Float Rating in SA

[mmrassi]

Hi,
Does anybody know where can I get my float rating in South Africa?
Any Float plane operators?

[Africanair]

SA legislation hinders the use of water born aviation, there might be two or three machines in the whole country, and I have never heard of any flying school offering this training.

Try Canada

[cavortingcheetah]

I would suggest that you drop a line to Scully Levine and ask him if he has any contacts. I think you had better have a look at what he has done for the furtherance of low water flying though, before you write to him. This is information you can find on the internet. If you simply write straight out of the blue with an enquiry about float flying, I am afraid that he might think you were extracting the juice.
Africanair is right about Canada as far as I can determine although I believe that there is a float plane operator in the UK, lots of competition for places I should think. New Zealand springs to mind but it is a while since I last flew there and am not up to speed on the place anymore.

[ppragman]

@Africanair

Why is that?

[kleintjie]

the story goes that the CAA got a little anti-float flying with reports of it (float flying) spreading water-born weeds and pests...

[cavortingcheetah]

That will no doubt be part of the connective tissue between the Hartebeeste dam and the Vaal dam, the history of which with the weed goes back many years.

[mmrassi]

Thanks for replies
One question,
If I pass through the course in canada, how can I forward this rating to my SACPL?

[cavortingcheetah]

I think you should ask SA CAA about that before you even pay a deposit on a course. If there is no SA aircraft on floats on the SA register then I doubt it but you could perhaps come to some arrangement with them before you splashed out a bundle on a Canadian trip. I imagine that the 'rating' would be a float plane rating and not relative to specific type?

[Krapula]

Maybe you would like to try Como in Italy.

Aero Club Como Web site > Home (http://www.aeroclubcomo.com)

Cheers

[BadPony]

You might want to give Sydney Float Planes a look, find them on the net. The training will be cheaper than going to Canada and often result in obtaining a few more hours as part of the endorsement. They also have a CASA (CAA) designated examiner on board so he should be able to answer your questions concerning getting your endorsement recognized on the SA licence.

They train you up on the beaver and C208.

All the best

[Africanair]

mmrassi, why you looking at SA for float work, the last commercial opperation in SA using floats was a caravan from Cape Town harbour about 10 years ago, I think it went to Mozambique, don't think it's there any more.

It's a pity as we have many large dams and lagoons that you could fly off.

[Chuck Ellsworth]

In 1998 and 1999 I did several PBY type ratings in South Africa flying both out of Lanseria and Cape Town.

We used several of the dams in each place and had no problem getting permission.

The last guy I type rated was Glen Dell who now fly's for Red Bull Air Racing.