SES

HankHill

New Member
Has anybody completed their seaplane rating?

Where did you do it?

In what aircraft?

Was it as fun as it looks???
 
If you do not have your commercial rating, I suggest you wait. You can do your commercial SES for the same price as the private.
 
Don't mean to change the subject but in addition to seaplanes, how bout glider ratings? Or for that matter anything cool (i.e. DC-3 type, landed on skis, etc.)
 
sbe (a member of this site) completed her SES rating at Brown's Seaplane Basin in Winter Haven, Florida. They fly Piper Cubs.

Maybe she can answer some of your questions in more detail.
 
HankHill...

Yes. Brown's Seaplane Base in Winter Haven, FL (about a 40 minute drive SW of Orlando). Flew the J3 (Cub).

To answer your last question simply: yes. To go into more detail: it was the most fun weekend I think I've had in my entire life! I was in MCO for a convention, and had a chance to stay at a timeshare through the weekend at no cost, so jumped on the opportunity to stay and do my SES.

At the time, the ink was barely dry on my PP-ASEL. I asked my CFI what he thought about me doing it with so few hours, and his only words were: "Go for it! Why wouldn't you?"

It took two days, the first we did about 1.5/2 hrs of ground school then flew, then lunch break, then flew again. I went home and studied (each flight was about 2hrs) then came back the next morning and flew, then went RIGHT into my checkride. In total I got right around 6-7hrs of SES time.

Flying the Cub was a blast - flying one on floats was even more so (picture buzzing along a shoreline looking for gators with the door down, or bobbing quietly in the middle of a lake with a warm breeze while your CFI goes over taxi procedures with you, and you've got your own little slice of heaven).
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I can honestly say it helped my 'stick and rudder' skills immensely - so much of flying that plane and flying floats is simply feel.

Their website is www.gate.net/~seaplane

I recommend them HIGHLY - and in particular, my CFI was great. I will definitely be back for more seaplane flying in the future.

Sarah
 
Sarah, maybe you can answer this question.

What regulations are there as to what bodies of water can be used by seaplanes in the US? Can I land anywhere I want to unless it is specifically prohibited or does it have to be specifically allowed?

A friend of mine (another new pilot) wants to do his seaplane rating here in Germany. But I don't see the point in Germany because I think there is now officially exactly one legal place to land in the whole country (in Hamburg). And even there, there is a defined "runway" because the Germans have decided that it's not legal to just land willy-nilly any direction you want - who cares about the wind anyway?

So in my arrogance, I'm assuming that the regulations in the United States are far less limiting. Am I right?
 
I've been to a swimming place with a float plane landing a few hundred yards away, was fun to watch!. The swimming area was well defined so the pilots saw us, no worry there.

I don't think the regulations are nearly as tough in the US- There are some designated water 'runway' dealies and airports that have water ways... I really don't know.

I do know it'd be fun to get a seaplane rating! I hope to get one after I'm done with my training.
 
secretapproach -

some bodies of water are restricted. You can do two things to find out where it's kosher to land and where it is not - 1) the Seaplane Pilots Association (www.seaplanes.org) puts out an annual waterway directory. 2) is to contact the governing body over that particular waterway (whether it be local, state, federal - you have to research and find out) and ascertain whether it's legal to land there.

I've not seen it, but from what I understand the SPA's directory puts the regulations together from the state, federal, and local levels and lists it all out.

The area I flew in FL was just covered in lakes, some were barely larger than a big pond, some were much bigger. If we landed on one of them, we had to have landed on thirty. On the designated runway deal - you always land as much into the wind as you can. There are telltale signs (wind streaks, glassy water bands...) that tell you which way you'll need to be landing. The nice thing is, there's seldom a need for a crosswind landing unless the lake/landing area is situated in such a way that there is not room to make your landing straight into the wind.

Sarah
 
Arent there a few instrument approaches to some water 'runways'? And isn't there an airport that actually has a water runway even though it's a land airport???

That'd be SO fun to get a SES cert!
 
Yeah, theres some instrument approaches to waterways up in New Hampshire (if I remember right), but I can't remember which exact ones...

I've been toying around with the idea of going to get my SES, but my hesitation is that I'll probably never use it. Then again, whats another $1000 on top of all my other loans?
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Sarah,

I have looked into John Browns seaplane base. It seams to be one of the classic seaplane training outfits.

I was in Florida last year on business; I tried to contact them but always got the machine. They never returned my calls; I guess they were too busy. Maybe next time.

Thanks for the info.

Did anyone read this month’s Private Pilot magazine? The special seaplane edition. It has some great articles. Warning: Read at your own risk, It will make your office job seam much worse.
 
That's too bad they didn't get back to you...that is weird. I emailed them when I was first considering doing my SES, about 4-5 weeks before I was headed to FL, and they emailed me back sometime the next day and gave me a specific person to talk to (can't remember the name). About a week later when I decided for sure to do it, I called the woman and gave them my deposit.

She wasn't there when I did my SES, it was Jon Brown's (the owner) wife and daughter working in the office.

If anyone has the chance and the extra $ - I highly recommend it - I can't stress enough how much of a blast it was!
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It's always cool when you can find neat new things to do to add hours to your TT...

I don't get Private Pilot. I'll definitely have to go buy that issue!

Sarah
 
Hello all!
I have just put a deposit down for a seaplane rating at www.alaskafloatratings.com. I haven't bought the airline tickets yet, but once I do that it will be a definite thing. Its for June. I'm from NYC, so this a bit of a stretch for me, but i want to see Alaska and improve my stick and rudder skills and this seems like an awesome way to do it. This post has helped. I hope all who have experiences continue to relate. Hey Buzo, if you know anything about this place please post. Everything I heard about it was good, I actually read about it in the AOPA magazine. Who knows, maybe this city boy will end up a bush pilot or in the Iditarod air force or something.

regards to all,

Louie
 
Louie - that sounds incredible.

Be sure to tell us about it when you get back, okay? And of course we'll want photos, too...
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