooms day predictions.

How’s Business?

I’ve been in the seaplane people business since 2008. Entering my fifth year in the seaplane discussion board circus, I would like to share a few insights on how to streamline (or propel into existence, for lack of better words) your presence in today’s marketplace. God knows, I can sing a song about the responsiveness of regular seaplane pilots when it comes to anything new, more I can comment on the online and email behavior of businesses in this industry. What shocks me, is the stoic lack of response, even from companies who DO entertain a website, facebook or twitter account. Do these businesses realize that 90% of their customers find them not in some crumpled up magazine on the John, but instead by ONLINE research? Chances are, before picking up the phone to call, your customer will try to send you a email. The $2,500 dollar question is: “Will you answer it?”

“But… I’m not a Online Person – I prefer being called…”

I have heard this sentence hundreds of times in the seaplane industry. We all would prefer to receive a free inbound phone-call for a $2,500 – 4,500 deal. Chances are, we’ll be waiting for that one. Unless your prospect is a personal referral, repeat customer or simply old, you may find such phone calls to be rare. Rule # 1: Look at & answer your EMAILS! They can be an amazing tool to discover business opportunities. Ignoring them literally gives business away to Joe Blow, down the street who could be bothered to respond to a email inquiry.

What to do?

1. Do Check Your Emails!
2. Do Set Time Aside To Respond To Inquiries.
3. Do Follow Up After A Few Days.
4. Do Learn How To Overcome Objections In A Sales Environment.
5. Do Close The Deal And Convert Inquiries Into Cash.
6. Do Keep The Email Address To Ask For Referral Business After The Course… And For Follow Up.

What not to do?

1. Do Not Ignore Your Emails!
2. Do Not Write Stupid One Liner Responses, Full Of Typo’s.
3. Do Not Send Incoherent Emails.
4. Do Not Forget To Invite Questions.
5. Do Not Delete Your Emails.

There are multiple resources which can help you learn how to improve your email etiquette in modern day society. Change your ways and business will change.

Next Up: Websites & Social Media

Seaplaneforum.com Growth & Outreach

100 Likes On Facebook!

Something I didn’t think would happen anytime soon, happened just a few days ago… Little as it may seem, compared to other much larger sites and advertising budgets, we reached a small milestone with this. So, what does it do for the site?

First of all, my forums Facebook page is a free way to market and advertise a small budget site to a generally younger audience, which may otherwise never find out what you are up to. Getting a hundred likes on this social media platform without being a superstar who can spend a couple thousand dollars on a “Campaign”, is a little tougher than it looks. Considering that the seaplane industry is squarely lost somewhere in the 1980’s, everything that requires a lot of effort or time is pretty much an incredibly large mountain of pain. Being a part of a discussion board requires at least the ability to say hello on occasion. So far, 150+ of our members haven’t figured out how to do that. Guess what… we’re a patient bunch of people.

In 2008, I predicted that the seaplane industry would benefit from a discussion board that functions without major headaches. My claim was that the industry would need increased interaction due to the counterproductive political and regulatory environment we get to live in. Having a lot of freedoms and liberty isn’t guaranteed. Aviation, here in specific general aviation and seaplanes, are under CONSTANT attack because they still exist, contrary to many European and Eastern Block countries who have already converted to socialistic governments.

In 2010 I started this seaplaneforum.com project, not knowing who would be right in the end. Those who said we would fail within the first six months, or those who thought we had at least a slim chance of success in this competitive field of self-made aviation hero’s. Most of my proposals and joint efforts between aviation discussion boards have fallen on deaf ears, and that’s OK. Good ideas take some shoving, or so I am told…

• Roundtable meetings between association & group leaders to help bring the U.S. out of  its collective beauty sleep in terms of advocacy awareness….
• Increased collaboration between discussion boards and associations, combined membership rallies to get people aware of ongoing advocacy issues….
• Combined letter campaigns aimed at getting members to write letters to regulatory and local authorities….
• Outreach to  smaller and sometimes larger associations, who dimple along in brackish water that seems to go nowhere….
• Field Director Network: A Network of actively involved, responsive pilots and advocates who focus on certain geographical areas as a watchdog… and help make the rest of our pilot community aware of issues.

We have reached out to Boaters & Recreational Water Users. Results will be seen, as everything – things take time. We have reached out to Bush & Backcountry Pilots. Results will be seen, as … no need to repeat… We have reached out to AOPA, EAA and SPA – with limited if any successes to be reported.

Now I am starting to work on an Expat Seaplane Pilot Section and within 2013 we will try to have “Seaplane Advocacy Watchdogs” in every state of the U.S. and anywhere we can find them abroad. Nobody else wants to do something, so seaplaneforum.com will take the initiative, again. We’ve come all this way from NOTHING and I am not scared. Whatever it takes is the credo…

What does it all have to do with 100 likes on Facebook?

EVERYTHING!

Facebook is traffic, so is Twitter. Both platforms are OPPORTUNITIES to reach out and be seen, recognized and followed. Both are awesome tools to make people aware of something. If you’re into cute puppies, its a lot easier, but I knew that when I started. Whats the next goal after the 100 likes? 1.000 likes, of course! Just like the 500 members are still a possibility, so are 1.000 Facebook Likes. I don’t care how we do it, but I know we will. We will continue to grow and I will personally continue to volunteer my time and effort to the cause of sustaining seaplane aviation in this country. We deserve no less, our members and tireless supporters deserve no less.

Instead of being depressed about a Anti Aviation President… lets work on pulling our collective heads out of our collective asses and kick some butt!

The Only Way Is Forward & Up!

Divided, America Will Fall Without A Single Shot Being Fired!

Many challenges lay ahead of our nation, or so it seems – with a Anti Aviation President, knee-jerk regulation and overbearing government will be rampant. But what does it all mean and how will it affect our small minority of general aviation pilots?

It seems as if we have lost a great deal of confidence in our country, not because Romney wasn’t elected (he would have been as bad if not worse for General Aviation) but because there was no middle way to be found between free money, social programs and more government vs. pure idiotic, endless and hungry capitalism, driven to an extreme America hasn’t seen before. It is moot to waste letters on writing about it, its moot to waste air talking about it, and it is an utter waste of human intelligence to complain about it.

I look at what lies ahead as a tiny business owner, seaplaneforum.com is a sole proprietorship, with no assets to lose, no significant outlook for a well-paying job and a German accent that confuses people. What do four more years of Obama mean for my forum? The answer seems simple… CLOSE THE DOORS, WRAP IT ALL UP AND LEAVE!

But wait…

Seaplaneforum.com grew and prospered during the last 2.5 years! It was started, funded and remains funded through members and sponsoring companies who see a value in having free, uncensored and honest dialog between seaplane and aviation people. All we went through, happened under President Obama!

Despite  of Obama’s victory (which I had feared), I issued a press release on November 3rd that announced that my forum was about to expand to boaters and other recreational water users. A day after the election, I announced that I was looking to add Bush & Back-Country Pilots to the mix.  Tomorrow, I am starting a new fundraiser for the forum, with the largest number of prizes we have ever had. For the first time, thanks to members CFII (Dave Krall in Seattle), Klaus Marx in AK, and John Staber in NY, I am able to offer attractive prizes in a fun contest. Would you believe that we will have a Christmas Wreath and a 1# of Local Honey, too???

Despite of Obama, seaplaneforum was significantly involved in raising hundreds of respectful and factual letters in opposition of a total seaplane ban in New Mexico. Not the first time seaplaneforum.com has shown that it is a huge resource for aviation advocacy, networking and fun.

For the first time ever, as a side note, I found my press releases INSTANTLY published… either by AVweb.com or Aero-News.net who’s Chief Editors I thank!

What am I trying to say?

We are still around, stronger than before, reaching more people than ever before. Our site spreads the love for seaplanes while having a positive impact on our pilot community. In January, I announced to my founders that I would like to have 500 members by the end of 2012. We hit 411 members yesterday, with just another 89 missing to reach the magic number. Certainly not impossible and I am proud of my founders and members to have made this a reality!

This in addition to 356 Twitter Followers and almost 100 Facebook friends! Our corporate sponsor world isn’t looking very promising, but if you could sit at my desk and see how this all started – and what it has become… you would be proud like a dog! Remember, this was all destined to fail – no more than 30, maybe 40 lost souls were destined to join this forum. We were “going to drown within the first year!” Our competitors put their own “Seaplane & Floatplane Flying” sections up, trying to prevent their members from joining and participating on a more tactful, friendlier site that has a 98% customer service approval rating with only 10% of the member body supporting it financially…

Things are definitely looking up if our pilot community stands united, fights side by side, looks out for each other and helps each other in upcoming challenges. Things would definitely look up if the three and four letter advocacy associations would start to embrace the fact that not all pilots will join their cause and money making schemes, yet they can reach the largest majority of pilots through online forums. Proactive Advocacy will require the effort from each one of us, an open-minded, non greedy aviation press, that helps us little outfits to spread the word. In terms of communications and advocacy awareness I would dare say the seaplane industry has improved from 1973 to 1984. We are still light years behind the rest of aviation, which in itself trails modern communication and open dialogue practiced in other fraternities by probably 20 years.

