Notes of a Seaplane Instructor: An Instructional Guide to Seaplane Flying

By Burke Mees

Notes of a Seaplane Instructor is a distillation of all the tips, techniques and procedures of a veteran flyer and teacher, in an accessible and informative format. Author Burke Mees has an affinity for the feel of the floats on the water and how to communicate it in writing, as well as a sensible, professional approach which lends a truly one-on-one aspect to reading his book.

All the seaplane maneuvers are covered, starting with preflight, proceeding through taxiing, takeoff, landing, and postflight procedures; also operating in various water conditions, stability of the aircraft on the water, step-taxi and -turn, and much more. Many illustrations, taken from and inspired by the author's own original flight instruction notebook sketches, help to further explain the concepts. In this new second edition, Burke provides even more notes on technique and performance particular to the world of floatplanes, with a special emphasis on safety and the best kind of pilot decision-making processes that keep seaplanes flying. The Second Edition also features an added chapter on multi-engine seaplane flying, and an appendix with notes on pumping the floats and ropes and splicing.

What is it like to fly single-engine float planes? How do pilots develop and then hone their water-flying skills? What techniques apply to both landplanes and seaplanes, and which ones belong in only one realm? The answers to these questions comprise a unique approach to seaplane flying, in a book that reveals what floatplane mastery is really all about. Notes of a Seaplane Instructor offers insights to all pilots, from already-rated seaplane pilots to those looking to experience the benefits and pleasures of seaplane flying for the first time.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Aviation Supplies & Academics, Inc.
• Release date: Jan 1, 2005
• ISBN: 9781644251256

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Notes of a Seaplane Instructor: An Instructional Guide to Seaplane Flying

Second Edition

by Burke Mees

Aviation Supplies & Academics, Inc.

7005 132nd Place SE

Newcastle, Washington 98059

[e-mail] | 425-235-1500 | asa2fly.com

Copyright © 2021 Aviation Supplies & Academics, Inc.

Softcover edition published 2005 by Aviation Supplies & Academics, Inc.

All Rights Reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopy, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the copyright holder. While every precaution has been taken in the preparation of this book, the publisher and Burke Mees assume no responsibility for damages resulting from the use of the information contained herein.

None of the material in this book supersedes any operational documents or procedures issued by the Federal Aviation Administration, aircraft and avionics manufacturers, flight schools, or the operators of aircraft.

Photography credits (pages refer to softcover format): Illustrations by Mayumi Thompson based on photographs by Burke Mees, pp. 1, 5, 95, 135, 145, 181; by Virgil Peachy, pp. 47, 117; by Gregg Munro of Kenmore Air Harbor, pp. 9, 19, 25, 31, 57, 63, 123, 165; by Joe Finelli, p. 159; and by Pete Devaris, Alaskan bush pilot for Alaska Coastal Airlines, p. 171. Cover illustration by Mayumi Thompson, with Cessna airplane image based on a photograph by Marin Faure. Charts on p. 167 courtesy of Peninsula Airways. Photos are copyright of their owners and are used with permission. Special thanks to John Gowey, Bob Reinaker, Terry Smith, Bill Kalbrener, and many others who spent time reviewing this material and providing comments.

ASA-NSI-2-EB

ISBN 978-1-64425-125-6

Additional formats available:

Softcover ISBN 978-1-56027-558-9

Kindle ISBN 978-1-64425-126-3

eBook PDF ISBN 978-1-64425-127-0

To Jim Mees, and Rob and Karen Davids who made this book possible.

Foreword

by Bob Reinaker

The air taxi I was working for was gearing up for the summer season. I had been flying C206s and C185s on wheels for a couple of months and riding around with the experienced float pilots when I had a chance. I had 35 hours or so of float time bought and paid for from various operations giving float instruction in the Lower 48. After an hour checkout in the C185 amphibian, I remember the chief pilot tossing me the keys and saying, Go practice 10 hours and if you flip it don’t come back. He figured I was ready to learn.

Scraping paint, wrinkling float skins and denting wingtips, may unfortunately be the price some have to pay to become a pro at seaplane flying. Getting your feet wet has a literal meaning when it comes to learning the nuances of flying seaplanes.

Times may have changed a bit. Maybe the keys to expensive airplanes don’t get tossed so easily these days, but the seaplane pilot still has to pay attention for any tidbit of advice he can pick up. Rarely does he have a neat approach plate or an enroute chart with runway lengths, critical altitudes, descent rates or obstruction heights figured on it. However, there is usually somebody out there who can tell you where that submerged log is, why it’s better to land up current at a particular bend in the river or why you should pump the floats at the end of the day if overnight temperature might fall below freezing.

Many of these tips have been learned the hard way. That pilot discovered the submerged log when he landed too long after he misjudged the wind. Or the last time he landed at that particular spot on the river he landed down current but couldn’t turn quick enough to avoid passing downstream into the shallow water. Or the time he didn’t pump the floats at the end of the day and tried to take off the next frosty morning with an unwanted, additional cargo of ice in the float compartments.

As the title suggests, the book is based on notes acquired by Burke during his years instructing and flying air taxi. It is loaded with tips and advice acquired by actual experience. Not only does Burke cover the information that any new float student needs to know, but he goes beyond the basics. He offers bits of advice, procedures learned operating in different environments: high altitude lakes, river currents, ice and snow. The book is full of hard-won knowledge that any seaplane pilot, novice or veteran, can learn from. I wish I had this book back when I was learning to fly seaplanes. I could have avoided getting my feet wet a few times.

