Flying Experience: Seaplane Training
Some time ago, I resolved to periodically undertake interesting flying endeavors that will expand and diversify my piloting skillset. For those of us who love both flying and challenges, that’s not a tough sell. Last year’s endeavors were a multi-engine commercial add-on, a tailwheel endorsement, and flying laps around Lady Liberty in the Hudson River Exclusion. I decided that 2025’s activities should include adding commercial seaplane to my pilot certificate. When my wife and I decided to move to Florida from Boston, I realized that Florida hosts a rather robust seaplane community—and one of (if not the) most prominent seaplane training bases. So I set a date at Jack Brown’s Seaplane Base. It didn’t disappoint.
Training was a two-day affair. Day one involved morning ground school and two flights. Jack Brown’s has assembled an excellent study guide over the years, which they supply beforehand. The FAA also publishes a Seaplane and Skiplane flying handbook (FAA-H-8083-23). I arrived well-studied, and my instructor (Sean Swift) efficiently administered the ground training. We covered all aspects of water handling and flight unique to seaplanes: namely, taxiing, takeoff, and landing and the associated techniques, physics, concerns, and limitations. On to flight!
This was my first seaplane flying experience. It was also my first flight in a Super Cub or a tube-and-rag airplane of any type. I’m really not sure what pilot didn’t grow up thinking that a Cub or Super Cub is a quintessential airplane. I sure did. My excitement to fly a PA-18 was substantial.
Flight training started with a thorough preflight inspection. Our Super Cub was beached with nose facing the lake body. There we walked out onto the floats and preflighted the airplane. On water, taxiing begins immediately upon engine start. As soon as the 160hp Lycoming was lit, I dropped the water rudders and we started our first taxiing exercises. After practicing the basic taxi maneuvers to satisfaction, we progressed to flight. Takeoff felt very natural. It’s basically a step taxi (fast taxi on the floats’ step) that stays at full power; eventually, the airplane reaches liftoff speed and takes flight—seemingly all on its own. If the water is glassy or you want to reduce the takeoff run, just apply some left aileron and lift a float out of the water; the huge reduction in drag quickens the ride to takeoff speed. The most notable sensation upon liftoff is the marked, perceivable decrease in drag as the floats free themselves from the water.
Over the course of Day One’s flights, we introduced and practiced all types of takeoffs and landings: normals, rough-water, confined area, and glassy water. Day One featured low winds and textured water—prime “normal” operation water. So the rough and glassy work was essentially simulated. The Winter Haven, FL, area features many seaplane-usable lakes. We took advantage of that, extensively lake-hopping throughout the day to permit repeated iterations of assessing a new landing environment and conditions.
Day Two’s plan was one morning tuneup flight followed by the FAA exam. We arrived before 0800 and were greeted with glassy conditions. It was perfect for actually experiencing one of aviation’s nastier illusions: the black hole that is glassy water. Glassy landings are ideally accomplished by approaching over land onto the water, selecting a spot where you can fly a very low approach over the shore. Using the features on the shore as your last visual reference for the landing. You set your landing pitch attitude and power before crossing that last visual reference. Then you do nothing; just let the airplane fly itself down onto the water gently, maintaining pitch attitude. This is the ideal glassy approach because, when the water is glassy, it affords the pilot zero depth perception. Zero. Instead, the perfect reflection of the sky and surroundings absolutely robs the pilot of any sense of height or speed.
Another fantastic experience is the confined area takeoff. Fixed wing land pilots are very accustomed to operating the airplane in straight lines—especially during a takeoff roll. But a Seaplane confined area takeoff is conducted in a turn. That’s right. When you don’t have much lane available for takeoff and climb, you just make more lane by bending it. If wind exists, you start the takeoff run perpendicular to the wind with a first aim point on the shore. Once the seaplane is on step, the takeoff run can be arced gently toward a second aim point that is into the wind. In the turn, apply some extra aileron input into the turn and, eventually, the outside float lifts off the water. That cuts water drag in half with a corresponding reduction in takeoff run. Liftoff can occur in that turn—a strange and enticing sensation for a pilot previously confined to land planes. After takeoff, that arc is continued close to the shoreline—circling as long as it takes to clear any departure obstacles. Of course, staying over water in the climb keeps you over an emergency landing lane.
The confined area takeoff touches on what might be the most profound difference between flying land planes and seaplanes: When flying seaplanes, the pilot just isn’t confined by infrastructure the way a land pilot is. On water, if the body of water is available for landing, the pilot is free to choose the best takeoff or landing lane available (as long as it is free from traffic and obstructions). It’s like a continuous aeronautical decision making exercise, which is immensely enjoyable.
After a fun morning tuneup flight on Day Two, we returned to the base and reported in for the check ride. Because I am a CFI, the examiner also covered some important items related to instructing in seaplanes (which I am now qualified to do, as a CFI with a commercial single-engine seaplane pilot certificate). All went well, and all of the flying was super fun.
Before the check ride was over, I couldn’t help but blurt out that I love seaplane flying. I do. It is an absolutely beautiful marriage of maritime and air operations. If I can one day find a way to put my seaplane certificate to work, I will. In the meantime, I will probably use it to fuel some of my annual “Flying Experience” projects. I have quite a lot of time logged flying in Maine, so perhaps I’ll find some seaplane adventures up there.
-APA
