By STAN KASPRZYK

FlightLog Archive

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Aircraft Flown

Tanglefoot Seaplane Splash-In - June 2026

The annual Tanglefoot Seaplane Splash-in at Priest Lake, ID was sold out for 2026, and included an awesome gathering of seaplanes from around the country, including a Grumman Mallard and Goose, multiple De Havilland Beavers, an N3N on floats, the impressive PBY Catalina from the Soaring by the Sea Foundation and multiple other impressive seaplanes. I had a great time getting an orientation flight in the Pemberton's N3N on floats, plus flying twice with Mary in Kevin Franklin's DeHavilland Beaver.

Although the splash-in event itself was conducted smoothly and safely, a tragic accident occurred just before the event, as pilots Randy Peterson and Eric Houston were lost in their Cessna 195 near Kennewick, WA after striking cables as they approached their water landing to refuel.

Although the Tanglefoot organizers held moments of silence each day in the lost pilot's memory, I thought we could do more to honor their loss. A valued and honored tradition in aviation is to conduct a memorial 'Missing Man' formation flyby, with a single aircraft breaking out of the formation to honor those who have 'Flown West'.

Formation flying is a demanding skill that needs to flown by pilots who are current and practiced, to ensure the flight is conducted safely. Safety is also enhanced if all aircraft in the formation are the same type. I had flown in a formation training weekend with Miguel 'Ozzie' Nelson just a few weeks earlier, and canvased the Splash-in pilots for others with current formation experience. Steve Ratzlaff had some formation time, so he was placed in the lead in his Beaver, and given the planned run-in heading, speed and altitude. Ozzie and I 'borrowed' Beavers from Scott Slay and Kevin Franklin, rejoined over the north part of Priest Lake, and flew the wing positions in a classic 3-ship 'Vic' formation.

All the other seaplanes pilots and guests had just returned from the planned Squaw Bay Splash-out, so all were back at the Tanglefoot Seaplane base as we made our run-in from the north in the late afternoon, with #2 making a smooth break out to the west just as we passed Tanglefoot.

We were honored to salute our fellow aviators as they have 'Flown West'.

Video of the Beaver 3-Ship 'Missing Man' memorial flyby over the Tanglefoot Seaplane Base, Priest Lake, ID on 27 June 2026: