Wheel Landings With Spencer

[Colonel]

[Chuck Ellsworth]

Good subject.

When flying tail wheel airplanes I prefer to wheel land about ninety percent of the time because it is easier and gives me better control of the machine.

[Chuck Ellsworth]

I flew for a company that had two of these and when landing on a runway I seldom ever three pointed it because it was just loved to try and ground loop, fortunately I never did let it do that but came close one day training a company pilot on one.

He yarded the thing into reverse just as we touched down and one engine reversed before the other one gave us a great ride from one side of the runway to the other before I got it under control.....in over thirty thousand hours of flying I never ever had an accident but that was about as close as one could ever get.

[Colonel]

Holy fuck. That is a demented seaplane!

[Chuck Ellsworth]

For sure it is a real hybrid Andy and it has significant handling characteristic's that need to be considered when flying it ( just imagine the torque those engines produce and the position they are in combined with the spoolup lag that is normal with these engines, combine that with the short coupled landing gear and high center of gravity on the runway and you can have a real handful in a crosswind on a runway.

However all that aside it is one of my favorite airplanes and I would love to own one for a play toy.

Want to buy me one?