Introduction

In the early 1990s I put some time and effort into developing a seaplane course. I continually refined it for almost three years, and when I left that job after teaching 56 people to fly floats, I decided to put the course down on paper. The first version of this book evolved from the notes I kept during that time, and it contained what I had found to be the most readily under- stood explanations, as well as some of the diagrams that I had repeatedly sketched for my students. After that, I went on to fly seaplanes commercially year round in Southeast Alaska and the Aleutian Islands, continuing to do some instructing in the capacity of a check airman. The insights I gained during those years made their way into subsequent versions of the book. At first the book was self published and sold on a small scale, and in 1997 ASA published it. I revised it once more in 2004, bringing it to its present form.

This book has two parts. The first describes the basic maneuvers involved in getting a seaplane rating, and the second contains additional topics that I have found relevant in the course of my commercial flying. The book is intended to function both as a textbook for the first time seaplane student, and as a reference for the already-rated seaplane pilot. It describes floatplanes only; monohull seaplanes differ considerably and are not treated here.

Seaplane flying is a demanding and rewarding endeavor that is like no other kind of flying. Seaplanes provide access to some great places, and mastering them and their environment is an enjoyable process. To that end, I hope you find this book informative. Best wishes in all your flying.

Burke Mees

January 2005

1 Preflight

Since every flight begins with a preflight, this is a suitable topic to begin with. The preflight is usually conducted with the airplane floating in the water, tied to a dock. Look at all the same items you are used to in preflight on a landplane, plus a few additional ones that have to do with the floats. To do a thorough preflight, you may have to turn the seaplane to position the wing or tail over the dock for inspection, as these parts may be over the water.

The floats are generally constructed of thin aluminum skin with a steel keel running their entire length along the bottom. The aluminum skin is delicate and should be inspected for damage.

The floats themselves are divided into several independent compartments, so that if a float is punctured, the water taken in will be contained to one compartment and not flood the entire float. While floats in good condition will take on little or no water at rest, it is normal for them to take in some water during takeoff and landing when they flex and high water pressure pushes some water through the seams.

Each float compartment has a pumpout fitting built into it. Part of the preflight involves removing the plug from this fitting, inserting a bilge pump, and emptying each compartment of any water that has collected in it. These compartments and pumpout fittings are shown in Figure 1.

Figure 1. Line diagram of a floatplane

The floats are connected to the fuselage by struts, and connected to each other by spreader bars. This arrangement provides for strength, but is not inherently rigid. To maintain the alignment of the floats, the seaplane depends on two sets of flying wires that go between the struts. These should be looked at during the preflight to make sure they are tight. The front set of wires can be seen in Figure 1. All the attach points of the float struts and flying wires should be inspected for cracks and secure bolts.

At the rear of the floats are water rudders. These can be lowered into the water while taxiing at low speeds to help steer the seaplane, and should be retracted out of the water for takeoff and landing. They are connected to the air rudder by cables, such that they deflect in the same direction as the air rudder in response to pedal input. The cables go through several guides and pulleys; these should be checked to make sure that nothing will cause the cables to bind. While water rudders are not essential to safe flight, if the rudder cables bind, they can cause the air rudder to bind.

There is another cable used to retract the water rudders from their spring-loaded down position. This cable goes to the cockpit, and retracting the water rudders usually involves pulling this cable up and hooking it onto a bracket mounted on the panel. All water rudder cables are shown on Figure 1.

There will most likely be a paddle attached to the inside of one of the floats. Make sure it is secure and will not come off in flight. Also note how it detaches should you want to use it later. The paddle can be useful in everyday operations, such as docking, positioning the plane for engine starting, or maneuvering the plane through shallow areas.

The tail section deserves special attention in the preflight. The rudder and elevator are routinely innundated with water during takeoff and landing, which causes accelerated wear of hinge bushings and trim tab hinges.

Also during the preflight, take a look at the outboard leading edge of the propeller. Unless it has been recently dressed, it will have some nicks that resemble gravel damage. This is from water spray. Spray that is splashed up from the floats into the propeller arc causes nicks in the propeller in the same way gravel does. There will be several pointers throughout this book about how to avoid spray damage. No matter how careful you are, a little spray damage cannot be avoided. In the preflight, check the propeller for these nicks. Any large nicks should be filed down immediately, and it is good practice to have the prop dressed often since this spray damage snowballs; the more there is, the faster it accumulates.

2 Taxi

After looking the airplane over, you can turn your attention to starting the engine, which requires a certain amount of planning. Unlike a landplane, a seaplane will begin moving once the engine is started, so you must plan your taxi path prior to engine start. Sometimes you will have the opportunity to start the airplane at rest, while someone on the dock holds the tail, or while the sterns of the floats rest on a sandy beach. Take advantage of this if you can; however, if help is not available you may have to cast the seaplane adrift as you climb in to get it started. In this case, the seaplane will not sit still while you get around to starting it. As soon as it is cast adrift, it will weathervane into the wind and drift backwards with the wind. If this takes you out towards the middle of the lake away from any obstructions, then you can proceed unhurried. On the other hand, if it drifts you towards an inhospitable area, you will be under pressure to get in and get the engine started quickly.

Before pushing off, study the wind and terrain to figure out which way the airplane will drift, and plan how you will get in and get started without running into anything. As a habit, wait to get buckled in until the engine is started and the