Flying in my 1984 Avid Seaplane for 2600 hours, the first one on floats, I always loved the nostalgia of biplanes, especially biplanes on floats. Consequently, four years ago I talked with Gerald Olenik of GreenSky Adventures, Inc., about a Micro Mong and got his advice about building one on floats. His only problem was how to exit to the front of the floats without getting wet. I would have to be a contortionist crawling through cables and struts. So I set to work welding, doping and scratchbuilding floats and attachments and two engine mounts. The original engine was a 440 Kawasaki, which was underpowered, so I installed a Rotax 582 with the C gearbox (3:1 ratio) and an RK 400 clutch. Now it’s overpowered with 5000 rpm providing 90 mph. I have to watch the Vne of 110. Performance is spectacular to say the least.
The newest mods include a Warp Drive 72-inch, three-blade prop with polished aluminum spinner, and a smoke system. I’m having so much fun, it’s time to build a two-seat Tiger Moth on floats so others can enjoy open air seaplane flying.
Location: Bath, North Carolina
e-mail address: [email protected]
