I start my seaplane rating this weekend. That is all.
just don't land on any corps of engineer controled water... they kind of frown on planes using their water ways / lakes... a quick way to get a citation from the DNR
Would love to know more.. one of my long term to-do's.. Your plans? smooth rivers and lakes only? choppy ocean and Island hopping?
It's been on my to do list for a decade or more too. Finally said the hell with it, called the local instructor on Wednesday and said "let's do this!". He has a pond in the NorCal foothills that I presume we'll be doing most our training from.
So, 1.8 hours of seaplane training in the log book. The two most profound observations were: the water is a lot firmer on touchdown than I anticipated, and seaplanes have about neutral yaw stability. With the exception of the greaser my instructor did, the landings give you a pretty good jarring. I was expecting more of a pillow like feeling. I guess I should have known better as it feels pretty much like the slap, slap, slap of going through rough/choppy water in a ski boat. The yaw stability was a bit of a challenge for me. The ball was all over the place, and rarely centered. The plane felt like it was on caster wheels with the backend coming around and out of coordinated flight. I'm a Bonanza A36 and CJ3 driver mostly and had become complacent with the "feet on the floor" type flying allowed by those planes rudder/aileron interconnect. I need to practice my stick and ball flying. Other observations: Piper Pacers on floats get tossed around pretty good on hot days in the foothills, but that was too be expected. Being able to land anywhere on a lake (reservoir in this case) and not being confined to a runway is awesome. Both liberating and adds a level of complexity/responsibility at the same time. Seaplanes are most fun landing and taking off, they handle like trucks in the air. The physics/aerodynamics are fascinating. I'm really enjoying reading my training book. But, the physics/aerodynamics of flying in general have always been my favorite part. It's just interesting learning about water handling characteristics which are both similar and completely different than typical air handling characteristics. Looking forward to getting a couple more hours of instruction this weekend.
Just a quick update. 3.8 hours of SES in the log books now. Getting more confident, having lots of fun. I foresee a 182, 185 or 206 on floats in my future.
Cool.. please keep the updates coming.. would love to hear about what it's like, how it compares to your previous flying, what's unique.. oh and post pics!
If you are near the delta try and get some river flying in. Step turns, or even one float turns, along a winding river are a blast. Landings will vary according to the water. Dealing with boat wakes are a b****. Dealing with boats wanting to get a closer look, especially while you are on the step taking off is an even bigger b****. Lots of adventures await. Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login Image Unavailable, Please Login
I'm now a seaplane rated pilot. Work and life got in the way so the training was spread out over 3 months, but we pulled it all together the past few days, and I passed the checkride yesterday. For anyone interested in a seaplane rating and located in or around California, I recommend Foothill Aviation.