There you have it:

Obama can jump off a 15 story high-rise in Downtown Chicago if he wishes to, and I will wish him a good flight. I would do the same for Romney. Screw them all! Expand! Reach Out! Work Together! Fight for what you believe in! Show them what General Aviation in the U.S. means and what it can do. Don’t allow the status quo of stonewalling and silencing. Stand for the corporations that employ millions of Americans, despite a less than friendly regulatory and political environment. Stop moaning – get involved and do something to alert your fellow pilots to what is going on. If you are older and think you’re “on your way out” find someone with a 8-year-old child. Mention the word “airplane” or ask them what they want to do when they grow up. If you hear a single one answer that they want to be on food stamps, collecting social security or other government entitlements, I will rest my case. If you see a spark in their eyes upon mentioning aviation, you know what you are fighting for. Go and do it!

I am dedicated to double the size (members & revenue) of seaplaneforum.com over the next 2.5 years of Obama politics. Our group would like to grow and anybody with a passion and interest in aviation is invited. Companies interested in advertising on seaplaneforum.com at highly competitive rates are invited to inquire/ propose their ideas via email: seaplaneforum@gmail.com. New Supporting Members and Donations for the cause are always welcome.

“Discussion is an exchange of knowledge; argument is an exchange of ignorance” ~ Robert Quillen

 

 

Skimmer & Lake Operations (Part X)

This is the Skimmer on land. Note that the step is the lowest part and how long the wing floats are. Note also that the engine is directly over the step, the fattest part of the wing, and the unseen fuel tank. Picture in your mind the amount of nose down thrust that the propeller can produce.

Here she is on the water idling in displacement. The floats skim lightly on the surface making it extremely stable, and it is easy to paddle from the pilot’s seat. You can just see the water rudder extended from the bottom of the rudder.

This is what it looks like getting on the step. Full power and up elevator have been applied, the nose gear doors are clear of the water, and the pilot is about to lower the nose to a more level, step attitude.

Here we are on the step at reduced power. Note how much of the hull is in the water and where the spray originates from. The floats are no longer in contact with the water. This is an example of the hull supporting the weight of the amphibian, rather than the wings supporting the weight as you will see later on.

In the air. Notice anything familiar. The amphibian is in the same attitude as on the ground and in the water. In this particular photo the power was reduced for photo taking. She rides a bit more nose down in cruise. Very obvious are the wing fillets designed to keep the flow of air from being sucked from under the wing through the propeller arc during high power and high angle of attack.

And last we have a photo at the exact moment of landing. Same attitude. Note how little hull is in the water meaning that the weight of the amphibian is mostly on the wings. A strange phenomenon is pictured here. The water spray is being adhered to the bottom of the aft hull and then waterfalls down. This also shows in another photo and it makes it look like it is skipping over small waves. Not the case. This photo also shows the 14 feet of slotted flap which gives us good slow speed characteristics and the correct attitude for water landings. Twenty degrees for all takeoffs and landings.

Thus ended my little treatise on the Lake Amphibian. I hope I have imparted to you some idea of what the Lake Amphibian is all about. The aircraft pictured above is my C-1 Skimmer, #1, N6595K. The photos were taken by my long-time friend George Bauer from his Lake Renegade. Skimmer One has been highly modified with a 160HP engine, a metal Hartzell propeller, and wing extension like the LA-4. She flies like a dream, albeit a noisy dream.

Content and pictures courtesy and copyright of John Staber, Owner of Colonial Skimmer SN #1; John has flown and worked on Colonial Skimmers since 1964. In 2011 he published a book on the restoration of N6595K which can be purchased on his website: http://jstaber.com/books/skimmer/ If you are interested to learn about Skimmers and Lake Amphibian Aircraft, come visit and chat with John on www.seaplaneforum.com

 

Skimmer & Lake Operations (Part IX)

Lake Amphibian operation, Part 9

The airport arrival. Upon entering the traffic pattern adjust the throttle to 20 inches of manifold pressure and put the flaps down (same as for a water landing), and trim the aircraft. Now place the landing gear handle in the down position and visually watch all three gear come down, check the light on the panel and make sure the hydraulic pressure is building back up. At this point announce to all that “this is a land landing, the wheels are down!” and visually check again. From this point on the arrival is the same as the water landing, bearing in mind the drag of the long gear legs and making an even steeper approach. Recheck landing gear down on each leg of approach. Reduce power upon turning base leg and retrim. It will be down trim due to the lack of nose down thrust. The landing itself should be the full stall type, accomplished just as on the water. Do not be too concerned with excess speed on descent, as it will soon disappear when the nose is raised to level or above for landing. Both on water and land it is advisable to flare twice. Once to break the fairly steep glide path, and the second one to assume the correct landing attitude, which will appear to be much lower than in other types of aircraft. (Remember sitting in the aircraft on the ramp from part 4 of this series)

You will find that the huge ailerons create much adverse yaw, therefore it is imperative that the rudder be used to control the direction of the Lake. This is true in every situation; land taxi, water taxi, step turns, climbs, descents, turns in the air and landings and takeoffs. During a crosswind landing hold the wing down into the wind and control direction with the rudders. Do not let up on the aileron or you will get the nose slewing around due to the yaw and a drift will start across the runway which gets worse with improper aileron control.

It is not necessary, and inadvisable to raise the flaps immediately after landing. If the wrong selector is raised, you could be sitting on your belly on the runway grinding away the keel strip. There is no “squat switch” to prevent the gear from retracting when on a hard surface runway. Another reason for leaving the flaps down, is that full flaps are needed for the next takeoff.

Here are several rules to follow:

Never allow the nose to go below the step landing attitude when near the water.

Never apply full power immediately after a bounce or skip off the water; go to one-half power, assume the step landing attitude and smoothly apply full power for a go-around. If you should touch again, you will be in the correct attitude. Most times it is not necessary to do anything at all after bouncing a landing except keep the correct attitude, as it will probably stay on the water at the next contact.

Never try to put the airplane on the water. Assume the correct attitude and wait for it to happen. Over-control of the elevator is probably the biggest mistake made in the Lake.

Never attempt a glassy water landing without a qualified checkout. It is, by far, the most dangerous situation in seaplane flying.

Never attempt to “stretch the glide”. Best glide speeds are fine at altitude, but once committed, land or water, lower the nose even farther and gain airspeed to flare with and avoid any “high sink rate”. The Lake will slow immediately when the nose is raised for a flare. Full power will stop the sink rate, but it takes a long time to fly out of it, and actually makes it worse for a few seconds after application.

Always use flaps for all take offs and landings, land or water. If you are maneuvering within 1000 feet of the ground, generally extend the flaps for greatly improved slow flight control.

In the event of a forced landing it is advisable to land gear up unless you absolutely know the terrain you are landing on. The Lake has been landed gear up on grass with no damage whatsoever.

It is advisable to raise the gear immediately after a land takeoff for better performance in the climb and to preclude forgetting to raise it for a water landing. An amphibian pilot should always be uncomfortable when the landing gear is down.

Fly a proper traffic pattern for both land and water. It is easier to see the correct angle of descent and to keep an eye on the landing surface and other airborne traffic.

Some basic information:

Colonial Skimmers:
C-1, 150HP 23 built 1956/57, C-2, 180HP 20 built 1958/9, 34′ wingspan

Lake:
LA-4-180, 180HP about 185 built 1960 to 1970, a few turbocharged, 38′ wingspan.
LA-4-200, 200HP about 885 built 1970 to 1984 (Buccaneer) more than a few turbo
LA-4-200EP about 45 built 1983/4 (extended propellor shaft and rear cowling)
LA-250, 250HP and 270T HP 137 built 1984 to present (Renegade)

Gross weight C-1 2150 pounds, C-2 2350 pounds, LA-4 2400 pounds, LA4-200 2600, 2690 if fuel in floats, LA-250 3150 pounds.

The Skimmers and LA-4-180s are carbureted. All others are fuel injected.

