[fatcontroller]

I spent this week doing the seaplane rating course at Aero Club Como, Italy. It was great fun and I highly recommend it.

Here's a short video of my experience.

[Cub]

Looks great. How much? How long?

[fatcontroller]

7 hours dual, plus a 1-hour skills test, over four days.

Cost was about 2400 EUR.

[TezTheFez]

Wow Amazing - It's something I need to do next year - Did you do the maritime exam at Gatwick before you went? or have yet to do?

Tez

[Paul_Sengupta]

Couple of questions...

If you do some training in the US or Canada, does it count for anything here? What if you do the whole rating, can it be "converted"?

Do water take-offs and landings count towards your 12 in a year, or 90 day currency? What about the other way round, what do you need to do to keep your floatplane thing (rating?) valid and/or take passengers?

[SteveC]

Following a law change that I had made the rating is re validated as part of the SEP Class rather than as a seperate class the same as it was under JAA.

This means you need to meet the SEP Land requirements plus 12 take off and landings on water to keep both classes current. I keep mine current by flying at Jack Browns or at Como.

You used to be able to convert an ICAO rating onto an JAR licence by ensuring you met the JAR training requirements as part of the ICAO training and taking either the PPL exams with an approved school or the CPL exams at Gariwick.

Now you have to do a skill test with a Seaplane examiner as well as taking the exams. There are currently only about three of us in the UK who can do this test for you.

[Gertie]

With a long enough lake you can do the 12 take-offs and landings in a single circuit ...

[MichaelJP59]

This sounds like great fun - is there anywhere you can use the rating in the UK? i.e. renting and flying a seaplane?

[riverrock]

You can rent and fly at Prestwick via the owner of G-DRAM. Last I heard was that G-DRAM is currently the only hire-able aircraft for a sea-plane rating in the UK. Hamish's details are on this website (haven't checked if they are current): http://www.freescotland.com/scotia/

[CubLife]

NFC in Weston (Dublin, Ireland) do the Seaplane rating and have a Cessna 172 Amphibian @ €285 Dual per hour or €255 solo

http://www.nfc.ie/en/content/flight-tra ... ating/1075

[MichaelJP59]

You can rent and fly at Prestwick via the owner of G-DRAM. Last I heard was that G-DRAM is currently the only hire-able aircraft for a sea-plane rating in the UK. Hamish's details are on this website (haven't checked if they are current): http://www.freescotland.com/scotia/

Seaplane in Scotland sounds like an adventure, is it possible to land on the Lochs themselves?

Also I quite fancy re-creating the opening of this renowned British movie:-

http://www.tcm.com/mediaroom/video/279567/Wicker-Man-The-Movie-Clip-Open-Low-Country.html

(Hopefully the locals will be friendlier as I don't want to recreate the ending!!)

[riverrock]

I've not done the rating so my knowledge is from a back seat...
You can land on almost all fresh water lochs in Scotland, depending on size, depth etc. Lomand (I believe) is speed restricted so forms an exception (90km/h is the max over most of it which is slower than the stall speed...).
This is unlike England in which you need permission from every lake owner - much easier in Scotland.

DRAM isn't normally allowed on salt water due to aluminium not liking it but talk to Hamish.
Just been reading the sorry tale of G-AXZN - in 1973, successful landing after engine failure in a field near Biggin Hill but left out overnight, local vandals set fire to it .