spreading ashes

[rick bell]

anybody ever spread ashes for anyone in a skymaster? if so what was your techinque? perfer not to turn off the rear engine
as it will be done low over mounitans 7-8k

rick

[Bob Cook]

Suggest you make up a light hose and funnel that can be put thru the storm window (if your has one). Make up a small filler panel and run the hose thru a hole in the centre. Make sure it is air tight. I have heard of horror stories where the ashes have flown back in.

Drop the ashes into the funnel assuming there is negative pressure. I wouldn't worry about the rear engine. Probably would help to dispurse them <G>.

Best of luck

Bob

[Dale Campbell]

I did that from a 172, A few years back, no fun. I made up a 1 gallon container from a heavy plastic bottle. I cut a trap door 2 inches square at both front & rear of bottle. I then attached a heavy fish line to the 2 doors. I ran the fish line through a plastic tube up to the window on the pilot side window with a plastic ring at window that I could get my finger in. I duck taped the bottle to landing gear and the tub to the side of fuslage. It worked great. I want to caution you on something. The ashes are loaded with pieces of bone the size of a dime, that will damage paint, prop or anything it hits. That is why I mounted it as low on landing gear as I could. I would not drop ashes from my 337 with the rear engine back there.

[rick bell]

thank you all for your suggestion - rick

[GMAs]

First off we tried that and it seems that out here in calif they have a enviromental law about dumping ashes over anything... including the ocean.. like I mean the fish are going to care... anyway... I suggest that what ever system you go with you try it out by taking up some good old clean fill dirt.. and seeing what happens... eating ashes inside the cabin when the thing blows back in is not my idea of a good time ... especially when... well you get the idea...

We finally snuck out and spread poor old freds ashes where he wanted anyway... but, I know nothing about it... as they say... we wanted to be enviormentally correct so we use a cardboard box... actually its what they packaged old fred in after they put the heater to him... and knowing how he never liked to fly inside a plane.. we thought... Ok we will keep you outside...

Now if you look at the gear doors... on the skymaster.. something interesting comes to mind... ya thier is room for old fred in the box to fit in either the fwd or rear gear well area... and if we keep the doors closed and leave the gear down.. we could effectivly transport old fred to the final place of his last wishes... but, the question was which one.. front or rear... so we went up and had someone check it out... sure enough... the front one has a better drop rate than the rear.. but, the rear did have more room back their... and of course the heat from the engine is not going to make a differance on old fried fred in the box... he won't care if it 80 or 250 outside...

So we took old fred in the box out.... after we had made a few test passes and were observed at how the box leaves the plane gear wells... put him in the fwd gear well area... yep old fred fit right up under the engine where the wheel goes.. and guess what the gear doors kept old fred in the boxs' lid closed.. so no tape required... how ever we found from testing that sometimes the box would not open up and dump... so here we used a piece of regular old ribbon... from a old christmas wrapping... and just tied it to the lid of old freds box... this way when fred gets ejected from the gear well area... the box will remain closed.. and fred won't get all over the nose gear...or strut.. after all he didn't want to be spread on the oleo he wanted to be spred over the hills that he loved... so now when the box left... the streamer which the family signed to send fred off with... came out.. the box dropped... and the lid opened up.. dumping the ashes away from the plane... and out the bottom of the box...

We circled the box a few times as it went for the deck.. the streamer kept it in perfict form.. the bottom was poped open from the blast of the air... and old fred was headed for the deck... away from the plane and box...

Now what happens to the box.. well as you know cardboard takes a while to decompose.. but, it does...and while fred used to be in the box.. some poor old animal now probably has a great condo with a red ribbon attached for prosperity... all with poor old freds blessing...

So if you think about it and go take a few test runs.. you will find that their are ways of dumping stuff out ... its just a little slower on the go... with the gear down... but, quick trip home when it is pulled back up and leaving poor old fred in the box behind... oh and by the way.. if the box doesn't open in the air.. it will when it hits the ground... at 180 mph... it might hit someone... in that form... and fred might have company that was unexpectedly hit when he droped in...

but, again its something about being against the law to dump anything out of the plane FAA rules.. and the enviormentalist are not going to like you if they catch you doing it either... however, fred can rest in peace... knowing that he got his last wish completed... G.M> GMAs

[Bob Cook]

Or.........

Did you hear about the person who offered to spread ashes for a few hundred dollars each. After 10 years they finally caught up to him and a garage full of Jars. Right... those kind of jars. He never owned an aircraft (wanted to) and never dropped and ashes because he never had an aircraft or pilots license..

Where....... yep......... California all right... San Jose I believe. Sure someone has heard about this. Never did hear about the outcome. Apparently those in the garage (urns jars etc.) were from all over the US.....

Obviously there is a business for this.

bob

[stackj]

DON'T:mad:

Cost us a prop blade and a rear boom repair (hole in boom):(

Lots of aggrivation. There is also a metal ID tag in the ashes about the size of a quarter.. Does nasty things to skin on boom... and prop.

DONT DONT DONT

And don't tell anyone else how stupid I was!