What is a Float Kit?

Рет қаралды 8,213

Күн бұрын

If you thought the float kit was a pair of floats, this video is for you! Mark tells you what a float kit actually consists of.
If you are coming to Placerville, consider staying at Mark's AirBnB: bit.ly/3OWxuiJ
#floatkit #airplane #pilot #cessna

Пікірлер: 118

@richardblanchard5012 10 ай бұрын

I love it when you produce these detailed technical presentations. Thank you!

@DanDan3663 10 ай бұрын

Totally agree. I never watch Skywagon U and think “I wish this was less detailed” 😅 Keep the detailed videos coming!

@blancolirio 9 ай бұрын

Thanks for posting Mark! Excellent clarifications, especially for new owners.

@skywagonuniversity5023 9 ай бұрын

Thanks for watching, Juan Brown!

@mannypuerta5086 10 ай бұрын

I’ve had my 185 (with float kit) for 23 years, instruct in Skywagons…and I learned something. Thanks.

@skywagonuniversity5023 10 ай бұрын

Thanks.

@loddude5706 10 ай бұрын

Had a couple of hundred hours on a C206 ex-floatplane, by then working off a grass strip at a '90s jump centre. Most solid 206 ever, no creaking or groaning while taxiing, no 'walkabout windscreen' to spray water in your face & soak the seat after a rainstorm, - no rate of climb to write home about either! Rock solid in IMC & enough hand & toe holds to keep a gibbon fit, - loved it, trusted it. : )

@skywagonuniversity5023 10 ай бұрын

Float kitted planes are a bit more rigid.

@cinnamanstera6388 10 ай бұрын

Wow, lots of good information. Weird random fact, the slab of metal that bolts into the forward float strut/gear mount area is often called a "Pork Chop" and can fetch a decent price on their own.

@skywagonuniversity5023 10 ай бұрын

Very true. It's pork chop. about $800 for two.

@user-kq6xf4om3l 10 ай бұрын

Great education, I had just assumed every 180/185 came with a float kit out of the factory. Thanks.

@skywagonuniversity5023 10 ай бұрын

Glad it helped

@dwaynemcallister7231 10 ай бұрын

I was working aircraft maintenance up in the western arctic, and our boss would always buy used aircraft, but one time he bought a new one, it was a 1977 Cessna 185 with float kit. He was flying in cloud one day and hit a mountain, he was very lucky that day, he lost one Federal wheel ski and gear leg but was able to keep on flying. Long ago memory

@skywagonuniversity5023 10 ай бұрын

Knocked it off on a mountain. How did he land?

@dwaynemcallister7231 10 ай бұрын

He landed at Cap Parry NWT, Canada a DEW line site on the arctic coast run by the USAF to detect incoming attacks from the Soviet's. There was accommodation and food available there. It happened in 1980/81 and the DEW line closed in 1982. He damaged the propeller and a wingtip my Dad flew over with tools and a propeller repaired the landing gear to ferry the plane out. The normal Base was Inuvik 300 miles west. The Boss had more than a few crashes over the years but was a good man.

@skywagonuniversity5023 10 ай бұрын

@@dwaynemcallister7231 People who do that kind of work will always have a few crashes.

@dwaynemcallister7231 10 ай бұрын

Yes hard to avoid and every pilot has to deal with the risks in his own way, near the end of my Dad's career he found himself flying airplanes that had GPS onboard, he said that really took the challenge out of bush flying in the Canadian arctic. Up there compass's were unreliable and few if any VOR's existed so it was navigation by knowing the land and also NDB's, in dirty weather it really was a challenge.@@skywagonuniversity5023

@anthonycyr9657 6 ай бұрын

Very first plane ride was in a A185F, the sound of the prop at 2850 rpm on takeoff was awesome and will forever be with me, been an airplane nut ever since.

@skywagonuniversity5023 6 ай бұрын

2850 RPM with a long prop is a sound of joy. (if you are a pilot)

@skywagonuniversity5023 6 ай бұрын

And not a bird sanctuary owner. ;-)

@anthonycyr9657 6 ай бұрын

lol@@skywagonuniversity5023

@adrianjowett6941 10 ай бұрын

Thank you for this video. Actually laying out the structural differences and the reasoning for them was very interesting.

@skywagonuniversity5023 10 ай бұрын

Glad it was helpful!

@aviation3530 10 ай бұрын

Your knowledge is amazing. Actually makes me laugh a little.

@skywagonuniversity5023 10 ай бұрын

It makes me laugh too what comes out after all these years.

@ph5915 10 ай бұрын

Wow! That was so very informative Mark, I had no idea all that was involved in a float-plane airplane! Wow!

@skywagonuniversity5023 10 ай бұрын

Glad it was helpful!

@dwaynemcallister7231 10 ай бұрын

Of course many early Cessna 180's were flying commercially on floats before the float kit was available they did ok but if anywhere near the coast the salty air would not be good for your bare aluminum Cessna 180 @@skywagonuniversity5023

@ADAPTATION7 10 ай бұрын

Now I know what they mean by ''float kit''. Quite elaborate when you think about it.

