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2007 December 07
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Seabee
News Update
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 John Greeff
- Bernie L'Hirondelle recently wrote to Bruce Hinds of "Seabee
Newsletter" to tell of the loss of his good friend
John Richard Greeff (68). He writes... I'd like to advise you John passed
away at home November 12 after a 6 month battle with cancer....if you'd
like more information on John's passing you can reach me at rockytop@telus.net
and if you would please maybe post something in your next newsletter
advising everyone to what's happened with John... Also the Bee (N6267K,
s/n 477) will
continue to live in a nice hanger in Victoria BC and fly the skies and
lakes of BC as John wanted...
John was diagnosed with cancer in May and spent the summer and early
fall undergoing some very severe chemo therapy, by the end of October it
was obvious that all the treatments had failed and death was inevitable. I took him home on October 29 and we had an incredible
week. I
made him fly me in the 310 around the Yelm area and we went for drives
and had the chance to talk at length about our lives and all the neat
things we'd done individually as well as together. This is something
that has made his passing a little more bearable, not many people have
the chance to do that... At the end of about the 9th day he took a turn
and went downhill very quickly being pretty much bed ridden and sleeping
the majority of the time. On day 14 from the hospital he passed away
quietly at 2 in the afternoon.
John was one of the driving forces behind Jack
Daubenspeck's Lycoming GO-480 engine conversions during the 1970s, and
he also owned the first Daubenspeck converted Seabee, N87586 (s/n 143). All Seabee enthusiasts are saddened by the loss of a
dear friend and a devoted Seabee owner. R.I.P.
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 Lost
Seabee Found After 50 Years! - Lac Simon, Quebec
- A Republic RC-3 Seabee has been found in the deep waters of Lac Simon,
Quebec. The discovery ends the mystery of this lost aircraft that has
endured for fifty years. On November 21st, 1957 four men and a
hunting dog disappeared with the airplane, when a Seabee flying the hunters
crashed and disappeared in bad weather. A substantial search and rescue operation was
conducted to locate the aircraft which focused on Lac Simon, Quebec,
Canada. Even
with the use of electronic search equipment, grappling hooks and SCUBA
divers, the plane and its occupants could not be found. Over the past
fifty years the mysterious disappearance of the Seabee aircraft turned
to legend in the Lac Simon area. Now, 2007, Guy Morin and Chris Koberstein
finally located
the aircraft using modern sophisticated side scanning sonar equipment.
Read more...
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 ZS-ORX
Sold From Africa to Canada - From South Africa Mark Becker reports that they finally
sold the sole Seabee in Africa. ZS-ORX (s/n 261) was operated from Cape
Town, South Africa, for a few years and appeared in a number of TV commercials
and even a cinema horror movie "The Breed" and TV film "Supernova"
starring Peter Fonda.
S/n 261 was crated in the end of July and shipped by container vessel from
South Africa to new owner in Canada. Bill of Sale is dated 30 May
2007. Last flight in South Africa was made on 31 March 2007. The
new owner is "2127840 Ontario Limited"... Anyone who knows who the
persons behind this company is?
Mark Becker is now focusing his attention on his company
"Marketing Media", a Cape Town based high definition TV (HD video)
production company. They specialize in producing marketing movies for
promotional use on television, trade shows, marketing presentations and on the
web. However, Mark is still an avid and adventurous aviation
enthusiast! Together with friends, he has produced two fantastic
documentary style films about flying ultralights (trikes) in beautiful Africa.
Their first film 'Flying
the fish' was a documentary style film soaring over the rarely seen
geography and geology of Southern Africa and its vast wild areas. Testing the
bonds of friendship as the team face the dangers associated with unpredictable
weather, solving unanticipated mechanical problems, and sleeping and surviving
in the great open spaces of Africa.
 Visit
www.flyingthefalls.com
or click here to watch
a preview of their latest production. Three friends, two trikes and
one vast African continent. 'Flying the falls' is a Hi-Definition
adventure documentary that explores Southern Africa from the unique vantage
point of open cockpit aircraft.
