Patent ID: 8272596

Claim:
A method of taking off from water a general aviation class amphibious aircraft adapted to take off and land on water, comprising: a. providing an aircraft, the aircraft having a center of gravity, the aircraft comprising: (i) at least one fuselage and a wing connected to the at least one fuselage, (ii) a power plant having a propeller, the power plant coupled to an aft portion of the at least one fuselage, (iii) a shroud surrounding the propeller, and (iv) at least two floats coupled to the wing, wherein each float comprises: a) a step that is located on a bottom surface of each float at a point that is forward of the location at which the bottom surface of the float intersects a line that (1) passes through the center of gravity of the aircraft and (2) is oriented at an angle of six degrees rearward from vertical; b) a forward portion located forward of the step, the forward portion including a ski surface that is planar in a left to right horizontal direction, and c) an aft portion located rearward of the step; b. moving a throttle coupled to the power plant to a takeoff position; c. transitioning through a lower speed regime, wherein the aft portion of each float is wetted when the aircraft is taxiing; d. the aircraft proceeding with a nose-high attitude when the aircraft is in the lower speed regime; e. accelerating the aircraft above the lower speed regime to transition the aircraft to a plane on the ski surface of the forward portion of each float so that the aft portion of each float is no longer wetted; f. achieving a takeoff speed; and g. causing the aircraft to lift or rotate from the water.