A typical Buccaneer empty weighs about 1650 pounds. Optional heaters and turbos add around 30 pounds each. Each come equipped with a full panel, heated pitot, and a paddle. All 180HP and 200HP EPs are factory equipped with wing fillets (bat wings). Optional equipment consists of after-market items such as: batwings, wing root fillets, horizontal fin root fillets, vortex generators, hull strakes, turbocharger, heater, autopilot, 14 gallons of fuel in the floats, pneumatic hatch openers, bilge pump, radios, anchors and line, etc. Basic fuel capacity is 40 gallons (240lbs) located in a fuel cell in the fuselage. The Renegade is capable of holding up to 90 gallons.

Stalling speed for all models is approximately 50 mph or even less. A good, properly rigged Buccaneer, built on a Wednesday will indicate close to 130 mph at 75 percent power. The Renegade is a little bit faster and the Skimmers and 180HP Lakes a little bit slower. Some fly better than others.

All aircraft EXCEPT LA-4-180s from 1965 to 1970 were factory alodined and zinc chromate primed and that vintage are susceptible to severe corrosion. Newer models are epoxy primed.

There are several ADs on the Lake, but not a lot of them. Most important are 2000-10-22 dealing with wing attachment reinforcement and 2005-12-02 dealing with horizontal stabilizer mounting brackets. Most other ADs deal with engines, props, accessories and the like and are one-time compliance as are the two mentioned above. A properly maintained Lake is no more expensive to operate than a corresponding Piper Arrow. One that has been neglected can be a nightmare.

It is imperative that one gets training from a Lake qualified instructor. It is also imperative that a pre-buy inspection be done by a Lake qualified mechanic. Many Lakes have been owned by the same persons for 25 to 30 years. That alone should be an indicator of what a fine aircraft they are…and, they are fun!

Content and pictures courtesy and copyright of John Staber, Owner of Colonial Skimmer SN #1; John has flown and worked on Colonial Skimmers since 1964. In 2011 he published a book on the restoration of N6595K which can be purchased on his website: http://jstaber.com/books/skimmer/ If you are interested to learn about Skimmers and Lake Amphibian Aircraft, come visit and chat with John on www.seaplaneforum.com

Skimmer & Lake Operations (Part VIII)

Glassy Water operation. This is the most dangerous operation with any seaplane, due to the fact that there is no depth perception over glassy water. This is exacerbated by opaque or overcast skies. Anytime these conditions occur a glassy water approach should be used. Quite often these conditions occur on only part of the surface you are landing or taking off from. It is possible when landing or taking off to experience the surface to go from ripples to glassy. Always use the glassy water approach and landing unless you are absolutely sure you will be down and stopped within the rippled area. The glassy water departure is just as dangerous as the landing and care must be taken not to fly back into the water after lift off.

The Lake operates the same off glassy water as rippled. The pilot is the one that can’t tell what is happening. I prefer to not wear headphones for most water operations and especially for glassy water. You need to be able to hear the sound of the water on the hull and sense the correct attitude, which is the same as any takeoff or landing when you can see the surface. You should be focused on a known point in the distance, hence the takeoff should not be made toward the middle of a large body of water, with absolutely no visual reference. Preferably, landings and takeoffs should be made parallel to shore where there is at least some visual reference.

We need two things. The correct attitude for landing and an acceptable rate of descent. There are variables like load, density altitude, horsepower. I prefer to set up the proper attitude at altitude where I have an horizon. From experience, most Buccaneers need between 15 to 16 inches of manifold pressure to give us no more than 200 feet per minute rate of descent. Flaps should be down. The attitude should be slightly nose-up as evidenced by visually sighting out the copilot’s window at the horizon. Trim to this attitude, and more than likely you will see an airspeed of around 58 mph and a rate of descent of 200 feet per minute. Minutely adjust the manifold pressure to change the rate of descent. When I designed the new panel for Skimmer One, I put the airspeed over the rate of climb, over the manifold pressure, knowing that those are the three major instruments used for a glassy water landing. After all, the glassy water landing is an instrument approach to touchdown.

Now for the landing itself. The object is to get as close to water as possible before we lose our last point of reference. This is where the shoreline comes in handy as we can see that we are about 10 or twenty feet above the water. Reeds growing out of the water are a help also and can get us even closer. At this point we add power to the known power setting and gently pull the nose up to the airspeed that we know to be correct…and wait, checking again for an acceptable rate of descent, and wings level…and wait, and wait, and wait until finally we hear, rather than feel, the hull parting the water below. Don’t do anything yet. Give yourself a few seconds to make sure that you really are on the water. At this point, retard the throttle as you relax some back-pressure on the yoke to compensate for the lack of nose-down thrust (remember that?). It is most important that you add power first during the level-off to prevent a high rate of descent when the nose is raised. Should you let the rate of descent get too high you may skip out of the water. Do not change anything since you do not know how high you are above the water, and keep your attitude correct and wait for the next contact whereupon you will probably stay on the surface. If you are not completely sure of anything during this most dangerous approach, go around and start all over, making sure you have a rate of climb after adding power to prevent flying back into the water, now in completely the wrong attitude.

The feeling of idling along on completely glassy water is like nothing else. One feels as if they are hovering in a vacuum bereft of any visual reference, except maybe the wake behind the floats and hull. Truly unexplainable, and you will know what I mean when it happens to you.

The glassy water takeoff is identical to the rippled water takeoff in attitude, but it is more difficult to get the correct attitude. It must be done by feel and the sound of water under the hull and sensing that “sweet spot”. Do not get over-anxious with the lift off with too much back-pressure, but allow the Lake to fly off of its own accord when it is ready. The last thing we want to do is lift off with insufficient airspeed since we need to stay in the air and climb away from the glassy water.

Since they are so dangerous, I highly recommend, that if you have a choice, always land on the ripples. However, that doesn’t mean you should not be proficient in glassy water landings. It goes without saying that one should get a proper check-out with a Lake qualified instructor before solo flight, especially in the above conditions.

Content and pictures courtesy and copyright of John Staber, Owner of Colonial Skimmer SN #1; John has flown and worked on Colonial Skimmers since 1964. In 2011 he published a book on the restoration of N6595K which can be purchased on his website: http://jstaber.com/books/skimmer/ If you are interested to learn about Skimmers and Lake Amphibian Aircraft, come visit and chat with John on www.seaplaneforum.com

Skimmer & Lake Operations (Part VII)

The water takeoff. If you are going to get into trouble, this is probably the place where it is most likely going to happen. And the biggest reason is that one can over-step his ability to handle rough water. Proficiency is the keynote here. Proficiency mixed with exact attitude control, and over-controlling the elevator is the biggest culprit. While this operation does require full power to transition to the “step attitude” and also to lift off, it does not mean that power cannot be reduced while “on the step” in order to judge the proper attitude and water conditions, before applying full power again for lift off. Several items are very important. Lots of up trim is needed (remember the nose-down thrust from the engine). Attention to attitude is vital. As when driving a car, the faster you are going, the farther out front you should concentrate your gaze.

Several years ago I was instructing someone who said that they were having problems with rough water takeoffs. Rough water being 1 foot waves or more. I found the problem on the first takeoff due to being thrown off the seat and around the cockpit regardless of the seatbelt. I looked for something to hold onto and the only thing available was the control yoke which I held onto for dear life, which in effect stopped the pilot induced up and down pitching of the nose, and made the ride much more comfortable. We stopped the takeoff and started over again, this time with the pilot concentrating on a point in the distance and holding a constant attitude, instead of adjusting pitch for each and every wave going under the hull. A classic case of over-controlling the elevator!

Under reduced power, reasonably slow (35mph) step taxying one can do almost anything with the Lake, from full up elevator to full down elevator with no problems, but with full power and higher water speeds, it has to be controlled correctly.

Having done all necessary checks, add full power slowly with full up elevator. When the bow wave clears the nose gear doors, relax back pressure and allow the nose to come down to the level (step) attitude. Just before reaching this attitude, apply a bit of up elevator to prevent a porpoise. Should it start to porpoise (like a nose-heavy motorboat), increase the amount of back pressure and it will stop immediately (reducing power also has the same effect). Allow the speed to build, slowly adding more back pressure as the speed and water drag increases, but do not change the attitude, and the Lake will fly off by itself when it is ready. As previously mentioned, looking off in the distance will help detect any attitude changes. There is a “sweet” attitude where you will accelerate rapidly, and it is quite obvious. Do not rotate off the water. Doing so will result in the tail going down and slowing the aircraft and it could result in a premature liftoff. Allow the water to drain off the hull and climb at 65, just as from land. Do not be a hurry to raise the flaps as generally there are obstacles to clear and you are going to make another water landing anyway since it is so much fun!

