PA.I.I.K1d
KnowledgeThe characteristics of a water surface as affected by features, such as:
Direction and strength of water current
From the FAA library
- SEAPLANE, SKIPLANE, and FLOAT/SKI EQUIPPED HELICOPTER OPERATIONS HANDBOOK
water surface. Also the distance the waves have been driven by the wind blowing in a constant direction without obstruction. COMBINATION SKI— A type of aircraft ski that can be used on snow or ice, but that also allows ... boat hull into separate compartments and provides additional strength. FLOATPLANE — A seaplane equipped with separate floats to support the fuselage well above the water surface. CREST—The top of a wave. CURRENT — The horizontal movement of a body of water…
- RULES OF THE SEA › INLAND AND INTERNATIONAL WATERS
Coast Guard (USCG) regulations, the definition of a vessel includes virtually anything capable of being used for transportation on water, including seaplanes on the water. Therefore, any time a seaplane is operating on the water, whether under power ... Printing Office. These rules apply to all public or private vessels navigating upon the high seas and certain inland waters. INLAND AND INTERNATIONAL WATERS Inland waters are divided visually from international waters by buoys in areas with frequent ocean traffic…
- SKIPPING › GLASSY WATER TAKEOFFS
GLASSY WATER TAKEOFFS Glassy water makes takeoff more difficult in two ways. The smoothness of the surface has the effect of increasing drag, making acceleration and lift-off more difficult. This can feel as if there is suction between ... water and the floats. A little surface roughness actually helps break the contact between the floats and the water by introducing turbulence and air bubbles between water and the float bottoms. The intermittent contact between floats and water…
- LANDING › GLASSY WATER LANDING
GLASSY WATER LANDING Flat, calm, glassy water certainly looks inviting and may give the pilot a false sense of safety. By its nature, glassy water indicates no wind, so there are no concerns about which direction to land, no crosswind ... consider, no weathervaning, and obviously no rough water. Unfortunately, both the visual and the physical characteristics of glassy water hold potential hazards for complacent pilots. Consequently, this surface condition is frequently more dangerous than it appears for a landing seaplane…
- CHARACTERISTICS OF WATER
CHARACTERISTICS OF WATER A competent seaplane pilot is knowledgeable in the characteristics of water and how they affect the seaplane. As a fluid, water seeks its own level, and forms a flat, glassy surface if undisturbed. Winds, currents, or objects ... drag as they move through the air, seaplane hulls and floats respond to drag forces as they move through water. Drag varies proportionately to the square of speed. In other words, doubling the seaplane’s speed across the water results…
- SKIPPING › ROUGH WATER TAKEOFFS
seaplane. This creates dangerous pitching motions, and takeoff should not be attempted in this situation. With respect to water roughness, consider the effect of a strong water current flowing against the wind. If the current is moving at 10 knots ... wind is blowing the opposite direction at 15 knots, the relative velocity between the water and the wind is 25 knots, and the waves will be as high as those produced in still water by a wind of 25 knots…