Narrative:

3 aircraft departing at the same time, a commercial C185, an experimental glastar, and us. We had witnessed a C185 make several takeoff attempts, but due to high altitude lake, and dead calm conditions, he was unable to get on the step. We were not heavily loaded, but still concerned about our takeoff performance on the calm water. We taxied out to the main arm of the lake, behind the other 2 aircraft. The C185 began his takeoff run as I turned up lake, and cleared my path. The glastar was in front of me, and I think he blocked my view of a boat. The glastar began his run, and I followed. I veered left early in the takeoff run to take advantage of the wakes left by the other 2 aircraft. With the nose up, I couldn't see forward for about 30 seconds or more, instead looked out the left front as I am accustomed to flying a side-by-side aircraft, and that was the way I was initially turning. As the nose began to come down, I caught a flash out of the corner of my eye to the right. I asked the guy in the back seat what it was. He looked back and saw a fishing boat with 2 very unhappy people in it. No contact was made with the boat or its occupants, fortunately, but lots of adrenaline flowed. I think one of the aircraft in front of me blocked my view of the boat when I originally cleared my takeoff path. When I veered to the left, had I looked out the right window, I probably would have seen the boat and given it a wide berth. Habit of flying a side-by-side aircraft prevented me from doing that. The cub is actually a safer aircraft on water because of its relatively better visibility than a side-by-side confign. I just wasn't smart enough to take advantage of it because of prior experience -- habit patterns.

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Original NASA ASRS Text

Title: PLT OF A PIPER PA18 JUST MISSED COLLIDING WITH A BOAT DURING TKOF RUN ON A CANADIAN LAKE DUE TO THE RPTR'S FORWARD VISION BEING BLOCKED BY THE ACFT'S HIGH NOSE ATTITUDE.

Narrative: 3 ACFT DEPARTING AT THE SAME TIME, A COMMERCIAL C185, AN EXPERIMENTAL GLASTAR, AND US. WE HAD WITNESSED A C185 MAKE SEVERAL TKOF ATTEMPTS, BUT DUE TO HIGH ALT LAKE, AND DEAD CALM CONDITIONS, HE WAS UNABLE TO GET ON THE STEP. WE WERE NOT HEAVILY LOADED, BUT STILL CONCERNED ABOUT OUR TKOF PERFORMANCE ON THE CALM WATER. WE TAXIED OUT TO THE MAIN ARM OF THE LAKE, BEHIND THE OTHER 2 ACFT. THE C185 BEGAN HIS TKOF RUN AS I TURNED UP LAKE, AND CLRED MY PATH. THE GLASTAR WAS IN FRONT OF ME, AND I THINK HE BLOCKED MY VIEW OF A BOAT. THE GLASTAR BEGAN HIS RUN, AND I FOLLOWED. I VEERED L EARLY IN THE TKOF RUN TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE WAKES LEFT BY THE OTHER 2 ACFT. WITH THE NOSE UP, I COULDN'T SEE FORWARD FOR ABOUT 30 SECONDS OR MORE, INSTEAD LOOKED OUT THE L FRONT AS I AM ACCUSTOMED TO FLYING A SIDE-BY-SIDE ACFT, AND THAT WAS THE WAY I WAS INITIALLY TURNING. AS THE NOSE BEGAN TO COME DOWN, I CAUGHT A FLASH OUT OF THE CORNER OF MY EYE TO THE R. I ASKED THE GUY IN THE BACK SEAT WHAT IT WAS. HE LOOKED BACK AND SAW A FISHING BOAT WITH 2 VERY UNHAPPY PEOPLE IN IT. NO CONTACT WAS MADE WITH THE BOAT OR ITS OCCUPANTS, FORTUNATELY, BUT LOTS OF ADRENALINE FLOWED. I THINK ONE OF THE ACFT IN FRONT OF ME BLOCKED MY VIEW OF THE BOAT WHEN I ORIGINALLY CLRED MY TKOF PATH. WHEN I VEERED TO THE L, HAD I LOOKED OUT THE R WINDOW, I PROBABLY WOULD HAVE SEEN THE BOAT AND GIVEN IT A WIDE BERTH. HABIT OF FLYING A SIDE-BY-SIDE ACFT PREVENTED ME FROM DOING THAT. THE CUB IS ACTUALLY A SAFER ACFT ON WATER BECAUSE OF ITS RELATIVELY BETTER VISIBILITY THAN A SIDE-BY-SIDE CONFIGN. I JUST WASN'T SMART ENOUGH TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF IT BECAUSE OF PRIOR EXPERIENCE -- HABIT PATTERNS.

Data retrieved from NASA's ASRS site as of July 2007 and automatically converted to unabbreviated mixed upper/lowercase text. This report is for informational purposes with no guarantee of accuracy. See NASA's ASRS site for official report.