There are several items to think about. One is, that the nose down thrust actually helps to get on the step by pressing the hull down onto the water and allowing the “V” of the hull to cut through the waves. It has been my experience with a heavily loaded 180 horsepower Lake, that it would not get on the step in high waves, no matter what I tried. Once we reached smoother water (6″ waves) it slowly reached the step attitude and off we went (with not much room left, I might add). A note here also. It is amazing that 180 horsepower is enough to make the Lake perform as well as other aircraft with well over that amount of horsepower. Of course, the 200 and 250/270 models do even better.

It is well known among seaplane pilots that on a windy day there is a rogue wave about every 25 to 30 waves…one that is a bit higher than others. As your speed increases one must be careful not to get launched into the air by this wave before the aircraft is ready to fly. A slight relaxation of back pressure is needed as you cross this wave with no change in attitude and you will stay on the water until lift-off. Should you inadvertently get launched out of the water, it is imperative that the attitude remains the same (the water landing attitude) as you are certainly going to contact the water again until your speed increases enough to fly. The ability to “read the water” is a must and can only be gained by experience, hence it is your proficiency that dictates the type of water you fly from, or on to.

Aborting the takeoff. It is my humble opinion, that when one is approaching imminent lift off you are committed to the takeoff and the attitude must remain the same until you do lift off. If you are going to abort the takeoff, you must do it long before this point. Why? The lack of the nose down thrust near takeoff speed will result in a takeoff anyway with no power to maintain forward speed and the ability to fly away from the water. Bear in mind that I am talking about a “worst situation” scenario and that only if you have exceeded your abilities, are you ever going to get into this situation. Beware the boat wake. If you see a lot of boats moving on the water, you are going to find boat wakes and they can be lethal if encountered on a full power takeoff run. Abort the takeoff early on in the run if possible and keep your speed well below takeoff speed until you have a clear area of no wakes. If at all possible, parallel the wakes, remembering to turn with the rudders and encounter them at slow speeds (I call it wallowing through them). If you don’t like the situation, stop. Do not wait until you are way beyond your limit of proficiency.

Content and pictures courtesy and copyright of John Staber, Owner of Colonial Skimmer SN #1; John has flown and worked on Colonial Skimmers since 1964. In 2011 he published a book on the restoration of N6595K which can be purchased on his website: http://jstaber.com/books/skimmer/ If you are interested to learn about Skimmers and Lake Amphibian Aircraft, come visit and chat with John on www.seaplaneforum.com

Skimmer & Lake Operations (Part VI)

Docking. As in beaching, be prepared with seat belt off, everything shut down, paddle within reach and a line attached to the forward cleat. Study the situation carefully as to your approach. Remember also that you need to depart from the dock. The wind direction is most important along with current and tide. Be aware that you might have to leap from the nose to the dock quite quickly. Or, in the worst case, into the drink to save some soft aluminum. This is probably the Lake Amphibian’s weakest feature, but it can be done. The more agile you are, the easier it is. Naturally, if you approach directly into the wind it will be the easiest. The height of the dock is most important. Nose bumper height or lower is what we like and no high posts. The flaps should be retracted if we want to place the dock between the fuselage and the float. Then it is a simple matter of stepping out of the cockpit onto the dock and securing the plane. Cushioning material is preferred. Help on the dock is much welcomed, however they should be told what to do in advance. The engine should be shut down well in advance and the aircraft paddled the remaining distance to the dock. “Sculling” with the water rudder helps. Directly downwind is the next easiest method provided the wind is not too strong. One might have to back-paddle to slow the forward motion, and expect to exit over the nose in a hurry, pushing off the plane as you go to stop the forward motion. Expect it to weathercock immediately. There is a method of tying the aircraft so that it floats away from the dock. It is possible, if the dock is low enough to place the float on top of it. The floats have little bumpers on their nose and on older Lakes there are wingtip bumpers useful for coming up to larger vessels.

Departing the dock requires some idea about what the action of current and wind might do. If you are nosed up to a dock, get on the nose giving a mighty push away from the dock. Crawl in over the nose and immediately begin back-paddling away from the dock until you are at least a wing length away in case the aircraft begins turning. Once you are sure that you are not going to ram into the dock you may start the engine. A little trick at this point, is to use full rudder towards open water, start the engine and you will start an immediate turn as soon as you start moving. While docking is possible, it is generally preferable to beach the aircraft and a lot less work.

Ramping. It is amazing how steep a ramp the Lake can climb, but one also has to go back down. Several very important things; make sure the ramp goes far enough under water so the landing gear rolls up on it. Make sure the space on either side allows for the wingspan and make sure your wheels are down and that the ramp is wide enough for the landing gear plus a good safety margin. Approach at idle power and do not add power until you feel the nose wheel roll on the ramp. At that point add full power to insure that you move straight up the ramp. Do not stop until you have reached level ground at the top of the ramp. The worst scenario is stopping half-way up a steep ramp and having the nose wheel caster to either side.

If you have a crosswind while approaching the ramp you will have to “crab” into the wind to insure a straight-line approach to the ramp. A quartering tail wind in a stiff breeze is the worst situation. With the landing gear down you lose some effectiveness of the water rudder. One must plan ahead for the possibility of aborting. Should you abort, turn into the wind and raise the gear to make the water rudder more effective and use power as necessary.

Good brakes are a must for descending a ramp. Keep it moving to insure a straight line, letting off on the brakes only when reaching the slippery area at the water line. As in ascending, you do not want to stop and have the nosewheel caster to one side or the other. When you enter the water, the nose will float up which lowers the tail and it doesn’t take much angle of descent to hit the tail skid at this point. I have had the experience of almost ripping the tail skid off and filling the rear compartment with water. There are two ways to avoid this. If the ramp is wide enough (they seldom are), enter the water at an angle. But the preferred method is to add a good amount of power as the nose starts to float, which will push the nose way down into the water. It is a wise idea to close the entry hatches in case you get carried away and have a wall of water cascade over the instrument panel into your lap. When it floats up again, the tail will be far enough away from the ramp so as not to hit. Be careful with the Renegade as the fuselage is longer. An after market item sold by Lake is a new tail skid with a built in roller.

Content and pictures courtesy and copyright of John Staber, Owner of Colonial Skimmer SN #1; John has flown and worked on Colonial Skimmers since 1964. In 2011 he published a book on the restoration of N6595K which can be purchased on his website: http://jstaber.com/books/skimmer/ If you are interested to learn about Skimmers and Lake Amphibian Aircraft, come visit and chat with John on www.seaplaneforum.com

Skimmer & Lake Operations (Part V)

Beaching. Be prepared. Seat belt off, paddle within reach, and a line tied to the cleat on the nose. If you are not sure of the condition of the beach, approach at an idle with the wheels down and shut the engine down about 30 feet from shore allowing the plane to drift in until the wheels touch the bottom. If it is a nice sandy beach, retract the gear with the existing hydraulic pressure and paddle in until the keel touches. All can be done from the pilot’s seat with the entry hatch open.

Make sure all switches are off, and step out with your line in hand. Always attach a line to the Lake when you hop out or dive out. With any amount of wind or current the Lake will drift faster than you can swim (I know of someone who went to his final water landing in the sky doing that), and if beached, will be lighter and float higher once you have gotten out. Always wear beach sandals to prevent sharp rocks and beer bottle shards from impaling you. There are conditions when you might want to leave the gear down. If there are boat wakes in the area it is better to have the gear rather than the unprotected hull absorb the shock of hitting bottom as the plane floats higher and lower.

You might want to taxi completely out of the water if you have room and the surface is hard enough. Always check conditions first before attempting this. Beware of unseen rocks and sharp drop-offs or holes underwater. Having determined that it is safe, taxi back out, put the wheels down, water rudder up, and drive the Lake onto the beach with full up elevator, using just enough power to keep moving, and execute a 180 degree turn which points you back at the water. If you are going to get stuck at least you will be pointing in the right direction. Now get your picnic basket out and enjoy! Upon boarding for departure get rid of any excess sand on your feet, fire up, and taxi slowly back into the water, making sure you are not turning when the aircraft starts to float (this prevents nosewheel shimmy when arriving on land). When afloat, gear up, water rudder down and stow loose lines and equipment and seat belt on. If you should happen to run aground on a sand bar, retract the water rudder and use full air rudder and power to pivot the plane on its step 180 degrees. Add more power and blast off into known deeper water.

