floatplane canada

[liftman]

Hi guys,

I am A JAA commercial pilot float rated. Next summer planed a trip to Canada for advanced float course and possibly to travel in the country.

Any sujjestion about a GOOD float school? do you know any organization where to make an advanced course toghether with renting the plane and travelling?

Thanks for Help

Liftman

[Jan Olieslagers]

My apologies for not offering any kind of answer, but at the contrary adding a question: must I read between the lines that, in your opinion, the club in Como can offer only basic training? I had understood they were one of the better places in Europe to learn aqua-err-hydro-err-waterflying?

[liftman]

...Absolutely not!!! Como is beautiful I did there my float rating and their advanced course. Really professional and good guys lovely to fly there! The problem is that I am very far from them, and also aircraft rate is high compared to Canadian or USA one ( I am sure you know this is the big problem in Europe)

So basicly My thought was to ben in Canada for vacations, doing one of the so called float-bush course ( around 50 hours) in a relatively small period of time and meanwhile if possible to see the country.

Maybe, hopefully, also getting bases for a possible future job ( who knows?) since in europe there are very few floatplanes.

Anyway I can reccomend Como to anyone, anyone interested can contact me I will pass contacts for the Chief training, really really a good guy!!

[Alan_D]

I did some float training with these people - who were VERY good:
Lake Country Airways: floatplane training, endorsements, float charters and rentals (http://www.lakecountryairways.ca/)

[custardpsc]

I was a customer of Pacific Rim avaiation in Pitt Meadows, Vancouver, did my initial float rating with them and went back for recurrency a couple of years later . Believe they have now advanced training options for float. The owner is a good guy and the place is spotless and well run. Worth a look.

[Pilot DAR]

Yes, as AlanD, I also recommend Lake Country Airways. I have done flight training with them, and they are excellent! Excellent scenery, though no mountains, but then no unpredictable mountain weather either!

[Mark 1]

You'll probably find solo rental of a float plane virtually a non-starter, mainly due to insurance.

Possibly someone will sell you one and agree to buy it back if you don't break it!

Hull insurance can be very expensive for the inexperienced from what I've heard.

[liftman]

thanks to all! Checked with school sujjested.

Anyone knows one of these schools?

Air-Hart aviation floatplane training, seaplane training, Kelowna, rBitish Columbia, Canada.f light training in Kelowna B.C. Canada, flight schools, seaplane, floatplane training | Air-Hart - Aviation, Kelowna B.C., Canada (http://www.air-hart.com/training/)

islandcoastaviation Home (http://islandcoastalaviation.com/)

kenmore air Kenmore Air - Flight Instruction (http://www.kenmoreair.com/company/FlightInstruction/)

[Pilot DAR]

Though Mark1 has a point, it's not quite as absolute as that. I believe that Lake Country will conditionally rent solo.

Consider that it's not so much the cost to insure the inexperienced floatplane pilot because of the plane itself, but rather the much more variable conditions into which that pilot could land the plane, and places, (which are very certainly not airports), where the plane could be left stranded. The skill to fly the plane is reasonably basic, it's knowing where to NOT try to land or takeoff, which requires the experience. Therefore, as long as the trained pilot is mentored to land at only selected places for their early stages, it can be safely done.

Another amusing problem is that you can fly over an appealing lake, check it out, and land into it perfectly fine. But then when you plan your takeoff, that arm or bay which looked long enough from above, now really does not. It is surprisingly easy to get "lost" on the lake you just landed on, in that you can't figure out where the best departure path is. Often where you land, and where you takeoff will not be the same place on the lake.

A lake I was trained in decades ago in a C 180, was "S" shaped, such that when you started your takeoff run, you could not see the part of the lake where you'd leave the water, it was around the corner. And, that lake was only 1300 feet long. I flew over it in the amphibian last summer, and shuddered at the thought of trying to takeoff in there! Perhaps the wisdom of age!

[liftman]

ok guys thanks to all, just to specify I am already float rated, with about 150 hours on float.

Anyway I would like to make a bush course for more specialising, the best would be being trained while "travelling", so basicly it will not be solo flights.

I f you know school that could do this please let me know.

Cheers