Seaplane rating FAA/EASA
 

Hi all,

I have an EASA ATPL and attached to it is my SEP (land) rating. I also have an FAA licence that 'Piggy Backs' off my EASA licence. Downroute I decided to do some seaplane flying in the USA. Question is, can I do the SEP (sea) skills test in the USA and then convert it to my EASA license or am I better off doing some training on the cheap and then shooting off to Scotland and doing a skills test there with an EASA approved body instead? Can you even add ratings to an FAA license that piggy backs off of another license?

Second question is about logging seaplane time. EASA states that land and sea class ratings are completely independent, visa vie, one must complete 12hrs in the last 12 months of both land AND sea to stay current even if the type is the same, let's say a C172. How do I differentiate between a C172 with floats and one without? Do you just stick seaplane hours into the 'Other flying' column? I understand that some electronic logbooks have a special box to tick for such an event but I'm old school.

Blue skies

~ S

I believe EASA just changed the requirement from 12 hours in both land- and seaplanes, to just 12 landings each on sea and land, as long as both are done in a SEP. At least that's what happened here in Norway. Hopefully it's an EASA-wide change.

The EASA change is a result of a rule making proposal that I submitted quite some time ago to restore the balance for renewing Sea and Land ratings based on cross experience.

You can't do an FAA seaplane rating and add it to and EASA licence anymore as there is no cross credit. You could usher JAR and was in fact how I gained my original rating. There are only a few of us as Instructors and Examines in Europe that can do the rating for you. You will also need the theory. I can do it, Ontrack can do it and CAA direct and that's your lot.

Como is probably the best place to get everything done now.

Thanks Bose, that's good to know.

Just to be clear though, as an EASA license holder, there's no real benefit, other than maybe the training itself, doing a seaplane rating in America? Even if I did my skills test in America I would still have to go to say Lake Como and do a skills test there as well as sit the theory exam before being able to put it on my licence.

Question - where do you have students sit the theory and upon passing, how long is it valid for before a skills test must be passed?

And if you want MES rating in Europe, you're f**ked. There is no one who can do it. Such a stupid system. Should be obvious to anyone with two brain cells that if you can't do the rating within the system, then they'd better accept it from other ICAO compliant providers...

That's because we don't have an MES rating in Europe. There are no piston ME seaplanes under EASA that I am aware off and anything turbine or big isntype rated.

So if someone wanted to import a Twotter how would they get to be allowed to fly it? Or couldn't they import it in the first place?

Seaplane at Rochester!
 

There is a Husky on floats at Rochester Airport (G-WATR). I believe you can get ratings on it/renew etc. It looks weird taking off on the tiny wheels attached to the floats, but goes off and lands at Medway Marine......

If interested, suggest a mail to [email protected] and I'm sure they would put you in touch.

In EASA land, you'd presumably need a type rating to fly a Twotter as it's a turbine aircraft.

Twotter is a type rating. One that I in fact hold.

So for Twotter substitute Albatross... how would that work?

Is it on the EASA list?

No idea but since it was first built in the 1940s it predates EASA a bit. How do WW2 era aircraft work in general in EASA land? Are there P51s with EASA land registrations? There must surely be SOME piston AMES in Europe?

Here's a rather gushing article about the Aircam from Flyer magazine. It doesn't say anywhere "forget about getting one of these if you live in the UK because there's no way you can get an EASA license to fly it". Should it?

https://www.flyer.co.uk/lockwood-aircam/

Well, there's the Dornier Do-24. Turbine AND multi engine. It's on a German registry, so someone somewhere must be able to sign not only off a MES rating, but a turbine type rating for an aircraft that no else could possibly be certified for. There are no ATO's for these one-off's. Yet, it flies.

And of course there is a MES rating in EASA-land, they just call it MEP (Sea). It's just that it can't be issued by anyone because they're bureaucrats.

A lot of EASA bashing going on with no knowledge to back it up. To get approval for any type or class rating and aircraft in it just needs a course and proposal putting together. I have approvals to train for some quite odd aircraft. As Head of Training, I write a course submit it and gain approval and have gained many unusual approvals this way.

What you have to do is demonstrate that you can meet the required standard and maintain it both in terms of the initial course and ongoing currency. When encountering a new type you have to show a path of enough experience or training on similar aircraft in order to Get an approval. As an Examiner I can then test.

The Do24 is a good example in point, I have many thousand hours in the Do28 ass well as being a seaplane examiner and could put a proposal together to gain appprovsl for training and testing on it. It's already been done on the same basis in Germany.

With a little determination annything is possible.

Bose-X how is the DHC-6 floatplane written on your licence? There is no example in the EASA Type Rating Lists, just curious :O Thanks