'Flying
the Falls' currently in post production and due for release shortly. This
remarkable adventure filmed in the new High Definition format tells the tale
of their trip through the contrasting wetlands of Northern Namibia. From the
Etosha Pan, along the Caprivi strip to the Victoria Falls in Zambia. Here the
wildlife roams free and is captured from both the air and from the water.
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 N335G
For Sale On eBay - Seabee N335G (s/n 808)
is currently listed on eBay
auctions for sale.
1947 Republic RC-3 water and land... All original B9F
Franklin 215 HP engine... 2 ft wing tip extensions... Wide spray rails...
Big Cleveland brakes... Quick change landing gear... Tailwheel update...
New propeller pitch cables... Quick change oil plug... Rubber tank... Rear
sump... 3..500 gal bilge pumps... Strobe in tail... Gascolator... Carb
heat box rebuilt... Recent fuel pumps... 2 propellers reversing... Rebuilt
starter and generator... Trim tail rod new... Plane is complete... Needs
TLC... Hydraulic pump rebuilt... Flaps/gear... 2380 TT... Great to
restore /and fly... Great investment... Owner motivated...
847-529-7002 (John)... 847-542-2346 (Kelly)... also NO CORROSION!
"Buy Now" price is USD 41,000,-.
The seller is also accepting reasonable offers... The auction is
ending on December 12, 2007 17:50:14
PST.
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2007 February 02
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Seabee and
Air Car Accidents
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N6248K - Several correspondents have reported that Seabee
N6248K (s/n 455) made an emergency landing
near Julian, California, after the propeller separated from the aircraft
on Friday, February 02.
According to the reports, the Seabee lost the
propeller about half an hour after it took off from a public airfield 10
miles east of San Diego, CA. The plane was en route to Lake Mead, NV,
and made a hard landing in rural field in Julian, San Diego County,
about 60 miles northeast of San Diego.
Neither of the two men on board was injured, although
the passenger was taken to a hospital for a precautionary evaluation.
The damage to the Seabee was substantial according to early FAA reports.
According to FAA Registry, N6248K is owned by Mr.
Richard L. Essery of El Cajon, California, and has a unidentified
Lycoming engine conversion.
NTSB Preliminary Report LAX07LA078:
On February 2, 2007, about 1135 Pacific standard
time, a Republic RC-3, N6248K, made a forced landing following the
separation of the hub and propeller assembly from the crankshaft flange
near Julian, California. The owner/pilot was operating the airplane
under the provisions of 14 CFR Part 91. The commercial pilot and one
passenger were not injured; the airplane sustained substantial damage.
The cross-country personal flight departed Gillespie Field Airport
(SEE), El Cajon, California, about 1100, with a planned destination of
Lake Mead, Nevada. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed, and no
flight plan had been filed. The approximate global positioning system
(GPS) coordinates of the primary wreckage were 33 degrees 04 minutes
north latitude and 116 degrees 38 minutes west longitude.
The pilot reported that during cruise flight the hub assembly and
propeller departed from the crankshaft flange, and fell from the
airplane. The pilot made a forced landing to an open field about 2 miles
west of Julian, during which the airplane's landing gear collapsed.
An examination of the crankshaft flange revealed no apparent damage. All
of the propeller attachment bolts had fractured. The hub assembly and
propeller were recovered from private property for follow-up
examinations.
Any additional information and photos from the
visitors to this website are most welcome. Please contact webmaster.
[Photo: Julien Moerenhout]
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N41RH -
It is with great sadness reports have reached us that both people aboard
were killed when experimental amphibian Spencer S-12D Air Car (s/n 109)
N41RH crashed Friday afternoon, February 02.
Iowa City resident Blane Anderson, 34, 1019 Second Ave., was piloting
the plane when it crashed about 2:40 p.m. Friday south of Grinnell
Regional Airport. A passenger, identified by the Poweshiek Sheriff's
Office as Joshua James Reynolds, 35, of Iowa City, also was killed in
the crash.
No further information is currently available on the cause of the crash,
which occurred about 20 minutes away from Iowa City. William Owen, the
Grinnell Airport's manager, said Friday the airport handles about 12
flights a day and said conditions were cold and clear. However, he did
not know if weather contributed to the crash.
According to a statement from Anderson's family, the Spencer Air Car had
experienced mechanical difficulties on its way from Seattle.
