I have story that I am really glad I have a witness to. David and I are paddling towards the head of the Beech Creek and I spotted a couple of small planes that looked like they are formation flying, very close together. My first thought was it was a drug runner with DEA flying high and behind in his blind spot. I kept waiting of something to be tossed from the plane into the lake. Rare, but it has happened around here.

Lead plane dips down over the lake and other loops outward to his side. So they are just out joy riding or something. They eventually head our way and went toward the causeway still flying really low and pretty close to us, obviously saw us. If the pilot was anyone I knew I would have recognized him, he was that close. And it had large windows similar to crop dusters with open windows.

A few minutes latter I commented to David that it sounded like they were headed back. I am not flexiable enough to twist around and look behind but David can and said "He is skimming the water!" I was thinking he was a brave pilot to be flying low over the water but when he came in site HE WAS SKIMMING THE WATER!

He was flying a plane with a large set of wheels on it, obviously for dirt landing strips and he had those wheels ON the water. Sending up a spray he flew down the lake like it was dirt! Gives a new meaning to Hydroplaning. I reached for my camera but it was off and he was moving too fast. He lifted up staying low they flew on down the lake. Further up we saw him do it again and he must have gone 1/2 mile skimming the water again. What he probably didn't know was he was in an extremely shallow mud flat, one stump after another. I was just waiting on the cartwheeling!

Obviously one heck of a pilot! I know some pilots and water landing is not something they want to ever make because when the wheels contact the water the plane will cartwheel on you. So his is either good, lucky or both! But it was a heck of a show!

Jeff