Getting stuck. Not fun. It generally happens when the wheels sink into the sand during wave action or the surface is simply too soft. The paddle makes an excellent shovel. The nose-down thrust exacerbates the situation. Hopefully, there might be a flat piece of wood along the shoreline to place under the nosewheel to give a bigger footprint. A frisbee is handy and is light enough to carry on board. Bystanders come in handy also providing they have been instructed where, and where not, to push. A couple of strong backs pushing up on the wing spar helps. A last resort measure, is retracting the gear and sliding the Lake back into the water on its belly. The hydraulic operation of the landing gear is a big asset in this situation. By lifting the nose, that gear will come up. Don’t get your fingers pinched in the nose doors. If you have help, lift a wing and that gear will come up and the fuselage will then slide towards the remaining gear as it retracts inward. If you are in the water, but stuck, slide out a wing on your “bum” which will lighten up the other wing and that gear will usually retract. Once one retracts, the other will be soon to follow. Fun, eh? Beware of tidal water.

Content and pictures courtesy and copyright of John Staber, Owner of Colonial Skimmer SN #1; John has flown and worked on Colonial Skimmers since 1964. In 2011 he published a book on the restoration of N6595K which can be purchased on his website: http://jstaber.com/books/skimmer/ If you are interested to learn about Skimmers and Lake Amphibian Aircraft, come visit and chat with John on www.seaplaneforum.com

Skimmer & Lake Aircraft Operations (IV)

Lake Amphibian operation, Part 4

The water landing. There is nothing quite as thrilling as making your first water landing in the Lake or Skimmer. While parked at the airport, step back about 10 feet from the amphibian and look at the hull. The lowest point is at the step directly under the engine. The hull then slopes up to the nose and the tail. This is the perfect attitude for a “step landing” on the water. Now sit in the airplane and note where the tarmac level is below and remember the attitude of the aircraft. This is exactly what it will look like shortly before a water landing.

Pick a day with a slight steady breeze (enough to tell the wind direction from the ripples on the body of water), and warm enough to pull up to shore and hop out. Upon reaching your landing area (beginners should give themselves at least a couple of miles of obstruction free water), fly overhead at a safe altitude (at least 1000 feet) and survey the area. Fly overhead with the flaps down and the throttle reduced to 20 inches of manifold pressure and trimmed properly. At this point do your second landing checklist, saying out loud, “This is a water landing, the gear is up!” Look out and visually confirm same, along with noting the internal gear light. The first check having been shortly after the land takeoff when you know you are off to do a water landing. Note your wind direction, wave action, approach area, departure area, obstructions (WIRES, ROCKS, floating debris, boats), and your go-around point should something not go as planned.

Much more is seen from this altitude than from a 100 mph low pass which does nothing more than warn the non-seaplane pilot homeowner of your impending arrival. Fly a normal downwind, turn to base leg, reduce power to about 15 inches and start a fairly steep descent, trimming as necessary. Airspeed should be around 80 mph. Check gear up again visually and out loud. Turn to final, reduce power more, lower the nose more, clear the shoreline comfortably, check the gear again, level off close to the water in the proper attitude and wait for it to land itself. For every power change and attitude change, there should be a trim change. Hence, nose down trim when reducing power. A small amount of power during the landing goes a long way. Excess power will tend to prolong the landing and results in a totally different “feel” upon reduction. When you are sure that you have made a good landing, reduce power to idle while simultaneously relaxing any back pressure on the yoke and let the aircraft slow down until it settles into the water “off the step”. Steering in the water can be done with just the air rudder and a small amount of power, or preferably with the water rudder extended for more positive control.

Most water taxiing should be done with the power at idle to keep the noise and spray at a minimum. The other type of water landing is the full stall. The procedure here is to flare just a bit higher and bleed off all the airspeed without ballooning and drag the tail in first with power off and the wheel full back. This method is also used as a recovery from a “botched” step landing or a bounce or skip. That is the third type of landing which should be avoided. Anything between the step and the stall landing will result in a skip out of the water due to excess speed coupled with a nose too high attitude.

Content and pictures courtesy and copyright of John Staber, Owner of Colonial Skimmer SN #1; John has flown and worked on Colonial Skimmers since 1964. In 2011 he published a book on the restoration of N6595K which can be purchased on his website: http://jstaber.com/books/skimmer/ If you are interested to learn about Skimmers and Lake Amphibian Aircraft, come visit and chat with John on www.seaplaneforum.com

Skimmer & Lake Aircraft Operations (III)

Lake Amphibian operation, Part 3

Rather than go into details of checklists and run-up procedures, we will skip over to taxiing and takeoff. Since the nose gear is castering, steering is done with differential braking and one must be moving before the Lake can be turned. It helps to have the nose wheel pointed in the right direction before moving, especially in a tight spot. A healthy push on the side of the nose will usually do the trick. Using enough power to move forward, apply brake and rudder in the direction of the turn, and the opposite for changing direction. A little extra taxi speed helps maintain direction. Do not “ride” the brakes. A bit of practice in an open space will soon have you comfortable. There is a damper to stop nosewheel “shimmy” located just above the nose wheel fork. Too tight makes for difficult steering and too loose results in a “shimmy” at faster speeds.

There are springs attached to the pilot’s control yoke to enhance “feel” and the normal position is slightly nose down elevator, so for takeoff we want the elevator held slightly up. The trim tabs should be set in the top of the green arc, or visually about 40 degrees up. Bear in mind that there is considerable nose down thrust from the engine at full power. Flaps should be in the down position for every takeoff and landing, land or water. Increase the throttle smoothly forward for takeoff. Stay off the brakes since you will have immediate rudder control. A bit more back pressure should have you flying at about 60 mph. Assume a positive climb angle, maintain 65 mph and retract the gear, and climb at 65 to 70 mph. The flaps are the slotted type, or slow speed, high lift variety. If you try to climb with very little angle of attack, the climb rate is poor. However, by increasing the angle and climbing at the above speed you should see a respectable climb. After reaching about 500 feet of altitude, lower the nose to increase the airspeed, raise the flaps, trim down immediately, and climb at 85 or 90 mph. The main reason for not retracting the flaps until 500 feet of altitude is attained is to give the pilot time to select flaps down in the event of a forced landing after takeoff.
Control direction, thrust and “P” factor with the rudder only. When the desired cruise altitude is reached, lower the nose to level, allow the airspeed to increase to cruise, trimming nose down as speed increases. Finally, reduce the power setting to cruise power. If you should reduce the power before the proper attitude and cruise speed is reached you will be half-way to your destination before proper cruise airspeed is attained.

Landing gear, flaps and trim are hydraulically operated and reasonably trouble-free with a little preventive maintenance. Pressure is maintained by an electric pump operated by a pressure switch set to turn on at about 700 psi and off at about 1100 psi. There is a hand-operated auxiliary hydraulic pump in the event that the electric pump fails. An accumulator in the system assists in rapid gear retraction and extension. Preventive maintenance generally consists of occasional “O” ring replacement and periodic replacement of flexible hoses.

The Lake is a “rudder” airplane and one of the best aircraft to demonstrate adverse yaw with. If one attempts to turn with aileron alone, the nose immediately slews in the wrong direction and stays that way throughout the turn. Almost perfectly coordinated turns can be made with the rudder alone, and due to the dihedral of the wings will remain in a turn when properly trimmed with no input from the pilot.

Content and pictures courtesy and copyright of John Staber, Owner of Colonial Skimmer SN #1; John has flown and worked on Colonial Skimmers since 1964. In 2011 he published a book on the restoration of N6595K which can be purchased on his website: http://jstaber.com/books/skimmer/ If you are interested to learn about Skimmers and Lake Amphibian Aircraft, come visit and chat with John on www.seaplaneforum.com

Seaplane/ Aviation Advocacy – A Wishlist for “Santa” (Part 1 of 2)

Who’s the “Seaplane Pilots Santa”?

After two and a half years of running seaplaneforum.com and  now after roughly 11 years in the “low level aviation advocacy arena”, I have come to a couple of conclusions and suggestions as to what our industry needs to do in order to succeed and prevail in an ever growing world of challenges. It is my belief that our industries ability to adapt and change course will determine how and if seaplanes will exist, a few years from now. To those getting ready to leave the industry due to age or medical concerns – these points may seem dramatic, but I have a feeling to most of the younger seaplane pilots, they do make sense.

Our industry is affected by a clearly visible generational conflict, which manifests itself in two areas. ONE: Those on the way out are generally lacking the personal motivation to reach out and share their experience and knowledge, get involved and active on advocacy related subjects or seem to believe that what they have to share won’t matter to the younger generation; and TWO: Those on the way in, find themselves spinning in a hamster wheel without proper guidance or mentoring, yet, are DESPERATELY searching for jobs and opportunities. Unknowingly, they are blind to what is required to sustain this industry which is INDIVIDUAL EFFORT IN ADVOCACY. The candle is (I will attest to this in court, if asked to) burning from both ends!

