Murphy Moose Floatplane Flight Report

It was a task that I just couldn't say "No" to; fly the Murphy Moose on the new 3600 Series of floats and get some performance figures while at it. Heck, this sounded like one of those fabled dream jobs, but little did I know of the "hard" work ahead...

Arriving at the Fort Langley Airport in Fort Langley, British Columbia shortly before 9 am found the Mighty Fraser River flowing steadily under a cozy blanket of fog. Delay number one. Turning my attention to the Moose finds the mighty flagship for Murphy Aircraft still sleeping under a layer of ice on its airframe. Yikes, delay number two.

Seeking assistance from the staff at Fort Langley, they happily move the Moose into the sunshine to melt off the ice and allow us to warm our hands as the sunshine works its magic both on the airframe ice and fog on the river.

Sometime later, I said it was "hard" work not hectic work, the fog had lifted revealing a beautiful, long flowing runway and the ice had departed allowing us to load the Moose and ready for flight. Since this was my first time in the float equipped Moose, Technical Manager Brian Godden took the left seat while I occupied the right and Chief Pilot Robin Dyck was our backseat driver.

Since the Moose is on straight floats, you rely on the beaching craft for all movement on land. Once the Moose was ready and loaded, with us aboard, the beaching craft picks you up and carries you down the ramp, placing you onto the edge of the ramp. Engine started and throttle applied easily moves the Moose off the ramp and onto the river.

Once underway, the new 3600 Series of floats quickly show their buoyancy keeping the tips well above the waterline and providing very stable footings. The water rudders easily steer the Moose around while awaiting the engines temperatures to warm up. On takeoff, the step of the float is quickly and easily found, allowing the Moose to gather speed and lift off in 15 seconds with three souls and full tanks. Repeated takeoffs on glassy water proved the same times consistently in the 15 second bracket for liftoff.

Once lifted off, the "hard" work begins, gathering speeds, power and RPM setting and fuel consumption. The scenery along the way is very distracting and makes the work even harder (to concentrate on, that is). The M-14P radial engine is a true workhorse worthy of all the praise it receives for its strength and reliability. While transitioning from a flat engine to radial takes some time, the change is easy and enjoyable to learn. Old habits from the Lycoming engine need to be forgotten in order to master the radial power supply.

After performing a series of splash and dashes and timed runs, a rest is in order so we head to Golden Ears Provincial Park and Alouette Lake. This is where I get to try my hand at flying the Moose. After a short break and some pictures, we load up and push off. Controlling the Moose is very much like controlling the smaller Elite and Rebel kits on float - responsive, positive and smile inducing! Ready for takeoff, full power is swiftly applied and surprisingly, the Moose is on the step by the time full power is applied. Landing is very typical, keep a steady attitude with slight nose high and fly onto the lake surface. Steady back pressure on landing keeps the front of the floats from grabbing to quickly. Step taxiing is very easy and performs well with only one notch of flap on (versus full flap for takeoff). Tight turns are easily and steadily done, though the skidding motion feels very unnatural.

Having accomplished our long list of requirements for the day, we head back to Fort Langley. A fly over reveals the landing channel clear except a flock of birds lazing in the afternoon sun. Full flaps down, power set the Moose gently returns back to the river (okay, maybe I bumped and bounced a bit) and her home for the night.

Thanks for reading this and I hope you enjoyed the story as much as I did. If you haven't gone float flying before, be certain to try it at some point. You'll find it very relaxing being away from the busy airspace and control towers - it's a trip back to fun days of flying for the love of aviation!

PS:  I almost forgot the "hard" work we did. Here are the speeds and power settings we achieved. All times are at an estimated weight of 3,300 pounds:

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