Thread: Beaver
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Old 04-25-2012, 02:57 PM   #6
Marin
Scraping Paint
 
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Join Date: Oct 2007
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While the float stil on the water has to support the entire weight of the plane, which is being reduced as the plane accelerates and the wing takes more and more of the load, the question of how much farther into the water the one float is forced remains.

In the displacement mode you are right, the float would have to displace twice the water than if the plane was sitting on both floats. Add the hydrodynamic force acting on the underside of the one float when it's planing and I have no idea how this effects the equation. Which is why I and a lot of other floatplane pilots think that the drag is not doubled when all the weight of the plane is put on the one float in a planing condition. I've never tried a full comparison--- take off "conventionally" with both floats on the water and then repeat the takeoff using the one-float method and see how the rotation points differ.

There will be a wee bit more aerodynamic drag with the one-float method because the ailerons will remain deflected to keep the plane in the "bank." But I very much doubt that bit of extra aerodynamic drag makes any difference even worth noting.

Anyway, I use the technique if conditions warrant it and it's safe to use it as I believe it does shorten the takeoff run by a bit. But almost all of my floatplane flying has been into pretty large bodies of water, salt or fresh, so I have used the technique more to stay in practice than because I've actually needed it.
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