But…Seaplane flying is FUN! Seaplane flying is ADVENTURE! Seaplane flying is EXCITING!

Each one of us, old or young, experienced or greenhorn, has a horse in the race of keeping seaplanes and general aviation alive for the future. Each horse looks different and runs at its own speed. There are people with money, people with time and people who can present well, people with incredible experience and people with barely a clue about whats going on. All of us make this industry.

I have decided to share my Seaplane Advocacy Wishlist, because I believe that I am not alone with such a list. I publish it because I am deeply concerned about several shortcomings and unnecessary shortfalls, which we can fix and rectify as a group, together, today – not tomorrow. I truly believe its up to each one of us to rescue and resurrect the greatest aviation story ever told.

Let me begin with the “Advocacy Organization Wishlist”.

Dear Advocacy Organization Santa,

I have been a good boy this year and I am sending you my wishlist for consideration. You know me well, so you already know that I will hope to see all of the items I asked for, but I think if you need extra time, I will patiently wait for you to get it all done! Thank you!

Fiscal Transparency is something every member of your association may appreciate. Even those who refuse to join the happy party today, once your fiscal transparency issues are fixed and you can openly answer inquiries, you will find membership numbers rising magically.

Personal Accountability would likely turn out to be a benefit not only for the executives and presidents, but also from the board of directors that wasn’t elected by the membership – but is self appointed. We know that “success breeds success” but when you claim to be membership focused you may find a personable character better placed than the multi millionaire business executive. Consider that some of your board members are using their membership on the board in furtherance of their own business and to appear more personable, but they may be far removed and fairly out of touch with the general membership. Replace them with people who care for the backbone of your association – the sooner you do it, the sooner more money from members will come in…

ADVOCATE! None of your membership programs are of much matter to the community at large. If the number one purpose of your association is to be advocating for seaplanes, do just that. Focus on your mission and constantly work to fulfill the promise made to members. Place your members before business interests and find your membership rising naturally. Retain members who are willing to play an active role and be involved. You’re not running a magazine subscription and nobody cares for fancy programs aimed to bring press. Attend 2-3 important events, but don’t spend a lot of time and money on events. Let volunteers do this work. Advocacy isn’t funny and it has very little in common with the romance of seaplane flying. Its hard work, and you are expected to do it. While at it, overcome your personal beefs, reach out to other groups willing and able to help you with advocacy work and don’t ever look down on anyone. Retain and select a good attorney who will go to battle for (y)our community.

Reach out to those willing to help with advocacy issues, instead of trying to portray aviation advocacy as your exclusive monopoly. Remember that by ignoring and stonewalling smaller (and sometimes pretty effective) outfits, you contribute directly to the further division of (y)our industry. Many of those who have left you will return (with their much valued $$’s!!!) once you start to show your ability to collaborate effectively and work with former “enemies” to accomplish the greater good. Don’t ask for money from your membership, provide them with something that makes them WANT to be a member. Be accessible to and treat your members like what they are. (Y)our backbone! Without them, advertising revenue will ultimately be affected. Look towards the bigger outfits out there to see clearly how not to do it.

Last but not least, realize that SILENCE KILLS. More than anything else which can be considered detrimental to our cause, you will find that silence and silencing will never work when trying to accomplish anything. Good relationships break from silence (or obsessive yelling), airplanes who are not controlled by pilots who understand Crew Resource Management (CRM) are more likely to crash. Clarity, accountability and honesty still goes a long way in our world of flying.

My wishlist will continue… next up… PILOTS and ENTHUSIASTS…

Official Response New Mexico

Here is the official letterhead response from Seaplaneforum.com on New Mexico’s proposed ban of seaplanes.

EMNRD State Parks _ Comment On 19.5.2.26 Opposition Of Seaplane Ban

SEAPLANE ADVOCACY ALERT – NEW MEXICO

The State of New Mexico (State Parks Division, SPD) is proposing to close all State Lakes to Seaplanes and Floatplanes.

This comes as a surprise, after State Parks Division had previously but apparently unsuccessfully sought contact to the seaplane community and several associations to address concerns and learn about seaplane operations.

Please Read: http://seaplaneforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=10&t=2139  for background information.

Text of  proposal:

19.5.2.26 SEAPLANES AND FLOATPLANES: The taxiing, landing or takeoff of seaplanes or floatplanes is prohibited in the state parks system. [19.5.2.26 NMAC – N, / /]

NOTICE OF PUBLIC HEARING AND RULEMAKING

The New Mexico Energy, Minerals and Natural Resources Department, State Parks Division will hold a public hearing on proposed rule amendments at 6:30 p.m. on October 17, 2012 in Porter Hall (first floor), Wendell Chino Building, 1220 South Saint Francis Drive, Santa Fe, New Mexico.

Comments will be accepted until Oct. 31 2012 at 5PM, time is of the essence.

Written comments and oral comments will be accepted at the public hearing on October 17, 2012 and written comments will be accepted until October 31, 2012 at 5:00PM by mail or e-mail. Please mail written comments to April Alvarado, EMNRD, State Parks Division, 1220 S. St. Francis Drive, Santa Fe, NM 87505 or submit them by e-mail to april.alvarado@state.nm.us.

Seaplane Pilots Association has issued a “Call to Action” and its Executive Director is scheduled to speak at the hearing tonight. Our success will depend on our communities ability to rally for tactful and factual letters opposing the ban of seaplanes in New Mexico. Please send this to all your fellow pilots, contact your AOPA, EAA and RAF representatives.

The State Parks Division was invited to work with WSPA’s Bruce Hinds which has been instrumental and highly effective in such matters and several members of our forum have welcomed and applauded the State Parks Division for proactively reaching out to seaplane pilots.

As was the case with C-SPA’s Waldo Lake, I will submit an official letterhead comment, rally my members to support our efforts and continue to follow and report on this issue. New Mexico is strategically important for seaplane pilots from across our nation, having access means being able to plan flights safely without having to circumnavigate a whole state.

Please feel free to submit your letters and emails (cc: or bcc:) to: moderators.seaplaneforum@gmail.com or post them directly in the forum thread, so that others can learn and paraphrase good points to raise in their letters. We will not publish your name, address or other personal information.

Tips:

• Seaplane Pilots are certificated, highly trained, naturally concerned and proactively working to keep flying safe.
• Seaplane Pilots are aware, trained and willing to work with State Agencies to prevent the spreading of invasive species.
• Seaplane Pilots are involved in environmental/ cleanup efforts, help and assist with search and rescue and seaplanes are successfully integrated in natural disaster response.
• Seaplane Pilots wish to retain equal opportunity in access to water bodies.
• Seaplane Pilots are proactive about noise, pollution and have operated alongside and hand in hand with boats for several decades.

Please help with your letters and please continue to check in on the thread on the forum.

Thank you for your prompt attention and help in this matter!

The Kings vs. The Servants Game

What Gives?

Its hard not to see the truth in many of the statements of Mr. Siegel’s email to his employees. Yet, I can’t help but wonder if it’s time to run (not walk) away from this sinking ship, though? Your fellow American is already fairly self-centered and ignorant to the rest of society, but the 2012 Election Circus has truly brought out the venom… Instead of telling your employees that you will be “sitting on the beach in the Caribbean, not worrying about pesky employees, while essentially telling them who to vote for, why not tell them what it’s really all about and just do it anyways.

Mitt Romney might understand business, but he has none such, governing a people he cannot relate to and doesn’t understand. Neither does the other clown (to be fair). What we (THE PEOPLE) need to do, is take our country back from these crooks before we all get to fly Chinese Flags or loose the last bit of dignity in the fight with those who will put their profit and lifestyle above society. I renew my pledge to vote for Homer Simpson as President of the United States. Sadly, a comic figures logic sometimes makes more sense than what American Politics is able to crank out…

Date:Mon, 08 Oct 2012 13:58:05 -0400 (EDT)

From: [David Siegel]

To: [All employees]

To All My Valued Employees,

As most of you know our company, Westgate Resorts, has continued to succeed in spite of a very dismal economy. There is no question that the economy has changed for the worse and we have not seen any improvement over the past four years. In spite of all of the challenges we have faced, the good news is this: The economy doesn’t currently pose a threat to your job. What does threaten your job however, is another 4 years of the same Presidential administration. Of course, as your employer, I can’t tell you whom to vote for, and I certainly wouldn’t interfere with your right to vote for whomever you choose. In fact, I encourage you to vote for whomever you think will serve your interests the best.

