Floatplanes in Alaska/Canada

[Scuzi]

I have been thinking about flying a floatplane in Alaska/Canada and I have a few questions.
If I have a JAR PPL, will I need to follow any procedure to make it valid to fly in Alaska/Canada? Would I be correct in saying that I will need a 'Float Rating' and if so what does this involve? Finally, are there any people who specialise in taking people from the UK, getting them their float rating and letting them fly a few hours? I don't plan on going for too long, between seven and ten days - providing this will be long enough to complete any training necessary.

Any advice is greatly appreciated.

Thanks :ok:

[Gertrude the Wombat]

I'm booked in for some training with Keith Fraser in August. Google will find him for you.

If you find someone who's got a Beaver insured for training do let me know ...

[willbav8r]

As I understand it, you can find plenty of places to get a sign off. As for renting and flying a float solo........likely to be tough to find.

I want to get the rating myself, although in the slightly warmer climes of Arizona.

Blue skies.

[aspinwing]

Try these guys.

http://www.norairflight.com/float_adventures.html (Floats)

Forget about Arizona, you will find it plenty warm enough here in July and August. +31 today. :cool:

Let me know if you need help. And NO, I don't work for them.:rolleyes:

[nonradio]

Scuzi - flying off water is a bally good wheeze!
try this: www.seaplanes.org

[Justiciar]

Has anyone tried Caledonian Seaplanes on Loch Earn in Scotland?

I believe that they are the only people in the UK you can get your SEP(Sea) rating from.

[Scuzi]

Thank you everyone for your help, I'm going to try to organise something for this summer or maybe next.

Has anyone tried Caledonian Seaplanes on Loch Earn in Scotland?

This sounds like a good idea, certainly going to be much cheaper than going over the Atlantic! I'll look into this.

Thanks.

[Circuit Basher]

If all goes well, I'll be flying over them tomorrow morning - I would offer to drop in and see them, but the wheels might get wet!!!

[LowNSlow]

Find Caledonian Seaplanes here (http://www.caledonianseaplanes.co.uk)

[Hen Ddraig]

Even with the travel it could be cheaper in Canada
Rental rates a very low in comparison to the UK
Try this link www.copanational.org/non-members/LearntoFly
A Canadian validation of a JAR PPL takes about 30 min and costs $CDN45 at the local Transport Canada office.

Time to spare. Go by Air.

[ratsarrse]

On my list of things to do one day...

Seaplane rating in British Columbia - great scenery, great wildlife, challenging flying. I'm not knocking Scotland in any way, but I'm sure it would be much more of an adventure going to BC.

Enjoy whatever you decide to do. Now where's the smiley for 'green with envy?';)

[willbav8r]

I suppose with BC just up the road (sort of) I would be silly not to go. Always hear great things about the place.

[FormationFlyer]

I did my UK Seaplane rating with Caledonian Seaplanes last August....I am very happy and will be back next year for some more fun. In addition to seaplane you will do some mountain flying too - very useful, very instresting - plenty of fun. and @ 140/hr its not expensive either - with plenty of very cheap accomodation around the whole area - we were in chalets only 15mins away for a very small sum....much much cheaper and quicker than a flight to the other side of the atlantic.

[Vedeneyev]

Last month I went to Air Hart Aviation (http://www.air-hart.com) in Kelowna, BC to do exactly what your planning - and one of the very very few places I found that lets you hire solo once you've got the rating. See my thread (http://www.pprune.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=77206) .

All you need to do is take your JAA/CAA license to a Transport Canada office with your medical and passport, pay them CAD40, get a temporary Canadian license (valid for 30 days I think and not renewable within the next year), do 5hrs dual and 1hr solo, go backk to the Transport Canada office, pay them CAD30 to get your temporary license endorsed with the Float Rating, go do as much solo time as you want within the remaining ~30days, come back to UK, sit Seamanship exam (details in LASORS), pay UK CAA for seaplane rating and hey presto you're fully signed up! Simple eh? The usual simple unbureaucratic procedure!

[MLS-12D]

I just got back from a week's vacation, which my wife and I spent at Elmhirst's Resort (http://www.elmhirst.com/), in southern Ontario's 'cottage country'. It had been recommended to us by a pilot friend (and his wife) as a nice place to obtain a seaplane rating in a relaxed environment equally hospitable to non-flying spouses. We found that to be accurate.

The accomodations were great, and the prices reasonable: C$1,099 (about £446) for the flying (http://www.elmhirst.com/air.php) (six hours dual, one hour solo), and C$1,282 (about £520) for the "deluxe cottage" (http://www.elmhirst.com/selfcater.html) (located 20 seconds' walk away from the floatplanes, and 30 seconds' walk away from the grass airstrip). The airplane used for training was a PA-12, which seemed to be in good condition and was fun to fly. Training typically began (with float pumping!) about 0730 and was finished by about 1000, leaving us with the better part of the day to spend together.

