Beech 18 on floats coming to Belgium

[airazurxtror]

Pairi Daiza (ex-Paradisio) has bought a Beech 18 on floats.
It left Canada last sunday and should arrive in Belgium this week-end.
The aircraft has no wheels and can only "land" on water (needs 450 meters) - it'll be on one of the Lacs de l'Eau d'Heure, the Lac de la Plate Taille.
It will then be transferred by road to the Pairi Daiza park at Brugelette, and put on its small lake.

http://www.lesoir.be/924579/article/act ... obinsource

[jan_olieslagers]

Pfffiiieeuuw!!

I always understood there are no provisions at all in Belgian air law regarding operating aircraft from/on to water surfaces, disabling the powers that be to allow any such operations. So someone with a long arm - possibly political? - must have found a clever work-around.

It is a good thing: if once there has been a single occurrence, it can serve as a justification for "more of the same". I am very much looking forward to see seaplane operations in Belgium, and this looks like a very preliminary first step.

Apart from all that legal stuff: what a nice plane is that Beech 18. I can't help hoping she will take to the skies again - if she's just kept floating in "its small lake" rust will soon take its due. And congrats to whoever passed all that money to acquire and ferry that plane - must have cost a small fortune! Bravo! Well done!

[jan_olieslagers]

As an afterthought: it would be extremely nice to read a trip report of the ferry flight.

[jan_olieslagers]

And as a second afterthought (mods please feel free to join up all of my rantings) :

Of course the venerable "Le Soir" has it ultimately wrong when stating "for the first time in Belgium" - seaplanes were flying, actually gathering, in Temse as early as 1912. Which was perhaps too long ago or too far into "enemy" territory for the 21st century Brussels "journaille" ...

http://www.nieuwsblad.be/cnt/dmf20120910_00290548

[sn26567]

That's more or less how it should look like:

[jan_olieslagers]

Thanks André, but I can't help feeling that is not an image from real life...

[airazurxtror]

Actually, it arrived this tuesday afternoon :

http://www.lavenir.net/cnt/DMF20150707_00674324

C-FGNR

[Passenger]

Actually, it arrived this tuesday afternoon :

http://www.lavenir.net/cnt/DMF20150707_00674324

Nice video report VTM:
http://nieuws.vtm.be/moet-je-zien/14903 ... gie-geland

Same video, with link on HLN.be (Het Laatste Nieuws):
http://www.hln.be/hln/nl/2/Reizen/artic ... land.dhtml

[regi]

Great!
As a teenager, we took every year the cup in our dinghy class at l'eau d'heure.
I liked sailing there a lot.
Now airplanes! From the one passion to the other.

Let the Russians come with their Berievs