Douglas Hannay

Flying Boats, Amphibians & Sea Planes...
Here’s to all of you lucky people who have flown the friendly skies on hulls & pontoons attached to flying boats & planes & to those of you that would like to see a bit of what you’ve been missing.

Over the years, since I was young, there’s been many a flying boat I was on & a few which I flew. With the help of some of my friends & you, I’d like to share some of the pics I’ve found.

Did you ever wonder why so many airports are next to the water? For many, life’s international gateways began with the Clipper and villages gave way to cities from the Beaver & the Otters, the Widgeons, Grumman Goose, Sikorski flying boats and then Howard Hues Spruce Goose was destined to move more & quicker, than ever before, however, as the jet age took over, so did the runways, but the water still makes a perfect runway for many a seaplane & amphibian and it is those I’d like to share with you!

I’ve a friend that was visiting the far north of the Pacific up in Akutan, Alaska…
Robert Finlay launched this for me on YouTube, it’s a Grumman Goose of Penn Air and from another point of view from one of Akutan’s residents.

One of the flying boats featured in the The Aviator, just below,
was the Sikorski S-38… truly a gorgeous plane. I know you want one too!

Maybe a bit more affordable could be the
Icon Aircraft amphibians, sure to be a crowd pleaser flying or towing behind your ute!

One of the all-time work horses
of the aviation industry, continues to be the Beaver, often found roaming the Pacific Northwest, from Vancouver & Seattle, north to the Alaskan waters.

Harbour Air, from BC, Canada, run what they call the World’s Largest All-Seaplane Airline, with a fleet of over 50 aircraft, 14 of them Beavers & 18 turbine Otters – both just below!
So, from the Pacific Northwest above, to the southern waters of New Zealand below,
here’s the yellow Grumman Goose of Sea Bee Air that flew the Hauraki Gulf, from Auckland’s Mission Bay to the islands of Waiheke, Great Barrier & beyond + a black & white pic, of Sea Bee Air’s Grumman Widgeon.

NZ was ideally suited for flying boats… in the middle of the southern ocean, it was only a matter of time before a fleet of Sunderland’s flown by TEAL were to appear, flying the shores of NZ to Australia and islands all around, but even before, a Walsh Bros Boeing Seaplane visited the
Pahi Regatta, just below, in 1921. 
From 1942 NZ used 56 PBY Catalinas in the South Pacific. This one below is still flying here in NZ…

ZK-PBY & there’s plenty more PBY’s in HERE

A friend shared a fascinating link on BIGGLES books with some really great covers. I thought here would be a good place to share that!

Below, C/ NZ History online… I found a pic of one of American Airways Sikorski flying boats, the Samoan Clipper & Imperial Airways Centaurus, moored off the Pan American Airways wharf, at Mechanics Bay in Auckland, sometime between 1937-1938.
An absolute all time favorite of mine, because
I got to fly one, the one just below, is the
Martin Mars of Coulson Flying Tankers

Pretty cool eh & still flying in Canada
these days, with an exciting new look & banner as
Coulson Flying Tankers.

.
The Catalina pics below, still flying too, out of Ardmore Airfield in Auckland, NZ.
No Plane-No Gain!
I hope to add some more, oh here’s one…

Hawaii By Flying Clipper
Oh the girls were so pretty, from
Vintage Luxury, the Boeing 314…
truly a proper flying machine!

Here’s 2 Twins, both very capable of flight…
Twin Rainbow Lorikeets, turbo wings -vs-
Twin Citation X, Rolls-Royce turbofans, it just depends really on how far you want to go!
Crew & maintenance costs may differ.

I feel a blog coming on… that’s it, let me
get back to you & we’ll take it from here!

Now… I don’t care who you are, get that plane off my lawn… now!

Full Moon here tonight in NZ (9:13pm) & a Lunar Eclipse starting in the east at 8:36pm, with the middle of the eclipse being at 9:17pm. Weather permitting, we may even see it. Our torrents of rain seemingly have dissipated today, as fast as they came… the sun is shining, bit of a breeze blowing the humidity around, we’re sitting in the 25+° and the skies are making way for hopefully brilliant visuals tonight upon our plains and yes, the Season is upon us once again!

SEASONS GREETINGS EVERYONE

Here’s a bit of pilot color to light up all you traveler & pilot types out there and blessings to all you trying to get in or out of the UK or anywhere in this world on a plane today… London’s Heathrow was closed Sunday, many others too throughout Europe & it’s backed up all the way to here in NZ as well!