Recommended! :ok:

[Captain Mayday]

Well .... where to start ? I've had a shot of both, Canada and Scotland.

Went to Alberta last year and did the Canadian Float Rating. Like Vedeneyev says, you can get a Temporary Canadian Licence (actually valid for 6mths) and after passing the course (no written exams required) get the Canadian Float endorsement.

However, I think you will find it impossible to rent any floatplane unless you have AT LEAST 50 hrs of float time. They will at least let you do the hour solo - which is brilliant !!

I flew at Cooking Lake with Allison Air (http://www.allisonair.com/ ) and can recommend them. No mountain flying or anything like that - just lots of splash and goes in a Super Cub.

And got to go solo at the end. Did help that I was staying with friends nearby as Edmonton is pretty flat. But you can drive into Jasper and the Rockies quite easily.

Anyway. Return to Scotlandia and been flying with Marilynn at
Caledonian Seaplanes (http://www.caledonianseaplanes.co.uk) ... way to go.

Don't stress yourself out because, the truth is if you want to fly solo in the UK the only way is to buy your own. Insurance requirements are so heavy that you would prob need aminimum of 50 hrs to be able to rent Marilynns Super Cub. But she is such a good instructress that it is a delight to just fly around and learn in slow time without pressure of exams .....

We've ridge soared with eagles and done loadsd of glassy water practice on Loch Tay - been down to Loch Lomond for lunch and done rough water landings on Loch Earn .. and then had fantastic food and overnight stays at the Drummond Hotel. And not forgetting the memorable lunches in the Royal Hotel in Comrie.

Ten out of ten.

If I had the time again I'd probably skip Canada and do it all at Loch Earn.

[gasax]

The requirements in Alaska and Canada are pretty different. Canada its 7 hours and an instructor sign-off. Alaska no minimums but a GFT.

Pretty similar however is the near impossibility of solo hire.

I've just come back from a 15 hour course with Parallel Aviation in Victoria and Campbell River last week. Parallel will solo hire only for their professional 50 hour course. I think you'll find Air Hart no longer solo hire due to an accident last year. Shaun Stewart who used to solo hire and train out of Victoria lost his aircraft to a student or hirer and is no longer in business.

So the situation in BC is not very good - however in doing the 15 hour course I didn't find the restriction much of an issue. The scenery and ability to land in some amazing places more than makes up for it. Training at an inland site is fine - but landing in the sea amongst the Discovery islands is something that crowns all the flying I've done. It is just more fun and a greater overall buzz than anything legal deserves to be!

Drop me a line if you're interested.

[david viewing]

I did some LH seat time in a Beaver long ago out of Vancouver BC while visiting logging sites on the Gulf Islands. The sensation of landing at Vancouver and taxying right up to the downtown to tie up is very hard to beat!

But you can see why 50 Hrs is a good idea, because the jetty on the Islands is invariably at the head of an inlet and so you have a one-way landing where you have to have enough, but not too much, inertia to coast to the jetty without hitting it or drifting away.

I never did work out how they managed to avoid the innumerable logs that float invisibly all along that coast.

[MLS-12D]

In Canada they have to let you do at least some minimal solo flying, as it is legally required:

421.38(1) Seaplane Rating - Requirements

(a) Experience

(i) An applicant for a seaplane rating shall complete a total of 7 hours of seaplane training, including:

(A) a minimum of 5 hours dual instruction, and

(B) a minimum of 5 takeoffs and landings as sole occupant of the aeroplane, except for two crew aircraft, in which case the takeoffs and landings shall be done as pilot-in-command.

(ii) The following exercises shall be included in the seaplane training:

(A) taxiing,

(B) sailing,

(C) docking,

(D) takeoffs,

(E) landings, and

(F) as conditions exist, operations on glassy water, rough water and in crosswind conditions.

(b) Skill

Within the 12 months preceding the date of application for a seaplane rating, an applicant shall have successfully completed a qualifying flight under the supervision of a Transport Canada Inspector or a person qualified in accordance with CAR 425.21(6) by demonstrating the level of skill specified in the Instructor Guide - Seaplane Rating (http://www.tc.gc.ca/civilaviation/general/flttrain/planes/Pubs/TP12668/menu.htm) (TP12668).I did 1.2 hours solo, giving me 10 full-stop circuits. Not much, but better than nothing.

[Vedeneyev]

For info Air Hart (http://www.air-hart.com/) in Kelowna BC as per my last post, will let you rent their C180 solo as soon as you've got your float endorsement (which is 5hrs dual and 1 solo trip). Pack a picninc and your fishing rod and you're away....