De Havilland Canada DHC-3 Otter (N87KA)

What's hanging off the back Alexander?

Antenna?

Probably a rope for docking and mooring, it looks like the same is hanging off the near float. Lots of float plane pilots will have a short rope with a loop on the end hang off the tie down ring on Cessna's for someone on the dock to grab and hold on to.

beautiful photo, Super - 5*

Jim is correct, tie-down ropes. Seeing them dangling reminds me of the heyday of the Oil & Gas industry around the western Gulf of Mexico. We (Paul Fournet Air Svc.) operated a charter fleet of "amphibs" out of KLFT from the 60's to mid 80's where they were used to service the thousands of O&G locations not readily accessible by other means. Many O&G companies had their own. Since canals were usually dug from existing waterways through marsh and woodland areas to drilling sites (so as to float in the drilling rigs), these were perfect for runways. Many times, the "someone on the dock" was the Pilot! A mark of their skill was being able to taxi up toward the dock at just the right speed, cut the engine at just the right time, jump out onto the float, grab the rope, and step onto the dock to tie up with little or no speed left. Until you attained to that, you had better stop short! Then you had to use the OTHER item attached to the float... the PADDLE! And a loaded C-185 (or WORSE the Turbine Beaver!) was no CANOE!!

Charles Fournet - I was there in the "oil & gas" industry during the 70's and 80's... and we used to have one or two visiting Cessna 185 float equipped airplanes per day on the inland barge rigs. Drilling mud companies like Baroid, IMCO and Magcobar had their own airplanes.

You might recognize what is showing in these photos from KLFT-

http://flightaware.com/photos/view/355752-304a96e8867423778d03d65f28ee044cfb9922db/user/cliff731/sort/votes/page/1

http://flightaware.com/photos/view/355752-a89bbe53f0402ffadc927b91407f02aeb54030ff/user/cliff731/sort/votes/page/1

http://flightaware.com/photos/view/355752-43eacf4d5434f5b3424b0d15e81e1e524a17e763/user/cliff731/sort/votes/page/1

http://flightaware.com/photos/view/355752-e9e86f2c905e954b6d6842449b1ae657fe90cb14/user/cliff731/sort/votes/page/1

http://flightaware.com/photos/view/355752-40dadbb060f63dc0d8ffb6f8e371ae1f5de1e8f7/user/cliff731/sort/votes/page/1

http://flightaware.com/photos/view/355752-332d2348a759e821bddc41820fe1393254b35670/user/cliff731/sort/votes/page/2

Excellent timing! Seen in Daily Newsletter!

Cliff...got more classics for ya including a southern 404