Lunar Eclipse tonight, I’m heading out with tripod in hand, if I grab some flashing lunar eclipsing’s, I’ll post them here later. NZ’s also known as the Land of the Long White Cloud and they appear out of nowhere, so we’ll see, if I can see anything later, until then, again… SEASONS GREETINGS EVERYONE

Update: The Long White Cloud prevailed, not a single glimpse of the moon did I see tonight from Auckland, however, this was captured by Andy Brown and it’s a beauty! 

Sometimes a few simple words can completely change how people see this world…

Clif Dawson, a friend and fellow aviator, he’s been building a plane lately, well, for quite a while actually, he’s been building a Pietenpol, twin seater and lately he’s been working on getting certified for flight again.

I asked recently if he’d picked an Identification for the wing and the tail and he replied:

`I do believe I am but that may be a cymatically induced illusion. So long as I maintain the earth centric vibrational characteristic allowing the undersoul of my intrinsicaly higher hertzian state to exist I shall remain visible and, yes, even touchable within the boundaries set for this particular existentiality. At 2,352 feet, mean ASL that sometimes seems to remain no longer quite true. So far I have always, albeit with some difficulty, and understandable reluctance, been forced to return to the local state of being known as” Earthbound”. At some future point my ascention may very well break the bounds of this planetary vibration ( F# ) in a more permanent fashion.And no I don’t yet have Piet registration.’

Say what? I read it again – what am I missing?
We got back to each other and he replied that was
his response to my asking him “Are you still alive?”
Oh my, those few additional words and it read so differently.
Yes I did ask him that, I just forgot. I hope you read the humor in that as I did!

He’s an interesting man that Clif Dawson. To me when you do your Solo, you are Captain of the whole world and for those that never have, when you do your first aircraft Solo-In command, or re-Solo after many years, it’s you, the plane, the wind & whatever you took up with you, including the amount of fuel & then yes, there’s that gravity calling you back down too, but with a splash of gas, it’s to the Skies again and where was I… right, here’s a link to Captain Clif Dawson, my friend and his wonderful twin seater PIETENPOL! (Updated Link)

Here’s his Piet’s dash
and below a pic of Clif during practice in a different aircraft.

Clif, you can fly me to the Moon any time, but get that License or you’ll become
First Officer/Flight Engineer-Photographer Clif Dawson & that’s alright with me,
I’ll fly it for you! You wanna sit up front?

The Piet’s gonna Fly, someone’s going to fly it,
now where’s Billy? Anyone seen Billy? Billllly? Small kid, red t-shirt…

Yes, indeed I did… I flew one of those 2 Mighty Martin Mars Water Bombers, back when they were owned by Forest Industry Flying Tankers (FIFT) in 1979, in BC, Canada, as co-pilot for a day. I was offered the job as 1st officer & they picked me up at YVR (Vancouver) in their Grumman Goose, flew me over to Sproat Lake, on Vancouver Island, where their flying boat operations were based. It was my first meeting with some of their crews, we all said hello, then rowed out to an enormous floating flying tanker… yikes, this was big… bigger than the first ever Boeing 747 Jumbos they told me & capable of carrying 30,000 gallons of water… at 6 pounds/gallon, that’s 180,000lbs/81,600+ kilos and they said they could drop it in 3 seconds flat… this I had to feel!

They showed me around inside, noting I take special attention to those 2 enormous holding tanks used to hold the 30,000 gallons of water + the 2 large scoops that drop below the hull to fill both tanks, as afterall, this was a water bomber. They also explained how the tanks opened up on the bottom to drop the load, which would lead me to believe I was on the Hawaii Mars, as I read Coulson’s (see below… new owner is Coulson Flying Tankers) other Mars is a side drop system on the Philippine Mars. Now where’s that log book of mine?

Up to the flight deck we went! This remains the widest & longest flight deck I’ve ever been on. Up front were 2 seats, mine was to be the one on the right. Looking behind was where 2 navigators once sat, behind that was where 2 flight engineers sat and before them a barrage of instruments, behind that… ah geez, you could put a bowling alley in that thing… this was huge!

So… time to spark it up and see what this thing does! I assumed the position up front on the right, captain on the left, in front of us both basic flight instruments, some 20+ feet back were 2 flight engineers with that barrage of instruments to fine tune our skills up front; this was one massive creature! I strapped myself in, headphones on… test test, all four of us said hello, check list began, emergency procedures reminded, fuel pumps on, engine 1 turned over… sputter, smoke & a roar into a drone, engine 2, engine 3, engine 4… what a sound as we began moving downwind doing our run-up. Finally, a look around… all clear right, all clear left, we turned into the wind, one quick reminder- this thing had no wheels, it was the size of a 747 Jumbo & we were about to take off from a lake.

