Float planes fuel up on the Flathead River

Looking like Spiderman, a man clung to the side of a white floatplane as the water in the Flathead River rocked him back and forth against the dock.

With a big red gas can in one hand and a funnel balanced in the opening to one of the plane’s fuel tanks, he was pouring gasoline into his plane.

For a girl from the sticks in Wyoming, there was nothing to do but say, “Do you need some help?”

Turns out the plane was a 1946 Taylorcraft, and Herb Lingl had picked it up in Alliance, Ohio, and was flying it back to his home in California.

He allowed me to help a little by hoisting the gas can up to him as he added fuel to both wings. To reach the right wing, Lingl inched across a wire from float to float and then clambered his way up the side.

I also steadied the plane with a death grip on the wing. 

“You don’t want to drop a gas cap,” Lingl said, “because they’re hard to replace since this plane was built in 1946.” 

About this time another floatplane owner showed up piloting a 2012 Murphy Rebel. The two pilots jumped into plane talk about ”crabbing up the entrance,” currents in the Flathead River, the different floats on their planes, and wind action that day.  

Polson’s airport is one of a few in Montana that sells fuel for float planes. The fuel is put in five-gallon containers and driven down to the dock, according to local pilot Chuck Jarecki. That’s a convenience that not all water-based landings provide.

For example, the Jareckis had friends flying in from Oshkosh, Wisc. They stopped at Fort Peck Reservoir for fuel, and the fuel truck had to deliver it from Glasgow, about 20 miles away. 

Some float planes are amphibians, which means they have wheels as well as floats so they can land on regular airstrips. A float plane with straight floats must land on the water, as Lingl did.

There is a National Seaplane Association which lists airports that have fuel for float planes. Float-plane pilots can find those resources online at https://seaplanepilotsassociation.org which lists “Water Flying Info” by state or country and has a map to click on for the states they plan to fly over. 

Polson’s airport was a welcome oasis for the two pilots who touched down last week – and many others who refuel on the Flathead River.

    Another float plane joins Herb Lingl's at the Polson Fairgrounds Inc.'s dock on the Flathead River. This plane is an amphibian so it can touch down on water or land. (Berl Tiskus/Leader)