@zombieapocalipse2020 10 ай бұрын

Your videos are always the most anticipated. Thanks, great work.

@skywagonuniversity5023 10 ай бұрын

Glad you like them!

@tailwheel 10 ай бұрын

Thanks a lot Master Jedi Mark Kenobi !

@skywagonuniversity5023 10 ай бұрын

My pleasure! The force is strong in my family.

@jben839 10 ай бұрын

Thanks Mark, I very much enjoy the technical and knowledgeable content you produce, keep it up!

@skywagonuniversity5023 10 ай бұрын

Thanks, will do!

@Calvin-xp4qp 10 ай бұрын

Really good stuff explaining the differences. Thank you!

@arklaskanadventures 8 ай бұрын

I don’t know how you remember all that but thank you! Keep it up! Great job!

@skywagonuniversity5023 8 ай бұрын

Me neither

@sey1yes2 10 ай бұрын

OK! You qualify for the term "university". Just a wonderful presentation of a catalogue of facts...some of which I will even probably remember! (even though I have absolutely no use for this information whatsoever! 🙂)

@skywagonuniversity5023 10 ай бұрын

Wow, thank you!

@JohnDoe-we9yk 10 ай бұрын

Tks Mark....so much detailed information

@skywagonuniversity5023 10 ай бұрын

You are welcome.

@foesfly3047 10 ай бұрын

I have zero interest in any Cessna model (except the TTX/Columbia) or float planes but your incredible breadth of knowledge makes every subject interesting. Thank you ♠️

@skywagonuniversity5023 10 ай бұрын

Glad you like them!

@priceyA320 10 ай бұрын

Flew 206s in the Ozzy outback in my youth. All had the windscreen brace which was handy to hang onto while adjusting seat etc. One had actually been on floats so had the big rudder. Nice in a strong crosswind.

@skywagonuniversity5023 10 ай бұрын

The big rudders can actually bend a bit if abused.

@Kramskybmw 10 ай бұрын

Thanks for the content, always a pleasure to see your videos!!😉

@davidmojonnier1034 10 ай бұрын

Excellent Mark Thanks

@skywagonuniversity5023 10 ай бұрын

Very welcome

@pto200 10 ай бұрын

Thanks for the detailed information. Always enjoyable.

@skywagonuniversity5023 10 ай бұрын

Thanks for watching!

@paulsautocm 10 ай бұрын

A lot of shared knowledge, looks great.

@CatarineausArmory 10 ай бұрын

Thanks for the info sir.

@bobcfi1306 10 ай бұрын

Great info. Thanks

@maxfox3399 10 ай бұрын

Great. Informative and interesting!. ( Beats the crap out of woodwork!!)

@skywagonuniversity5023 10 ай бұрын

Both.

@juliojames5986 10 ай бұрын

Phew ! Super explanation. 👍🏻

@todds3388 7 ай бұрын

Great video, love deep dives like this

@skywagonuniversity5023 6 ай бұрын

Glad you enjoyed!

@Reuben- 10 ай бұрын

What a great deep dive into this aircraft, I enjoyed all of it! I think my favorite nugget was about the exhaust pipe being shaped the way it is. That was pretty cool to learn about.

@skywagonuniversity5023 10 ай бұрын

Glad you enjoyed it!

@rauldiaz5315 10 ай бұрын

Great info! I really like the technical stuff.

@skywagonuniversity5023 10 ай бұрын

Glad to hear it!

@flysport_tedder 9 ай бұрын

didn't know about all these extras. I thought a float kit was .. floats. and airbnb!

@skywagonuniversity5023 9 ай бұрын

A float kit a pretty involved thing for sure.

@ronstowe8898 10 ай бұрын

Very good . Great technical details.

@skywagonuniversity5023 10 ай бұрын

Yeah, I got into it a bit on that one. ;-)

@habk8574 10 ай бұрын

Superb explanation, always 👍

@skywagonuniversity5023 10 ай бұрын

Thank you.

@musoseven8218 10 ай бұрын

Another fascinating video, every day is a school day 👍😊💜👍 I live a long way inland and yesterday, a Cessna Amphibious (darn sure it wasn't just a float 'plane), overflew the house, you could have knocked me over with a feather! We do have some wealthy homes around lakes nearby - maybe he was going there, but those lakes are quite small🤔

@skywagonuniversity5023 10 ай бұрын

They can land way shorter than they can take-off.

@musoseven8218 10 ай бұрын

@@skywagonuniversity5023 😄😄 yeah I know, hope our local fella knows that too😲😄😄 My dad has had several Cessna's any pilot can get em into a strip (or lake), takes an aviator or trailer to get them out again 😲😄🤣👍✌️ My dad was a good short strip/field soft strip aviator btw😉😉👍

@johngjacobi 10 ай бұрын

Wow. Encyclopedia! So much info

@skywagonuniversity5023 10 ай бұрын

Glad you think so!

@erniekelly2479 10 ай бұрын

Wow. Thanks.

@skywagonuniversity5023 10 ай бұрын

Welcome.

