Twheelflyer
Well-Known Member
Anyone have a reccomendation on where to get a sea plane rating? I can't rememeber, but Ithink there is a place in Houston.
sea plane rating
- Thread starter Twheelflyer
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zmiller4
Well-Known Member
I guess you're probably looking for something more towards the east, but I'd *highly* recommend Norcal Aviation in San Andreas, CA. It's up in the Sierra Foothills, which are beautiful, and it's among the cheapest I've seen ($1400 for the whole course including ground, checkride, and study materials). The owner and her business partner are (at least when I went there) both examiners, so scheduling a checkride is a non-issue. And you get to fly out of this place:
Their website is www.norcalaviation.com. The Seaplane Pilot's Association (www.seaplanes.org) also has a pretty comprehensive list of schools available.
Good luck! It's the most fun I've had in an airplane.
Their website is www.norcalaviation.com. The Seaplane Pilot's Association (www.seaplanes.org) also has a pretty comprehensive list of schools available.
Good luck! It's the most fun I've had in an airplane.
That one up in the Sierra foothills looks good. There is also this one, which I pass by almost everyday.
http://www.seaplane.com/
I think that I would like to learn to fly a seaplane and may just do that!
http://www.seaplane.com/
I think that I would like to learn to fly a seaplane and may just do that!
Michael95U
Well-Known Member
I guess you're probably looking for something more towards the east, but I'd *highly* recommend Norcal Aviation in San Andreas, CA. It's up in the Sierra Foothills, which are beautiful, and it's among the cheapest I've seen ($1400 for the whole course including ground, checkride, and study materials). The owner and her business partner are (at least when I went there) both examiners, so scheduling a checkride is a non-issue. And you get to fly out of this place:
Their website is www.norcalaviation.com. The Seaplane Pilot's Association (www.seaplanes.org) also has a pretty comprehensive list of schools available.
Good luck! It's the most fun I've had in an airplane.
That looks unbelievable! I might have to head there for my vacation this summer!
-Michael
Michael95U
Well-Known Member
Rocketman99
Frozen Guppy Manipulator
I'll second the recommendation for Jack Brown's Seaplane base. Incredibly fun two days last summer and not particularly expensive either. I think it may be where Jimmy Buffet got his rating too!
http://jackbrowns.com/
http://jackbrowns.com/
Minnesota_Flyer
New Member
I guess you're probably looking for something more towards the east, but I'd *highly* recommend Norcal Aviation in San Andreas, CA. It's up in the Sierra Foothills, which are beautiful, and it's among the cheapest I've seen ($1400 for the whole course including ground, checkride, and study materials). The owner and her business partner are (at least when I went there) both examiners, so scheduling a checkride is a non-issue. And you get to fly out of this place:
Their website is www.norcalaviation.com. The Seaplane Pilot's Association (www.seaplanes.org) also has a pretty comprehensive list of schools available.
Good luck! It's the most fun I've had in an airplane.
Whew, I had to get away from another heated discussion to somewhere that felt cool and peaceful. Seaplanes make me feel cool and peaceful.
Z, are you rated on the seaplane? I want to investigate it further. I have no interest in a commercial rating, CFI, etc. but I have always felt the lure of seaplanes tugging at me. The perfect day (or date) to me would be to say, "hey, let's fly off of the Bay, fly up, and land on Lake Tahoe, picnic, and end the day landing at sunset by the bridge....that's just one small reason of why I would like to learn to fly a seaplane.
DE727UPS
Well-Known Member
That Norcal pic brings back memories...
I bought Norcals C172N around 98 when it was based at the "cow pond" in that pic. I kept it at my house on the lake near Spokane for a few years but didn't fly it enough so I sold the plane and the house. Still have the floats from that thing.
N4787E, it was.
I bought Norcals C172N around 98 when it was based at the "cow pond" in that pic. I kept it at my house on the lake near Spokane for a few years but didn't fly it enough so I sold the plane and the house. Still have the floats from that thing.
N4787E, it was.
zmiller4
Well-Known Member
I am! I've actually got my commercial single-engine sea (which would actually allow me to instruct in it--what a joke!) and did it through NorCal. It was absolutely a blast. The flying up in the foothills is spectacular.
Hey Z, what do u mean ur allowed to instruct? Dont you need a CFI rating? I have commercial single engine now. If i get my seaplane add-on, am i going to be able to instruct too?
DE727UPS
Well-Known Member
If you have a CFI and get the commercial seaplane rating, it makes you FAA qualified to instruct seaplanes. You'd be hard pressed to get hired as an instructor anywhere, though. It used to be at Kenmore, the path to seaplane CFI included working the "ramp" and being an employee for a while, to include getting your rating through them.
They way I did it was I got an old Aeronca on floats for about 30K in 1996 dollars and set up my own little flying club out of Renton, WA. Forget insurance, nobody will touch it.
They way I did it was I got an old Aeronca on floats for about 30K in 1996 dollars and set up my own little flying club out of Renton, WA. Forget insurance, nobody will touch it.