The flying watercraft spotted around Ross Barnett Reservoir has prompted questions on Facebook and other social media channels. Reservoir Daily News caught up with pilot John Witcher to find out what it is and how it works. The answer is a Cygnet, a two-seat amphibious aircraft equipped to take off and land on both water and land.
“It’s a registered aircraft,” Witcher said, explaining that the craft has an aircraft registration number. He described his particular Cygnet as an experimental aircraft. The model comes from Airtime Aircraft in Fort Walton Beach, Florida, which identifies the Cygnet as a light sport amphibious trike.
Witcher pointed out the features that allow it to move between the water and an airport runway. Along with its floats, the aircraft has wheels that can be lowered for landing on solid ground. “It’s considered an amphibian,” he said. “So it can take off or land on water or land.”
The aircraft has a 100-horsepower Rotax engine and seating for two, Witcher said. Overhead is a hang-glider-style wing, with a control bar used to maneuver the aircraft. He described the arrangement as “weight shift control,” a type of flying that requires learning how to handle that wing.
“You have to be a pilot to fly one of these,” Witcher said. He explained that a sport pilot can fly the aircraft with the appropriate qualification for weight-shift control. He also pointed out additional bars that allow an instructor seated behind a student to reach the controls during training.
Witcher added that water landings also require life vests and other nautical safety essentials.
Asked how long the aircraft can stay aloft, Witcher described a fuel tank holding about 12 gallons. “It burns about three gallons an hour of gasoline,” he said. He estimated that would provide roughly three to four hours in the air.
Witcher also discussed what would happen if the engine stopped. He said the aircraft could glide, but would not travel as far as a conventional airplane with a better glide ratio. His explanation emphasized the need to have a landing spot close by.
The interview ended with a question about one of the Cygnet’s more unusual capabilities: Could Witcher take off from the Reservoir, lower the wheels while airborne and land at an airport? He confirmed that he could. “Or vice versa,” he added.