Throttles full forward, glancing the gauges, the flight engineers behind reported to us up front… all systems Go! The drone of the engines kept increasing, crash, bang, splash, the water sliding on the hull below…  this was nothing like anything I’d ever flown before… it was maybe though ½ way close to the feeling of when I was a passenger on a Sikorsky Flying boat & on some of the Pan Am Clippers, but I’d never piloted those, I was too little. I’d flown the Beavers, the Otters & the Cessna 185′s on floats, but nothing like this… this bird was way beyond!

Hi dee hoe, back on the wheel and waiting for it to fly. Roar, rumble, wham bam and then the sound of the water below was gone… we were free of the earth’s water below, airborne at last! Holycrackeroonees… this was heads up & pay attention. A search of all instruments showed fine, chit chat with the flight engineers was A-Ok, the captain reported… it’s yours & now it was mine! Fine, Ok, trust me then with your lives, but really, there were no flight simulators for these giants so it was time to give it a go & take over. There’s a first time for everything in life, this just happened to be bigger than anything I’d ever flown before & this just happened to be a very large Mighty Martin Mars Water Bomber… tally ho!

The object was to continue with a climb, pick up an eastern heading… get the feel of this Leviathan. I levelled off, turned right, turned left, pushed the wheel, pulled it back, damn, this was just like a Cessna 185, until I looked out right over the wing… geezuz, this was one big kick-ass bird, definitely no Cessna 185, there was a hundred feet of wing out there on the right! Ok, I was getting a feel for this, and of them as well, and I was sure they were wondering about me too… Cessna 185, ya right!!

Now for a load, pick up some of that Sproat Lake water & a drop…
We did our approach, there was lots of talking me through this one. I made contact with the lake, once stabilized at 70 knots, on the step, down went the probes, full power now, tanks filled in 17 seconds and slowly we climbed. There was a big difference with a full payload & it took a very steady hand this time. We levelled off, turned back over the lake & dropped the load!!! This was amazing… the Mars immediately wanted to climb; left on its own it would have probably flipped right back over. It took all our strength pushing the wheel, with the help of the hydraulics back then… this baby wanted to climb. It kind of made me wonder, what an extraordinary flying machine this was that was made years ago. I gave it my undivided attention… a flight I will always pleasantly remember!

Back on the ground they asked me what I wanted to do, they said the job was mine if I wanted it. What was I thinking… I should have taken it, but I was young and looking at flying the friendly skies with an airline one of my family helped create, my dad and he was still flying.  I thought the second alternative could have made for a good commercial… Like Father, like Son, Fly the Friendly Skies of…
Anyways, I did neither & as time passed, I went on to fly some 30+ aircraft and now 30+ years later… there’s still that feeling inside, calling me back to fly one of those Mighty Martin Mars Water Bombers again. I wonder…

The Mighty Martin Mars are now the COULSON FLYING TANKERS
a division of Coulson Aircrane Ltd & far more flash looking these days than when owned by FIFT & still flying 30 years after my day at the controls & apparently with lesser payloads, or maybe FIFT just added a bit here & there. They’re still mighty flying birds & there’s some pretty cool videos out there… here’s one I think sums it up mighty fine, presented by Coulson Flying Tankers, check it out: Coulson Flying Tankers Mighty Mars Water Bombers

Here’s to Coulson Aircrane Ltd for purchasing both the Hawaii and Philippine Mars in 2007 and keeping the Martin Mars Water Bombers flying!
COULSON FLYING TANKERS… best wishes to You all & to all your crews,
your owners and all those involved in keeping the Martin Mars Water Bombers alive!

The friendly skies were a little different back in the mid 80′s…

I was on board a flight headed to Lisbon in 1986, a full load, FL350, in a DC10,
riding sideways, up front in the cockpit, jump seat, out of Montreal.

Back in Montreal, before I got in the air, my flight to Portugal was completely full, overbooked by 20%, not a seat left & I was a bit late getting to the airport. They said sorry, hmm? I knew one way or another I was going on that flight so I wiped upstairs, found Flight Op’s, asked around, met the pilots, they were filing their flight plan, told them I was supposed to be a passenger on that overbooked flight, said I really needed to get there, said I’m a pilot too, even wiped out my pilot’s license! One of them said you look pretty familiar, asked about my dad, he was a pilot too, we were dead ringers & that was that… welcome aboard, completely full? We’ll just add one more, you can ride the jump seat up front with us in the cockpit and to the air we took & oh what a ride that was!

