Float planes in Arkansas

[kodiakisland]

I was in my backyard in Prairie Grove the other day when a float plane flew over my house.  Hard to tell exactly what it was but looked like a PA-18 or J-3 in the classic yellow. 

I have certainly spent a lot of time in float planes in Alaska, mostly PA-18s, Beavers, and 206s, but also several aeroncas, taylorcrafts, 185s, and even a few Widgeons.  I have always wanted something like a J-3 on floats/tundra tires to play with, but have wondered the feasibility of a float plane here in Arkansas.

Anyone know of any float planes operating in NWA?  My dream is to retire to a lake house with a plane dock in the back yard, spending my time putzing around on floats and burning up my retirement faster than I could ever imagine.

[FaytownHog]

Was up in Alaska a couple weeks ago near Talkeetna and there was a little lake by the road that was full of float planes. I'd love to experience taking off and landing in one someday!

[kodiakisland]

I've been in some pretty tight places up there in float planes.  Lakes we could land in loaded but not take off loaded.  Lakes that required the wind to be blowing from one certain direction or we couldn't get in or out.  lakes that froze over and couldn't be landed on.  Some take offs in the ocean that were not advisable.  Some near misses coming through a few passes.  Low fuel light coming on during take off in a loaded otter.  Canoes and horns tied to the struts or floats.  All with guys who had thousands of hours flying in the bush.

For the most part though it was great to be able to go and land anywhere you wanted.  I would love to have that freedom again.

[GusMcRae]

I ran across an article several months ago about an outfit in Alaska where you could stay their cabins, fly their planes and get a float plane rating,,,, it sounded like a heck of a vacation to me if a guy needed to get his float plane rating.  I would much rather do that than the zip-line, salmon bake, helicoptor rides over a glacier,,,, type excursions offered at the stops on the Alaska Cruise stops. 

No use for it down here in the flat dry country though. 

[kodiakisland]

Yeah.  It does make me wonder where the one I saw was going and if it was from around here.  Plenty of lakes around, but I wonder how many of those lakes would allow planes on them.

[gotyacovered]

I was in my backyard in Prairie Grove the other day when a float plane flew over my house.  Hard to tell exactly what it was but looked like a PA-18 or J-3 in the classic yellow. 

I have certainly spent a lot of time in float planes in Alaska, mostly PA-18s, Beavers, and 206s, but also several aeroncas, taylorcrafts, 185s, and even a few Widgeons.  I have always wanted something like a J-3 on floats/tundra tires to play with, but have wondered the feasibility of a float plane here in Arkansas.

Anyone know of any float planes operating in NWA?  My dream is to retire to a lake house with a plane dock in the back yard, spending my time putzing around on floats and burning up my retirement faster than I could ever imagine.

i see one shooting touch and goes off lake degray occasionally. it was an experimental that i would have sworn was a 182...