Hog Bipe Float conversion
 

I would like to convert my Hog bipe to a float plane. Has anyone done this before? Got pics? What floats should I use? What mods should I make to keep things water-tight? Thanks in advance.:D

RE: Hog Bipe Float conversion
 

Anyone?:D

RE: Hog Bipe Float conversion
 

Looks like you're going to be the first with a Hog Bipe on floats.

What's the size and weight? And power? If it's low on power, you might have trouble with floats. Extra power helps you get off easily and also helps drag the floats through the air. Probably some 33-34 inch floats would work OK. Order an extra gear and add a ply mount block behind the wing. You'll have to slide the lower wing in between the strut (gear) legs for mounting unless you re-locate both struts to the wing.

If my wing fits well, I don't bother with anything extra, just put floats on it and go fly. My buddies use silicone seal on the saddle for a tight fit and we usually put Vasoline on the saddle to keep water out. I use halves of spinner bubble packs to cover servos that are hanging out the bottom of the wing. Seems to work OK in keeping the big splashes off.

RE: Hog Bipe Float conversion
 

Thanks for chiming in Ed. Power comes from an OS 61FX. It really hauls in the air and gets off the ground in less than 30ft. Do you recommend a specific brand of floats? Weight is about 6-7lbs all up. I have the covering stripped atm, so it is feasible to make the structural mods you mentioned behind the wing saddle. I was thinking the same thing since the lower wing is fairly easy to mount up. As for waterproofing, do you bag your Rx? or anything in the plane?

RE: Hog Bipe Float conversion
 

Well I don't have pics of a hog BIPE, but I spent a lot of time flying with guys who had Hogs on Floats. 40" floats were just about right.
they had either .60 2-strokes or .91 4-strokes. Sweet-flying planes on floats.

RE: Hog Bipe Float conversion
 

That looks like the Florida Float Fliers' lake. Very nice site, Jim. Thanks for introducing me to them.

RE: Hog Bipe Float conversion
 

Yep, it's the FLFLFL Lake. The planes shown belong to Fred Mulholland (AMA AssocVP) and Ray Smith. There were a coupla' other FloatHogs in the club when I was there.

RE: Hog Bipe Float conversion
 

Excellent info guys, I have chosen a set of Great Planes pre-assembled .40 size floats for this project. They are said to be 40" long and will carry a plane of this weight range. I will post pics when I get them installed. Thanks for the help.:D

RE: Hog Bipe Float conversion
 

Primodus,I too also have a Hog Bipe which is eventually going to be finished(time,time,time......<sigh>) and will be flying off of water as well.The plane is built and basically just needs to be covered.I am considering trying something a little different with this one for a change.I am going to be using a mono float system with outer wing tip sponsons instead of the usual twin float setup.These are a tad bit trickier to get off the water and to land sometimes but if your used to flying boats,these two have a lot of common handling characteristics.With a mono float system,it should weigh a little less than a standard twin float setup but the big difference is going to be drag.Once air born,the plane should "groove" a lot better due to lighter wing loading and less drag on the aircraft.Still doing my home work with regards to a final design so it will be in the works for quite some time to come.Got to finish off my other flying boat project first.Here is an example of some mono float type setups on real aircraft.



http://avia.russian.ee/air/japan/nakajima_a6m-n.html

http://www.classicairframes.com/articles/duckjv_1.htm

http://www.pacific-seaplanes.com/Boa...es/page11.html

http://www.pacific-seaplanes.com/Boa...nes/page7.html

RE: Hog Bipe Float conversion
 

Turbo, That's a great idea!:D By the looks of it, I could add a single inline float with minimal fuss. I can see that it would be a little less stable than a dual float setup, but I like the looks a lot better. One problem I see with it, however, is the balance issue, both axially and laterally. Also, float depth is an issue. How far below the plane should the float rest?

RE: Hog Bipe Float conversion
 

On the water.
Bob

RE: Hog Bipe Float conversion
 

HeeHee, Retransit gets the "snappy Comeback" award.

But seriously,
Normal rules of thumb dictate that the prop clear a line between the tops of the float(S) by 2", but with ONE float, you won't be spraying water at the prop. So if the prop clears the top of the float by 1" you should be OK.

The 75% rule does not apply for a single float. It should be the full length of the fuselage.

The 2-4 degree guideline DOES apply. And wingtip floats seem to dig in less if they are lower, not higher. If the float does its thing before the plane gets way out of shape, you're less likely to do a waterloop followed by a boat ride.

RE: Hog Bipe Float conversion
 

Do the tip floats have a preferred angle of incidence?

RE: Hog Bipe Float conversion
 

I have never seen anything published about incidence of tip floats, but one of my buddies made some floats once and accidentally put negative incidence in the afterhull. Once they touched the water, they stuck and there was nothing he could do to get it unstuck. Customarily they seem to have just a bit more "nose-up" than the main float. I tried hydrofoils once, and they worked fine once I was moving along but since they had essentially no floatation, the plane did not taxi well.

RE: Hog Bipe Float conversion
 

I had a Hog bipe on floats at the last Skymasters Midwest Float Fly.It flew very well with a pair of BJ foam floats that were stretched out to 35 inches. they could have been wider though,it sat very low in the water. It took a long time to take off but landed great.