@deanmitchell8473 10 ай бұрын

Enjoy all of your content. Looking for a wine barrel now lots of whiskey barrels here but wine not so many. 🥂

@skywagonuniversity5023 10 ай бұрын

Whiskey works just the same.

@loddude5706 10 ай бұрын

Only one fault with whiskey barrel chairs, after a couple of hours of supreme comfort, your bum will likely fail a roadside breath test . . . so clench a mint when driving : )

@embreeja 10 ай бұрын

This might sound picky and stupid, but have you ever considered painting your hanger door? No need to reply, just an observation. The info on floats was quite good!

@skywagonuniversity5023 10 ай бұрын

We did paint it. That is how it came out, and it is a county hangar, and it is rented. So the sun beats on the outside and super-heats the metal so that the paint dries up and falls off, so we didn't do it again.

@CatarineausArmory 10 ай бұрын

That was a lot of detail on the fuel tanks and the 1 cap vs. 2 cap yet I did not catch why the float kit had the extra cap for the same tank. Thanks.

@skywagonuniversity5023 10 ай бұрын

So that you can reach the tank when it is on floats and the wing is out over the water. Use the inner so that you do not fall in the water.

@CatarineausArmory 10 ай бұрын

@@skywagonuniversity5023 Thank you sir.

@philbrammer3632 10 ай бұрын

Some time back you had a video defining such structural provisions for taking floats as..float provisions, figuring the term "float kit" was logically for the actual floats, which made sense. But, what it's called is what they call it.. Guess its a bit like aluminium vs aluminum

@skywagonuniversity5023 10 ай бұрын

The term "Float Provisions" was instead of "Float Kit" on the new 206's because of all the confusion prior to that.

@FlyingNDriving 10 ай бұрын

Always be careful when the plane tells you it's it's first time on floats. Count the holes gentleman!

@skywagonuniversity5023 10 ай бұрын

Yes, Four means it's been on floats and two means that it hasn't.

@lancasternational2949 10 ай бұрын

For a guy in the bx, and with a float rating (rag wings), this was very very useful. Am now considering a 182 on floats and would really like to know how much of this applies to Skylanes. Thinking 550, sportsman or Peterson. When I talked to Peterson he said he didn't know much about floats on his a/c.

@skywagonuniversity5023 10 ай бұрын

Skylanes (182's) never had a "float kit" but some float manufacturers made floats that could go on 182's specifically. This was due to the popularity of the float flying and the lack of 180's and 185's, and the wider cabin of the 182, (but they do have electric flaps)

@anthonyrstrawbridge 10 ай бұрын

Well of information; not so easily obtainable. I suspect that the firewall includes a strengthened or doubled stainless reinforcement and likely the gascolator has additional part's and the POH maybe is titled Float Plane. This cache of details is more valuable than gold. Thank you Mark. * Probably the propeller is specified differently?

@skywagonuniversity5023 10 ай бұрын

Float kitted 180 K's have 90 inch two bladed props. Longer because of the reduced RPM on the U engine in them.

@jrbergsten 10 ай бұрын

Nevermind all that. Where’s Dana?

@davidspeyers5740 10 ай бұрын

What about the lower dorsal fins that I see on float 180s and 206s?

@skywagonuniversity5023 10 ай бұрын

Mostly on 206's, mid seventies. Not 185's.

@larrystruck1908 10 ай бұрын

Did I understand you correctly? 80% of all 180/185’s have factory float kits installed?

@skywagonuniversity5023 10 ай бұрын

Yes, roughly 80% of the three window 180's and all the 185's. 1963 180's and newer, the ones with the 185 airframe.

@woodsensaunders 10 ай бұрын

What about the skin doubler between the gearboxes on the belly?

@skywagonuniversity5023 10 ай бұрын

Could be part of it. I think they all have that though.

@ryanhenry3160 4 ай бұрын

What do you think about adding floats to a 162? think it has enough rudder authority and ventral stability with the added area?

@skywagonuniversity5023 4 ай бұрын

I do not think that 162's were ever sold with a float kit.

@ryanhenry3160 4 ай бұрын

Definitely didn’t but can add floats to any LSA if you convert to Elsa.

@FlightSimDude 10 ай бұрын

👍

@TomasAWalker53 10 ай бұрын

Did you paint your MG green?

@skywagonuniversity5023 10 ай бұрын

No, It came like that. It's a 76. It's for sale.

@TomasAWalker53 10 ай бұрын

@@skywagonuniversity5023 - So soon⁉️🤔😳

@adrianjowett6941 10 ай бұрын

Now, at the high risk of displaying ignorance, why has the 1986 WAG AERO J-3 CUB REPLICA on trade a plane hung around so long? Worries about the fabric/limited range/useful load.... or simply the price?

@skywagonuniversity5023 10 ай бұрын

I'm not sure what you are asking here.

@adrianjowett6941 10 ай бұрын

It was just a general question for all watchers of this channel. It is, along the theme of this video, a float aeroplane, but one that has been listed for over 12 months. As an aircraft dealer, I wouldn't expect you to comment directly, as that would probably be unprofessional. I was just curious if anyone had a view as to why it hasn't moved for what seems quite along time.@@skywagonuniversity5023