Lakeathon Report - 2005
A record number of Lake enthusiasts were present at our 17th
Annual Safety Seminar & Fly-in last month in Winter Haven, Florida. Even better,
there were newcomers in abundance. A show of hands indicated that about one
third of all attendees were attending for their first time. Over 200 people
attended, and 54 Lake aircraft were on the tarmac at Bartow Airport, with
numerous others at Winter Haven’s Gilbert Field. Some attendees griped about the
temperatures, which some days only rose into the 60’s, until they were reminded
that many of them had left from places where the temps were in the single
digits. By the last two days of Lakeathon temperatures were comfortably in the
70’s.
The attitude was upbeat and enthusiastic, despite a heavy dose
of concern caused by disclosure of new details concerning the fatal crash of an
LA-4 in Finland last September. Finnair captain and Lake owner Matti Sorsa came
all the way from Helsinki specifically to present to Lakeathon-goers a
preliminary yet detailed analysis of this accident in which experienced Lake
pilot Ilmo Harala perished with a passenger. Harala was an expert Lake pilot
with over 3000 hours of Lake time, and although an official cause has not been
issued for the crash, Sorsa presented ample evidence including eyewitness
accounts and post-crash photos which left nobody doubting that the horizontal
stabilizer support bracket had failed in flight. More on this conclusion and its
implications later in this issue.
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“Lakes at Lakeathon” Aircam photo by
Bob Hampton & Ed McNeil |
In addition to Sorsa we were treated to a marvelous
audio-visual presentation by Rob & Cora Carleson of Palmer, Alaska giving
insight into flying in the 49th state. More than one Lake Flyer is now dreaming
of a trip to the far north. Brazilian Lake owner Gerard Moss presented a
fascinating program entitled “Testing the Waters of Brazil” detailing his
scientific expedition in which he and his wife Margi spent two years flying his
Lake Renegade to rivers in every part of Brazil, a country which is comparable
in size to the USA. His visually stunning video show featured their travels to
the most remote places you can imagine, in some of which the natives had never
seen a car, yet alone a plane. Gerard’s Renegade is equipped with sophisticated
and specialized water sampling equipment which lets him take scientific water
samples automatically, just by landing on the water and staying on the surface a
mere 30 seconds. These samples are being used to create awareness of water needs
and threats, and in planning for long term water quality preservation.
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Instructor Art Stifel gives preflight
demonstration at Lakeathon |
An interesting bit of information was revealed during our
Insurance Seminar. Airsure Customer Service manager Rob Wetzig discussed various
statistics surrounding Lake insurance and claims. These data revealed that over
the past ten years, pilots insured by the Airsure/Phoenix Lake Insurance Program
have had only one-half the loss ratio of the general Lake population. We have
always suspected this trend but now the actual figures are there to prove it.
This stunning statistic proves that the program’s emphasis on type
specific-training pays off with specific benefits to participating Lake owners:
greater pilot ability, greater safety, continuity of available insurance
coverage, lower insurance costs in the long run, and consequent higher values
for your aircraft investment. This is a win-win situation for everyone involved.
What with the always-popular Instructors’ forum, rampside
pre-flight instruction sessions, Ladies instruction by Paul Array, Ladies’ craft
programs and side trips, and a Sunday night Super Bowl party, this year’s
Lakeathon was a great place to be.
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