Harbour Air - proposed Irish seaplane operator
Join Date: Oct 1999
Location: Ireland
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Actually I do believe there is a market for a floatplane operation in Ireland particularly the west coast. Ignore the C172, they don't even own it. It will be replaced quite quickly. Their route plans are quite optimistic to say the least but there's no harm in that. Realistically they will concentrate on the west coast initially. There is no reason a floatplane operation won't succeed here. It has succeeded elsewhere.
They have been badly delayed by the planning process. The usual suspects lined up with spurious and malicious objections. Believe me I have experience of that in the locality.
But that hurdle has been crossed now so we can expect something in 2011.
I do believe that Galway will be their most productive outpost. It has a lot of tourists and with the Aran Islands and Connemara nearby there is a ready market for scenic tourist flights. Plus there are plenty of lakes and loughs in the west with hotels on the shoreline. Plenty of opportunities for ad hoc charters. But their main base at Mountshannon is in the middle of nowhere. There is no obvious market there.
As for the weather, well despite our reputation for bad weather. My experience with flying VFR year round in Ireland is that while there will be interruptions it's often flyable and safe even in Winter.
I wish them luck, not only that my CV will no doubt join others in their in-tray. Flying floatplanes for a living? I'll have some of that.
They have been badly delayed by the planning process. The usual suspects lined up with spurious and malicious objections. Believe me I have experience of that in the locality.
But that hurdle has been crossed now so we can expect something in 2011. I do believe that Galway will be their most productive outpost. It has a lot of tourists and with the Aran Islands and Connemara nearby there is a ready market for scenic tourist flights. Plus there are plenty of lakes and loughs in the west with hotels on the shoreline. Plenty of opportunities for ad hoc charters. But their main base at Mountshannon is in the middle of nowhere. There is no obvious market there.
As for the weather, well despite our reputation for bad weather. My experience with flying VFR year round in Ireland is that while there will be interruptions it's often flyable and safe even in Winter.
I wish them luck, not only that my CV will no doubt join others in their in-tray. Flying floatplanes for a living? I'll have some of that.
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Yeah, I'm with you on that one, I really think this could work if marketed / planned properly and with the right aircraft.
Floatplanes around Ireland!? Not a bad gig at all... If you could get it.
What kind of $$$$ would a float plane pilot command / get in Ireland?
Floatplanes around Ireland!? Not a bad gig at all... If you could get it.
What kind of $$$$ would a float plane pilot command / get in Ireland?
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Hope you have a lot of float time. A certain Scottish operator required 500 hrs P1 on floats. Pay was very good mind.
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Learjet,
Many interesting and valid points there. And I think your right with about 90% of what you say. But I still believe this could work, given the right a/c.
Many routes, ie cork city centre to dublin city centre, although served by good roads / train, still takes 3-5 hours depending on traffic, time of day, day of week etc!
If you can do point to point in under an hour, surely there is a market there!?
With the right ticket pricing and aircraft, you could be onto a winner!?
my two cents...
Many interesting and valid points there. And I think your right with about 90% of what you say. But I still believe this could work, given the right a/c.
Many routes, ie cork city centre to dublin city centre, although served by good roads / train, still takes 3-5 hours depending on traffic, time of day, day of week etc!
If you can do point to point in under an hour, surely there is a market there!?
With the right ticket pricing and aircraft, you could be onto a winner!?
my two cents...
Originally Posted by Learjet50
Seaplane operators make Money flying Inter-Island NOT over Island.
- if I'm a Cork business person wanting to come to Dublin city centre for a meeting, I can already fly Ryanair (cheap, no choice of schedules), drive (hassle, traffic) or take the train (frequent, straightforward, reasonably comfortable especially if my business pays for first class). For a time-sensitive business passenger the train seems like a good option.
- Against that you're proposing a seaplane service from - oh, I don't know - Tivoli or Blackrock up to Dublin Port? No real improvement in location convenience - I still need to get taxis at both ends - but some time saving, fair enough: say a 1 hour flight rather than a 2.5 hour train journey.
