RDoug
Well-Known Member
N908WA belongs to Wells Fargo. No injuries.
Small plane makes emergency landing on Alligator Alley (I-75)
Small plane makes emergency landing on Alligator Alley (I-75)
C-152 puts down on Alligator Alley
- Thread starter RDoug
- Start date
JeppUpdater
Well-Known Member
I flew a Caravan between Key West and Miami for a while years ago.
The water (shallow enough you could stand on the airplane and a lot of boat traffic) didn't bother me. The Everglades (sawgrass, bacteria, and alligators) did.
I do miss going VFR and just following the highway.
drunkenbeagle
Gang Member
Same here, but I rarely fly over the swamps. A whole lot of Florida is cow pasture though, almost all of which are big enough to land on. The aircraft that go into the water in controlled flight seem to have pretty good survival odds.
Beefy McGee
Well-Known Member
It may belong to Wells Fargo, but it's operated by Wayman Flight School. http://wayman.net/airplanes/
Kimo
Well-Known Member
I'll take the ankle deep water in a 172 over the deep blue between the island chains any day.
BobDDuck
Island Bus Driver
Got to weigh Sharks vs. Gators and Snakes.
jtrain609
Antisocial Monster
Oxman
Well-Known Member
I spent January LiDar mapping around Lake Okeechobee at night wondering how many gators I'm over. Also, years ago, I mapped over the southern Louisiana swamps in an old C206 and would always look for the shack in the middle of nowhere swampville in case I lost an engine. I told my cameraman "I just have to swim faster than you". And "If you're ahead of me I'm grabbing your ankles".
Kimo
Well-Known Member
FloridaLarry
Well-Known Member
My Ex used to drive Alligator Alley with some frequency. She averaged spotting at least a dozen gators per trip.
Of course, she also kept spotting gators in the pond behind the house. She'd try to point them out to me: "Oh, there it....went." I thought those gators were relatives of the Loch Ness Monster.
In fairness to the gators, they have a pretty big geographical range, and if you have water in central & south Florida, it's just a matter of time before one drops by to call.
Small brain, big teeth. They look ugly for a reason!
NovemberEcho
Dergs favorite member
Do you know my ex mother in law?
I remember flying a clapped out 172 from SRQ to FXE at night, IMC, and thinking about halfway through "wait, this was a friggin stupid idea." when I was about a 500 hour survey pilot. One of those "well, that's how you learn" moments but I'd still go back and kick my own ass for it. Had the thought too if the engine quit it'd be better to hit something hard instead of survive and get eaten afterwards
Boris Badenov
Fortis Leader
IMS, some hard luck fugitive orphan did it in an FLX 210 back in the early aughts...At night! Actually I think I did that run a year or so later. I'm amazed they let me near a car, let alone an airplane, tbh.
FloridaLarry
Well-Known Member
Don't think so, but the description is familiar.
I was actually talking about the gator. My ex has normal teeth.
CFI A&P
Exploring the world one toilet at a time.
At one point there was a specific service provided for the Everglades. It has since been removed, but it was in AIM 4-1-21 and here is the old text:
f. Everglades Reporting Service.
This service is offered by Miami Automated International Flight Service Station (MIA AIFSS), in extreme southern Florida. The service is provided to aircraft crossing the Florida Everglades, between Lee County (Ft. Myers, FL) VORTAC (RSW) on the northwest side, and Dolphin (Miami, FL) VOR (DHP) on the southeast side.
1. The pilot must request the service from Miami AIFSS.
2. MIA AIFSS frequency information, 122.2, 122.3, and 122.65.
3. The pilot must file a VFR flight plan with the remark: ERS.
4. The pilot must maintain 2000 feet of altitude.
5. The pilot must make position reports every ten (10) minutes. SAR begins fifteen (15) minutes after position report is not made on time.
6. The pilot is expected to land as soon as is practical, in the event of two-way radio failure, and advise MIA AIFSS that the service is terminated.
7. The pilot must notify Miami AIFSS when the flight plan is cancelled or the service is suspended.
Sent from my Startac using Tapatalk.
f. Everglades Reporting Service.
This service is offered by Miami Automated International Flight Service Station (MIA AIFSS), in extreme southern Florida. The service is provided to aircraft crossing the Florida Everglades, between Lee County (Ft. Myers, FL) VORTAC (RSW) on the northwest side, and Dolphin (Miami, FL) VOR (DHP) on the southeast side.
1. The pilot must request the service from Miami AIFSS.
2. MIA AIFSS frequency information, 122.2, 122.3, and 122.65.
3. The pilot must file a VFR flight plan with the remark: ERS.
4. The pilot must maintain 2000 feet of altitude.
5. The pilot must make position reports every ten (10) minutes. SAR begins fifteen (15) minutes after position report is not made on time.
6. The pilot is expected to land as soon as is practical, in the event of two-way radio failure, and advise MIA AIFSS that the service is terminated.
7. The pilot must notify Miami AIFSS when the flight plan is cancelled or the service is suspended.
Sent from my Startac using Tapatalk.
Last edited:
Murdoughnut
Well sized member
I used to fly my old lady from PIE to FXE to bail out her clients in immigration detention down there. She'd always be running late, and we'd end up with a night flight over the Everglades. Deceiving because you could see the glow of S. Florida as far as Fort Myers, but always kept a sense for where the roads were beneath me.