Seaplane heaven

I spent the last week on beautiful Vancouver Island working on my seaplane rating at the Victoria Flying Club. I did this rating partly for fun and partly with the hope that it would lead me to a really cool job once I finish my commercial license.

There isn't much opportunity (if any) in my area to learn to fly floats, which is why I went out to the west coast to do this rating. I set up a week worth of lessons with VFC and hoped that the weather would cooperate and I would get the hang of it during the one week I had out there.

Turned out the weather was stunningly perfect during the four days it took for me to complete the training. I also had an awesome instructor - experienced, patient, fun, and interesting - and he showed me the float plane life while also teaching me how to fly the plane.

My first lesson was last Tuesday. John, my instructor, drove us to the seaplane base at Patricia Bay, adjacent to the Victoria International Airport, and showed me how to do the pre-flight inspection, which includes pumping seawater out of the floats, and how to put the airplane into the water. It's definitely more complicated to get a float plane ready to go!

On the ramp, ready to go

That first day, we flew around the gulf islands and did some take-offs and landings in random spots on the ocean. It was a thrill and quite a change for me to fly at only 100-200 feet above sea level. We landed near Saltspring Island, beached the plane there, and got out to stand on the beach for a few minutes. After taking off again, we headed east, right out into the open Strait of Georgia, with Vancouver in the distance, to do some rough water takeoffs and landings.

Beached on Saltspring Island

On Wednesday, we did two lessons. The theme of the morning was tight spaces. First we did a few circuits in a narrow ocean inlet. John encouraged me to snug right up against the mountainside to maximize the space I had. I felt like we were going to hit the trees for sure. Then we flew up to Shawnigan Lake on the other side of the ridge to do a few more takeoffs and landings in the narrow valley.

In the afternoon, we flew to Cowichan Lake to practice glassy water takeoffs and landings, doing the required stalls and emergency landing practice on the way there. (Did you know that you can land a float plane on grass without damaging it at all?!) The water was smooth and the long lake made it a great place to practice the long, slow descent and landing technique for glassy water. After a few circuits, we landed, shut down, and climbed out onto the floats. It was a hot and perfect blue sky day. I took my shoes off to dip my feet in the warm water. A couple of boaters came by to say hi as we enjoyed a few lovely moments bobbing on the quiet lake.

Floating on Cowichan Lake

By Thursday, I was trying hard to bring together all I had learned and starting to imagine myself doing it alone. The rating requires 7 hours of training, including 5 solo takeoffs and landings, and I knew the solo time was coming soon. This lesson involved more takeoffs and landings, this time at Bedwell Harbour on Pender Island. Another glorious day.

I didn't sleep well on Thursday night because I was pretty sure I'd have to fly that plane alone the next day. On Friday, we rushed to get the plane in the water before the tide was too low and then flew over to nearby Quamichan Lake, also known as The Lake of Seaplane Student Solos. We did some circuits together to get me used to the area and also practiced docking. We stood on the dock for a long time, waiting for some wind to disturb the glassy water so I could solo. To pass the time, we took John's friend's dinghy out for a spin. Once back to the dock, the water was still too smooth so we did a couple more circuits together. My last landing was totally awesome so John said, "Well, I think that means I need to get out now and let you go." 

Alone in the plane, I wasn't terribly nervous but I did feel my heart beating a little faster. I cleverly used the transponder dial to count my circuits. Taking off in a seaplane is weird because the nose goes way up at first but then settles down on its own before the pilot pulls back to lift off. The first circuit was fine - climb out, circle around to the downwind leg, low over the trees, flare, touch down. On circuit number 2, the wind had picked up and the crosswind on landing surprised me and pushed me a bit sideways, which I immediately corrected. On the third circuit, I was prepared for the crosswind, so the landing was smooth. The beauty of landing a float plane is that you aren't limited by a runway; you can land in any direction, depending on the wind. So, for the 4th and 5th circuits, I flew a slightly shifted circuit, aligning myself into the wind, and the landings were easier. 

Solo complete!

I felt so proud and relieved after the solo was finished! After I docked, John and I walked up the hill to his friend's house. He made us lunch and showed us his hangar full of old restored and soon-to-be-restored airplanes. Then we hopped back in our seaplane and took it home to Patricia Bay. 

Yesterday, Sunday, I went into the office at the Victoria Flying Club to fill out the paperwork for my seaplane rating. The chief flight instructor shook my hand and said, "Congratulations, you're a seaplane pilot!" I got all choked up. It seemed unreal to hear those words. 

This was a week in heaven! I love flying a float plane. I could do it all day, every day. Even if nothing ever comes of this, this was the best vacation I ever could have had. But I really, really hope that this can be my job someday.