However, let me share a few facts that might help you decide what is in your best interest.The current administration and members of the press have perpetuated an environment that casts employers against employees. They want you to believe that we live in a class system where the rich get richer, the poor get poorer. They label us the “1%” and imply that we are somehow immune to the challenges that face our country. This could not be further from the truth. Sure, you may have heard about the big home that I’m building. I’m sure many people think that I live a privileged life. However, what you don’t see or hear is the true story behind any success that I have achieved.

I started this company over 42 years ago. At that time, I lived in a very modest home. I converted my garage into an office so I could put forth 100% effort into building a company, which by the way, would eventually employ you. We didn’t eat in fancy restaurants or take expensive vacations because every dollar I made went back into this company. I drove an old used car, and often times, I stayed home on weekends, while my friends went out drinking and partying. In fact, I was married to my business – hard work, discipline, and sacrifice. Meanwhile, many of my friends got regular jobs. They worked 40 hours a week and made a nice income, and they spent every dime they earned. They drove flashy cars and lived in expensive homes and wore fancy designer clothes. My friends refinanced their mortgages and lived a life of luxury. I, however, did not. I put my time, my money, and my life into this business –with a vision that eventually, some day, I too, will be able to afford to buy whatever I wanted. Even to this day, every dime I earn goes back into this company. Over the past four years I have had to stop building my dream house, cut back on all of my expenses, and take my kids out of private schools simply to keep this company strong and to keep you employed.

Just think about this – most of you arrive at work in the morning and leave that afternoon and the rest of your time is yours to do as you please. But not me- there is no “off” button for me. When you leave the office, you are done and you have a weekend all to yourself. I unfortunately do not have that freedom. I eat, live, and breathe this company every minute of the day, every day of the week. There is no rest. There is no weekend. There is no happy hour. I know many of you work hard and do a great job, but I’m the one who has to sign every check, pay every expense, and make sure that this company continues to succeed. Unfortunately, what most people see is the nice house and the lavish lifestyle. What the press certainly does not want you to see, is the true story of the hard work and sacrifices I’ve made.

Now, the economy is falling apart and people like me who made all the right decisions and invested in themselves are being forced to bail out all the people who didn’t. The people that overspent their paychecks suddenly feel entitled to the same luxuries that I earned and sacrificed 42 years of my life for. Yes, business ownership has its benefits, but the price I’ve paid is steep and not without wounds. Unfortunately, the costs of running a business have gotten out of control, and let me tell you why: We are being taxed to death and the government thinks we don’t pay enough. We pay state taxes, federal taxes, property taxes, sales and use taxes, payroll taxes, workers compensation taxes and unemployment taxes. I even have to hire an entire department to manage all these taxes. The question I have is this: Who is really stimulating the economy? Is it the Government that wants to take money from those who have earned it and give it to those who have not, or is it people like me who built a company out of his garage and directly employs over 7000 people and hosts over 3 million people per year with a great vacation?

Obviously, our present government believes that taking my money is the right economic stimulus for this country. The fact is, if I deducted 50 percent of your paycheck you’d quit and you wouldn’t work here. I mean, why should you? Who wants to get rewarded only 50 percent of their hard work? Well, that’s what happens to me.

Here is what most people don’t understand and the press and our Government has chosen to ignore – to stimulate the economy you need to stimulate what runs the economy. Instead of raising my taxes and depositing that money into the Washington black-hole, let me spend it on growing the company, hire more employees, and generate substantial economic growth. My employees will enjoy the wealth of that tax cut in the form of promotions and better salaries. But that is not what our current Government wants you to believe. They want you to believe that it somehow makes sense to take more from those who create wealth and give it to those who do not, and somehow our economy will improve. They don’t want you to know that the “1%”, as they like to label us, pay more than 31% of all the taxes in this country. Thomas Jefferson, the author of our great Constitution, once said, “democracy” will cease to exist when you take away from those who are willing to work and give to those who would not.”

Business is at the heart of America and always has been. To restart it, you must stimulate business, not kill it. However, the power brokers in Washington believe redistributing wealth is the essential driver of the American economic engine. Nothing could be further from the truth and this is the type of change they want.

So where am I going with all this? It’s quite simple. If any new taxes are levied on me, or my company, as our current President plans, I will have no choice but to reduce the size of this company. Rather than grow this company I will be forced to cut back. This means fewer jobs, less benefits and certainly less opportunity for everyone.

So, when you make your decision to vote, ask yourself, which candidate understands the economics of business ownership and who doesn’t? Whose policies will endanger your job? Answer those questions and you should know who might be the one capable of protecting and saving your job. While the media wants to tell you to believe the “1 percenters” are bad, I’m telling you they are not. They create most of the jobs. If you lose your job, it won’t be at the hands of the “1%”; it will be at the hands of a political hurricane that swept through this country.

You see, I can no longer support a system that penalizes the productive and gives to the unproductive. My motivation to work and to provide jobs will be destroyed, and with it, so will your opportunities. If that happens, you can find me in the Caribbean sitting on the beach, under a palm tree, retired, and with no employees to worry about.

Signed, your boss, David Siegel

Seaplaneforum.com – 2.5 Year Review

Almost 2.5 years – and we’re still around!

Who would have thunk it? Not too many, as I seem to recall but that’s OK with this guy. All the naysayers somehow disappeared into the frivolous world of utter insignificance. Not because their opinion on our outlook didn’t matter – but really, because their lack of understanding for this endeavor had no consequence on anything, after all.

Travels to the past…

What a lesson I have learned throughout these last ~30 months. On April 16th of 2010, I stepped out of the (then sufficiently hot and embarrassing) spotlight of being the  Seaplane Pilots Association’s  Forum Administrator. I knew the circumstances under which I had decided to leave would be unlikely to ever afford me the slightest credit or acknowledgement from the association, nor would a public word of appreciation ever cross the lips of any of the groups representatives. I left, knowing that I had done everything I was able to do, to help SPA to get on the right path with their online forum, website and social media conduct. I also left, knowing that those challenged by my actions, letters and statements would look less than kindly upon me, from that point forward.  I was burned out and very tired of wasting countless hours in battle with characters who had absolutely no understanding of what I did. I certainly felt as if I could no longer try to bridge the gap between a disconnected leadership team and a enthusiastic member body wishing to see a flourishing discussion forum.

Conception and Birth

At or around the end of March, I spent several days in Massachusetts visiting with friends. During a luxury McDonalds meal before our visit to Foxwood Casino in Connecticut I discussed stepping down from my volunteer role to start an independent discussion forum for seaplane pilots. A napkin served as the paper of choice to explain my idea, concept and plan. The receipt from McDonalds and the napkin went back home to Maine with me for further thinking. To this day, I remember my friend telling me:

Look, Jason –  you can either continue to run your head in and complain, or set yourself free from all of it and start your own show! You have great passion for this cause, you understand the concept of what members want and you are an excellent communicator. If it fails, it fails, so what? At least you did something and didn’t waste your time trying to whisper to people who won’t ever hear you anyways…

The idea was firmly planted. I knew I had internally given up on SPA and that the only way to go for me was FORWARD. I didn’t know when and how, but I knew I would. The next few weeks were spend researching options and fielding interest with fellow enthusiasts, many of whom are still with us these days.

The Big Bang!

On April 13th I announced my stepping down, soliciting a new volunteer to step forward and wrote several emails to SPA operatives about my impending departure. Effective April 16th., I was done, without a single response from SPA. I purchased and registered a domain name (back then it was jasonjamesbaker.com/seaplaneforum) that very night and shortly after that, secured seaplaneforum.com as the permanent name of the site. It took me several days to decide on the best software, install and test certain features. Just a short seven days later (marathon nights!) on April 22nd., I launched the site. From this point forward, I spend several days inviting pilots and acquaintances made throughout the years to my site. And they came!!!

Here’s probably the point to thank my parents, Tim McCormack, Daryl Doherty, Glenn Guilfoile, Robert Kittine,  Mike Ski, Ford Wilson and Steve Riggins as well as John Staber for being my bounce buddies, confidants and advisers – but also for being the forums recruiters. Be that in letting me ramble, worry, or predict the sky to fall, today I feel that these guys had more confidence in this forum and me than I had. One of today’s really helpful parts of the site is our new moderator/ co administrator known by the name of S Robichaud. From posting countless news articles, helping members, to help and tactical advisory to me, nothing is out of the question and the workload relief for me has been a refreshing thing. Thank you, S!  Without each one of these people (two are missed from our group these days), I would have likely given up for the sheer frustration of having technical issues. Thank you also to all the active members and those who stuck it out, staying as patrons and supporters, posters and friends.

Today – Growth – Goals – Plans?

