AOPA Pilot Magazine - June 2018 - 77

THE PEMBERTONS intended their

Goose to function in today's
world, so the panel is equipped
with modern avionics and
instruments. A single set of
engine controls serves both
seats. Flexible people can enter
the bow compartment by
ducking under the radios
(left). The Goose was originally
designed for customers who
expect comfort and elegance.
The Pemberton airplane continues that tradition (below).

Pemberton took over and carved around in a
steep turn, not far above the treetops, to set
up for a landing in a sheltered bit of water.
The Goose felt steady as a rock. When the
vertical speed indicator read less than 100
feet per minute, we were stabilized, wings
level, and gear firmly up. A few seconds later
there was the sound of the hull just skipping
over the top of the ripples. As the power
came off, the sound increased, then sighed
away as the speed bled down. The last few
knots bled away quickly and a rush of water
pushed away from the bow as the hull settled down and the airplane became a boat.
There's no water rudder, and the air
rudder doesn't do anything at watertaxi speeds, so when the airplane is on
the water, the pilot makes turns with

differential power-very small amounts of
power. Just 50 rpm is enough.
While the water landing was straightforward, the water takeoff was a different
story. The engines went to full power and
suddenly there was water everywhere. It
came over the bow and through the propellers, covering the gothic windshields. For the
next 30 seconds, Pemberton was a busy man.
The yoke went almost fully forward and
back as he timed the movement of the bow.
Eventually the hull came up on the step, the
deluge eased up, and the wing finally lifted
the airplane into the air. And this was on an
almost calm lake. Flying a Goose off the open
ocean must have been really exciting.
The sun was going down as Pemberton
cranked down the gear for our return to
Spokane. A check out the side window
revealed a big wheel out there. A few seconds
later the tires squeaked on and we taxied back
to the hangar, pulled the drain plugs, and put
the airplane away. It had done its work for the
day, doing exactly what its designers intended
when they first put pencil to paper over 80
years ago-take a small group of fortunate
people to beautiful places.
AOPA
KEN SCOTT is a freelance writer living in

Oregon who owns an RV-6.

moved out. The tail came up quickly, and
the huge rudder had no problem keeping
the airplane straight. We lifted off, and when
the gear lights and a visual check showed
the wheels fully up, Pemberton handed the
controls over to me with directions of "go
that way and level off at 3,000 feet."
In the hangar, the Goose looked like a
big boat. In the air it doesn't fly like one. The
controls are responsive and coordinated.
When a floatplane joined up on our left
wing, an acknowledging wing-rock didn't
take much muscle and virtually no rudder.
Keeping the nose in the correct spot relative to the horizon during turns was easy.
With the wing and engines behind you and
the nose well down, visibility is excellent.
The speed settled in at about 130 knots
and when the first lake appeared on the bow,
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AOPA Pilot Magazine - June 2018

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