- However, the biggest single problem is that the seaplane is going to be daylight VFR...
- VFR is the first part of this problem. If I have to be up in Dublin for an 0900 meeting, there's not much point in me pitching up to take the 0715 flight only to find that conditions are not VFR and I'll have to get the train instead.
- And "daylight" is the second part of this problem. Sunrise and sunset today in Dublin were 0837 and 1619. (If anyone's curious, Vancouver's official daylight was 37 minutes longer than us today). Even if I run forward a couple of months to March 01 2011, sunrise is 0713 and sunset is 1800. Sunrise is effectively dictating the earliest possible departure time and sunset (minus a margin) the latest feasible arrival. Do you really think it'll be competitive to offer a last departure from Dublin at about 1500 in January and say 1640 in March? (I'm allowing 20 minutes of delay contingency - unless the aircraft is an amphibian which can divert to a real airport, that's likely not enough).
- You're postulating that there is a time-sensitive market segment looking for a faster Cork/Dublin city-centre-to-city-centre journey time than the train (or the plane) can give them today. Fair enough, there may be. But if you are time-sensitive it's because you have to be somewhere at a given time for a meeting or a pitch or an interview or whatever, and that means the alternative needs to be reliable above all. Loch Lomond Seaplanes seem to be doing a good job building up their operation over in Scotland. But even they say, Considering the challenging operating environment of the seaplane customers are advised that if they absolutely, positively have to be somewhere at a particular time perhaps the use of another form of transport should be considered.
With the right ticket pricing and aircraft, you could be onto a winner!?
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Oucchh Cyrano,
Shoot me down in flames why don't ya!? I can dream can't I??
You make some good and valid points, and it certainly won't be an easy task, with heaps of obstacles in the way... But, like I said, rightly or wrongly, I still think it could work... And what's more, I hope it does.
That said, there seems to be very little new word on the situation, and their website still states that they hope to be up and running in 2010!!?
CofL
Shoot me down in flames why don't ya!? I can dream can't I??
You make some good and valid points, and it certainly won't be an easy task, with heaps of obstacles in the way... But, like I said, rightly or wrongly, I still think it could work... And what's more, I hope it does.
That said, there seems to be very little new word on the situation, and their website still states that they hope to be up and running in 2010!!?
CofL
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European Seaplanes at Cardiff Bay?
Seaplane service awaits take-off from the Bay to a lake near you - Business News - Business - WalesOnline
Seaplane service awaits take-off from the Bay to a lake near you - Business News - Business - WalesOnline
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I believe there is a place for seaplane operations in the UK and Ireland.
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Obviously, not wanting to hinder any back and forth between the company and the CAA but I was referring to Lakeland Seaplane Tours which has now comenced full commerical operations in Northern Ireland.
It is refreshing to see an 'airline' not only survive through the current economic situation but also trade in such a unique way and in such an obscure part of the country. First Commercial Seaplane Operation in Ireland!
Those of you who know Steve Powell of the Amphibious Flying Club (by way of previous SES training) will be pleased to learn that this is Steve's company and as well as Chief Pilot for Lakeland Seaplane Tours Steve remains CFI for the Amphibious Flying Club and for SES ratings.
Enjoy!
It is refreshing to see an 'airline' not only survive through the current economic situation but also trade in such a unique way and in such an obscure part of the country. First Commercial Seaplane Operation in Ireland!
Those of you who know Steve Powell of the Amphibious Flying Club (by way of previous SES training) will be pleased to learn that this is Steve's company and as well as Chief Pilot for Lakeland Seaplane Tours Steve remains CFI for the Amphibious Flying Club and for SES ratings.
Enjoy!
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Is there any relationship to the Canadian Harbour Air in Vancouver? What a great little operation that is, flown with them often and will again in a couple of weeks time.