We have grown to 383 members with a bold goal of reaching 500 before 2012 is over. Ha! I admit, the goal seems unrealistic. We started 2012 with 282 members and have subsequently gained 101 new ones from all over the planet at the time of this writing. This excludes roughly 35 accounts that were deleted due to misuse, or lack of ever logging on to our site upon registration. Our active member ratio seems to hover (much like the supporting member ratio) at or around 10%. This means, we need to recruit and retain 10 members to gain one fairly active or supporting member. We have proven that more talking among ourselves causes others to join in and it certainly causes many more readers to follow us. 343 Twitter Followers! plus 87 Facebook Like’s. Compared to the early days, we are well visited. Do we really realize our reach?

To continue our success and reach more pilots and enthusiasts, the site will have to continue growing. Seaplaneforum.com depends on sound financial support from our industry partners, but also on the tremendous support from our membership body. This support is meaningful not only from a revenue aspect, recruiting and referring pilots to us is extremely important too. Think of this website as a networking & enthusiasts website – and while you’re at it, think of this site as a “Potential Advocacy Allie“. We successfully raised a lot of attention in support of C-SPA with its Waldo Lake Issue, when no-one else spoke a word about it, at least initially. Yet, the seaplane industry is hesitant to acknowledge discussion boards as viable for advertising and marketing. We experience extremely limited support from our industry, despite the fact that we are representing a lot of general aviation pilots. It will remain to be seen for how long expensive magazine advertising (to shrinking membership numbers) within the associations will suffice. I personally think that advertising in print magazines is on its way out the door, but I am young enough to be able to wait for others to realize it too.  Sponsoring our site isn’t a click scheme as on other sites and it is more involved. This is a deliberate choice by me, because I believe our industry needs a new approach to communication and community involvement.  In other words:  “I don’t want your banner any more than I want you to be an actively involved part of our community“. If you are in this industry and think Seaplaneforum.com is “too small” for your worthy dollars, or doesn’t deserve your support for political correctness reasons – please think again.

The site isn’t about Jason Baker, the alleged “Anti Association Guy from Maine” and it isn’t competing with any association or other message board out there. Our sites role and job, but also our opportunity is as multifaceted as our international membership. I have personally verified 95% of my members, many of whom carry tremendous experiences, expertise and know how our industry and youngsters could use. Each one of them is worth talking to! True story…

The journey continues and it isn’t over until the fat lady sings! Join us today!

~JJB

Skimmer & Lake Aircraft Operations (II)

Lake Amphibian operation, Part 2

Here is where a few minutes should be spent talking about the configuration of the Lake Amphibian. The pylon mounted, pusher engine is unique and a lot can be said about it. It is very safe structurally being stressed for over 20 Gs. It is also safe in the respect that one cannot walk into the propellor and sand and gravel do not get picked up. It is susceptible to debris going through the propellor from the engine compartment, as mentioned in Part 1.Water erosion is at a minimum and only during transition from displacement to the step attitude.

This can be minimized by certain techniques and observing the proper weight and balance. One must remember that nose down thrust with power application will do just the opposite of a “tractor” mounted engine. Nose down with power application, nose up with power reduction. This works to our advantage in several situations. However, one cannot “hang it on the prop”, as done with the tractor engine. One must have forward speed and sufficient lift in order to takeoff or climb. It is also important to make sure that the nose oleo and tire are inflated properly to prevent flattening the tire and fully compressing the oleo upon power application.

The engine is easy to work on unless you don’t like being 6 feet up in the air. A simple platform made of 3/4 inch plywood and a couple of ladders, helps. A “gofer” on the ground is a plus, in case you drop something, or need a wrench that you left below. Just don’t step back to admire your work.

Engine placement, fuel supply, baggage compartment, and main landing gear are all on or near the MAC or mean aerodynamic chord which results in the CG moving forward with addition of passengers…more fuel brings it aft. An empty Lake is a pleasure to move on the ground. Simply lift the nose almost to the balance point on the main gear and move it around with abandon. If you need help, have the pushers inboard near the cockpit to avoid “asymmetric thrust” making you work harder to steer.

The aforementioned nose down and up thrust is not a problem, nor dangerous…just different. Therefore, for every power change, there should be a pitch change and a trim change. Power off, pitch down, trim down; power on, pitch up, trim up. If you don’t do anything and let it fly hands off, it will behave quite normally. Power off, the nose will come up and as the airspeed bleeds off, the nose will come down and a glide will commence. Power on will momentarily push the nose down, but as the speed builds up it will return to a more normal cruise attitude. A little bit of practice on the first flight will show you what to expect. Because of this tendency, the general rule is never add full power abruptly when close to the water or runway. Add half power, stabilize the attitude, then full power. If conditions are right it will almost land itself and will take off from water from dead stop, hands off!

Content and pictures courtesy and copyright of John Staber, Owner of Colonial Skimmer SN #1; John has flown and worked on Colonial Skimmers since 1964. In 2011 he published a book on the restoration of N6595K which can be purchased on his website: http://jstaber.com/books/skimmer/ If you are interested to learn about Skimmers and Lake Amphibian Aircraft, come visit and chat with John on www.seaplaneforum.com

Seaplane Takeoff from Dolly…

Seaplaneforum.com Co-Founder Tim McCormack departing his home field on a self built dolly. The vehicle is equipped with electric brakes and a breakaway switch, which upon lift-off will prevent the vehicle from carrying on at take-off speed. Ingenuity, fun and technical know how, combined in the amazing world of seaplane flying. If you’re looking for the best team to belong to in this industry, join us on Seaplaneforum.com and meet Tim and many others. Remember, silence kills!

Skimmer & Lake Aircraft Operations (I)

Lake Amphibian operation, Part 1

This is part one of a series of ten articles made available by John Staber, Owner of Skimmer One.

It is not the intention of these pages to teach one how to fly the Lake Amphibian, but to give an overall view of the operation of Lakes. It is written by a person who has owned 16 Lakes and Skimmers since 1964, and instructed in them since 1967 and accumulated over 5000 hours in all makes and models. It is highly recommended by Lake instructors and Lake pilots alike, that one get training from a Lake qualified instructor for both land and water operations. The Lake is not a difficult aircraft to fly (in fact, flown properly, it is quite forgiving), but is different enough so that both the high time and low time novice in the Lake can make unfortunate mistakes.

Preflights: yes, two of them. One for the aircraft and one for the boat. The aircraft preflight is similar to any other except one must climb up on the cabin roof to examine the engine and its related items. Always step on the rivet lines where it is stronger, even though the first leading edge skin on the wings is of heavier aluminum just for this purpose (also diving from). One should never install wing-walk material on Lake wings. Take extra care to ensure that all screws and bolts are tight, since if they decide to leave the plane, they are going to get help from the pusher propellor. Should there be any oil leaks, it becomes quite obvious as compared to the standard “tractor” engine where the oil is on the belly of the plane. The Lycoming 0-360 and I0-360 have an 8 quart oil capacity. It is recommended that they be filled to 7 and kept up to 6 quarts because of the slight downward angle of mounting. The control surfaces are all operated by push-rod tubes except from the wing root to the control wheel and should be checked for full travel since water flying calls for their full deflection at certain times. Landing gear should be checked for hydraulic leaks at the actuators and flexible lines and the shimmy damper checked for proper tightness and cleanliness. The trim actuator in the vertical fin should be checked, likewise. The flap actuator is in the fuselage under the propellor on the left side. Should the battery be mounted under the floorboards or in the baggage compartment, the vent and tightness of the terminals should be checked regularly to avoid sparking in the closed confines of the hull.

The boat preflight is just as important. Since the hull is watertight (or supposed to be) it will hold water or whatever else that can get in. It will take on water in a rain storm. If there is a fuel leak or hydraulic leak it will remain in the hull. There are plugs in the lowest part of each watertight compartment; one in each float, one on each side of the nose gear, one at the step, and two in the rear-most compartment behind the wings. Seven in all. They should be kept lubricated to prevent seizing and be snug, not super tight. The most aft plug should be drained when the tail is the lowest point of the Lake, as when nosed up on a steep beach. It is most important that they all be in place before a water landing is made. Check the operation of the water rudder at this time. There has been much concern lately about transporting biological growth from one body of water to another. Now is the time to remove any growth or weeds clinging to the hull, water rudder or landing gear!

Content and pictures courtesy and copyright of John Staber, Owner of Colonial Skimmer SN #1; John has flown and worked on Colonial Skimmers since 1964. In 2011 he published a book on the restoration of N6595K which can be purchased on his website: http://jstaber.com/books/skimmer/ If you are interested to learn about Skimmers and Lake Amphibian Aircraft, come visit and chat with John on www.seaplaneforum.com

Australian Seaplane Flying

Some of the most amazing shots from Australia.

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