Anderson, the chief pilot for Iowa City-based Jet Air, Inc., and a
courier for the Organ Donor Network, and Reynolds had flown there January
23 to pick up the plane for Reynold's father, Jim Reynolds, who recently
had purchased it from the estate of James W. Osborne, Federal Way,
WA. They had mechanical difficulties along the way, and were
forced to wait in Twin Falls, Idaho, for five days while they waited for
parts, said Morelli, who is a Press-Citizen reporter.
They stopped in Rawlins, Wyoming, Thursday night, and continued flying
Friday, stopping for fuel in North Platte, Nebraska, before continuing
their flight, Morelli said. Anderson had called his wife, Heidi, about
2:30 p.m. to let her know he would be in Iowa City at 3 p.m.
"He called here in the afternoon, and said could I go (to the Iowa
City Airport) with the kids to pick him up," Heidi Anderson said in
the family statement. "But he didn't show up. I thought maybe he
was running behind."
Later the new owner has informed that the annual was
completed immediately before the flight, with a new prop installed.
The plane flew almost 2,000 miles before it crashed. The only difficulty
was a generator that was replaced, along with a mechanical fuel pump in
Idaho. The plane left Rawlins, Wyoming after a 20 + below night at 6,000
+ feet, and started and flew without incident until less than a 1/2 hour from
home.
Carson Blane Anderson is survived by his, wife Heidi, 6-year-old
twins Ruby Jo and Eli and daughter, 14-month-old daughter RosaMae and
his parents, Gene and Joy Anderson; a sister, Kiki Anderson(Coy)
Chanders and two nieces of Lafayette, Colorado; his maternal
grandparents, Robert and Harriette Rayman of Elberon; his paternal
grandparents Winifred and Fred Harris of Burlington; three uncles and
aunts, seven cousins and Lincoln, his faithful dog.
Joshua J. Reynolds is survived by his loving wife
Monica and their pets Tommy, Io, Juno, Wig and Ficus; sister, Liz
Reynolds of Minneapolis; brother, John Reynolds & his wife Christina
and their children,Lilly and Eva, all of Iowa City; brother David Horan
& his wife Michelle and their children Maggie and John, all of
Edina, Minnesota; his father James Reynolds and his wife Judie of
Naples, Florida; brother in law Bruce Dalton and his wife Diane and
their children Maggie, Isabelle and Josie, all of Cedar Rapids; his
father & mother in law, Ed & Sandra Dalton of Burlington, Iowa;
numerous close aunts, uncles and cousins.
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The Air Car was announced for sale December 2006.
According to original advert: Airframe TT 2418 hrs; Continental
205hp, E-185-9 w/ Hartzell HC-82U20-3, TT 225 hrs; hangared in Renton,
Washington; 2005 annual; radios and instruments in excellent condition.
Annuals performed by local A&P/AI with intimate knowledge of the
airplane. Estate sale, as is asking $39,500 or best offer.
Additional Information: Built by R. V. Hallburg,
completed in 1975 and sold to Jim Osborne in 1988. Empty weight is 2300
lbs, useful load 950 lbs, four place, intercom, stainless control
cables; Cessna main gear; 205hp @ TO, 185 hp continuous; electric flaps
35 deg full; fiberglass 30 gal aux tank wing floats, Narco 11A and Narco
T50A w/mode C; droop tips; estimated fuel flow 10 gph at 75% power;
polyurethane paint; EAA service manual, engine ops manual; full set of
blueprints. Has a propeller AD outstanding, needs annual.
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NTSB Preliminary Report CHI07LA062:
On February 2, 2007, about 1444 central standard
time, an experimental amateur-built Amphibian S21D, N41RH, received
substantial damage on impact with terrain during landing following a
loss of engine power near Grinnell, Iowa. Visual meteorological
conditions prevailed at the time of the accident. The 14 CFR Part ferry
flight was not operating on a flight plan. The pilot and passenger
sustained fatal injuries. The flight last departed from North Platte,
Nebraska, about 1030, en route to Iowa City, Iowa.
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Any additional information and photos from the
visitors to this website are most welcome. Please contact webmaster.
[Above photo for illustration only].
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