"Splashing the Mallard"

[Bomber_12th]

Some fun in the water today with the SOH Grumman Mallard. Took off from my local airport, KSGS Fleming Field, and headed west over to Lake Minnetonka, which is absolutely riddled with water strips. Ended the day with landing at nearby KFCM Flying Cloud Airport.

Scenery: ORBX OpenLC, Vector, Global and HD Trees (collected over time)
Sky/Clouds/Water: REX Texture Direct

[Bomber_12th]

[Bomber_12th]

[falcon409]

John, your screenshots are downright inspiring. Great job!

[strykerpsg]

Agree with Ed, inspiring to say the least. I love that skin especially.

[Bomber_12th]

Thank you Ed and thank you Matt. I'm glad you liked the screenshots!

[rvn817j]

Nice shots John. Next time you are out with the Mallard stop in at MN09. Look to the north and I'll be waiting for you on my dock!

[Bomber_12th]

Sounds good! ; ) When flying the aircraft on Saturday, I actually used Crystal Lake as a waypoint (as I've done on some other flights, flying west from Fleming), skirting the MSP airspace. From my house, I get a fair amount of float planes flying over during the summer, taking off/landing at Wipaire's seaplane base on the Mississippi.

[rvn817j]

(I used to call up the Class B controller just so I had someone to talk to and watch me on radar. Now with ADS-B it isn't worth the hassle.) We have actually seen a fair bit of RW float plane activity here at Crystal Lake this season. (Even a couple planes with skis installed stopped by over the winter.) Last year we had that big seaplane out of Anoka (is it an HU-2) make a couple low approaches. Two weeks ago at KLVN I saw that polished CAA B-25 from your home field - S. St. Paul (Fleming) Field. Minneapolis IS a hot bed of aviation!

For those that don't have it, the Flightbeam KMSP is GREAT!

[Bomber_12th]

Thank you for the tip about the KMSP scenery - it looks absolutely stunning, and I've already now purchased it and downloading.

With regard to the big flying boat, there are a couple of HU-16 Albatrosses that are based out of Anoka - one is owned by Chris Harker (C&P Aviation), N7029F, painted in semi-Coast Guard colors, and the other is owned by Tony Phillippi, N98TP, painted blue & white.

Speaking of the Minneapolis/St. Paul area being a hot bed of aviation, of course it is amazing what Paul Ehlen and the Wings of the North Air Museum at Flying Cloud has become, and will continue growing. Right now they have the P-51D "Sierra Sue II", an F4U-4 Corsair, a TBM Avenger, and a world-class AT-6D and Stearman, all which fly regularly. Of course the area is home to "T-6 Thunder", with so many AT-6 owners based around the Metro. I recently heard via Facebook that Pat Harker's F-82E restoration at the Anoka Airport is very, very close to being completed and ready to fly (he of course also has an extremely nice, polished B-25 that flies often, as well as a TF-51D under restoration in California that will be stunning, a P-51H project and a complete North American Aviation O-47 that will be restored to fly (like those which used to be based at Wold Chamberlain Field/KMSP back in the 30's)).