We chit chat all across the Atlantic, pilots have lots to say and as we neared Lisbon, at FL 350… Lisbon Control was not answering… not a word!!! It was as if Lisbon Control had gone to lunch! There were 12 jets ahead of us, all inbound for Lisbon, stacked, descending, all without Lisbon Tower communicating, all announcing their intentions & altitudes to each other, so we joined the pack, throttled back, but remained well west of the rest as we began descending over the ocean… and over the next 10 minutes, they let the speed bleed right back, right back to a stall, at 35,000 feet!!! We began falling, I glanced at the altitude… the altimeter was spinning, 28,000′, now we were slipping sideways… a DC10, packed! The First Officer wrote on a small chalk board & held it up to me, it read “Shhhh!’ Ok… the pilots had a chuckle, then the Co-Pilot announced calmly to the passengers… ‘We are commencing our descent into Lisbon, please fasten your seat belts’… the plane fluttered, we passed nose up and left wing forward, we were now dropping through 18,600′… like a rock!  Co-Pilot… ‘We anticipate mild turbulence during our descent and cabin crew… time to be seated!’ So much for the usual last 1/2 hour to make ready… it just wasn’t going to happen! A Steward popped his head into the cockpit and asked what’s going on, the chalk board was held up… ‘Shhhh’, the Steward looked, saw them both having a chuckle, cloudless skies ahead, rolled his eyes and said “You two are buying at the other end”! He turned, was rather firm in closing the door & a moment later on the PA we heard the Stewards voice… ‘Ladies & Gentlemen, please fasten your seat belts, the Captain reports p-o-s-s-i-b-l-e light turbulence ahead, we have begun our descent into Lisbon, Cabin Crews finish what you are doing and take to your seats!’

So there I was, controlled chaos, throttles back, no flaps… you’d have to be a pilot to appreciate the gravity of the moment. I did & it was a ride of a lifetime!

At 10, 500′ they looked at each other, then at me & commented ‘time to get paid!’ They nosed down, throttles up, flaps 30 degrees & we actually began flying again!

There were close to 350 souls on board that flight that day. The Captain dusted it ever so smoothly onto the runway, the 2 pilots looked at each other & me again, smiled & then came the applause from behind, as many passengers did back then.

Before leaving, I thanked them for the lift, smiled as some of the cabin crew threw them some looks & until today, it’s still the same… any day up front is a great way to fly!  Pilots are a special breed, never paid well enough for their skills, but what a great way to fly the friendly skies…
with a few extra thrills thrown in!

Thanks guys for the lift!
A very pleasant ride indeed!

It was New Year’s Eve 2009, a Full Moon & all Rolling into 2010!

Happy New Year Everyone!
Years back I remember evenings & nights… slicing skywards thru the heavens into glorious nights, en route to the world & lucky me, from the front seats up front… the most blessed way to travel with life’s valuable cargoes. Night flights were always my favorite, while keeping you entertained!

Which reminds me… earlier today I made mutual contact with a friend through Facebook, after many years, that flew with me on my 1st ever solo cross country flight in a plane during my years of learning to fly. After departing the airport of our 2nd leg & flying for about a 1/2 hour or more, I called the aviation area control center & asked if they could confirm where I was (the ground below looked like the ground everywhere else & on the map, I couldn’t tell the difference from one hill to the next & my passenger… he had no idea where we were & he had the map! I was busy flying to keep above a really tall plateau), anyways, they reported they did not have me on radar any longer and then asked me
- Air Traffic Control: ‘Before we loose radio contact with you as well… how much fuel do you have onboard & confirm there’s just 2 of you onboard.’
- My friend’s words to me: ’Ah geezus… we’re ALL gonna die!’ I looked around inside the plane, there was just the 2 of us. (ALL I thought?) I looked skyward expecting to see a massive set of Asteroids heading right at us… nothing!… not a cloud in the sky!
- I reported back to ATC or whatever they were called then… ‘Affirmative, 2 onboard & the fuel… we filled up before we left, we should be ok for a while… no idea where we are, eh?’
- ATC… (garbled). That was pretty much the last received transmission for about 20 minutes. My passenger & I finally figured out where we were & lookee here at that, he was visiting here in NZ… we’re both still alive after all that time!

There’s another friend, just across the pond in OZ, on the Gold Coast, alive & well as well, lucky you… & Pete Tong, the DJ himself, starting off a year of traveling in your neck of the woods at Platinum in Broadbeach at midnight, you lucky, and there were all you others I was chatting with here & internationally the days before New Years 2010… nice everyone! Thanks for your friendship & all the enjoyable times!

Until we meet again…
Resistance is still Futile & that’s the way it was all rolling into 2010!

On a Wing & a Prayer & Angels both sides…

Memories remain, of nights and days, from bays and airfields, slicing into life’s airways, through skies of light, onto pure heavenly delights… from life’s corridors I came, and I’m still here!