Some floats questions

scm · Post by **scm** » Sun Mar 13, 2005 10:38 am

If anyone could answer any of these questions that would be great

1: What is a bush course? How is it different from a float rating?

2: If a CPL is done on floats, is there a point in doing a bush course?

3: Can anyone recommend a floatplane book? (technical, general )

4: Has anyone had any experiences with Air-Hart? PM if preferred.

5:Outback Aviation, anyone tried their block time? PM if preferred...

Plan to do either [CPL ground, Bush Course, Outbacks block time] or [CPL floats, Outbacks block time]

thanks for your time
sorry for so many Q's

edit* i do realize that a lot of the CPL is instrument flying so it might be better to do it on a land C150

flyinhigh · Post by **flyinhigh** » Sun Mar 13, 2005 11:13 am

hey SCM,
I did my float rating on my own, never did the float course.
As for your questions, I believe in the float course they will teach you survival techniques and all that lovely stuff, as for doing your commercial on floats. I suggest doing every flight possible on floats so that when it comes time to look for a job you'll be on top of alot of people with on average a min. of 80 hrs on floats, where now a days most employers want 250 on floats before you fly.
If I were you I would do the commercial and than outbacks block time so that you'll be closer to the 250.
best of luck.
oh as for the book, I don't personally think it would help float flying is more of feeling but you can try it.

floatingbeaver · Post by **floatingbeaver** » Sun Mar 13, 2005 11:30 am

Hey scm, a bush course is generally a next step after your basic 7 hour float rating which is just that the bare minimum of float skillsYou will quickly see there is much more to learn then what can be taught in 7 hours. I would suggest that you could spend your whole 7 hours taxiing and still not have mastered all the various docking techniques in different wind conditions etc. The bush course is designed as the next level after the 7 hour float endorsemnt. What would be the most benefit for you is to do what the last post said. If floats is what you want to do, then do your whole commercial on floats. With 250 hrs on floats you begin to have a chance on getting a job. I know a guy who just goy a 185 job with 400tt 120 on floats and most important 50 hrs on type. Good luck!

shimmydampner · Post by **shimmydampner** » Mon Mar 14, 2005 4:58 pm

Don't worry about the instrument time for the CPL, as long as the plane has a VOR and ADF that's all you need. It's not like you're doing holds and approaches all day. Do it in a floatplane and get your float time up to increase your chances of getting a job when you're done.

bogey · Post by **bogey** » Mon Mar 14, 2005 8:18 pm

the 50-hour bush course is useless if you want to step into flying job immediately.

If you're young and can spend some time on a dock then it could help in the long run

Do your whole commercial on floats if you want to step into a job flying.

If you are a private pilot looking for a great experience and you have $$$$, then by all means go for the 50 hour course.

Go to Airhart too. You won't find a better float school (or city) in Canada.

scm · Post by **scm** » Wed Mar 16, 2005 4:27 pm

thanks for the replies

still a few months before school is out so i have a lot of time to think things over

must admit that floatplane rentals are extremely expensive

cheers

C-150Pilot · Post by **C-150Pilot** » Wed Mar 16, 2005 6:14 pm

Im getting my uncle's 180 on floats for a summer or two. Maybe will be able to build 100 to 150 hours.

shimmydampner · Post by **shimmydampner** » Wed Mar 16, 2005 7:30 pm

That's all fine and dandy, you can bomb around in a 180 or whatever else as much as you want, but if you plan on flying floats as a job and really want to do yourself a favour, get in the thing with someone who has some decent experience, load it up to the tits and then go bombing around. Go into tight spots, short lakes, winding rivers, bad weather. Basically try to experience as much as you can with someone who knows how to deal with it. The first summer on floats is pretty much just scaring the shit out of yourself on a regular basis and learning enormous amounts from your screw-ups. The more you've really experienced prior to that increases your chances of survival.

ODA · Post by **ODA** » Wed Mar 16, 2005 7:51 pm

I agree with shimmydampener flying around for fun and as a job are two completely different things. Flying around for fun is exactly that, you're not going to put yourself in a bad situation. On the other hand when you are working and you have some geologist in the back who want to look at some rocks near that lake or when you have an expiditor who wants to build a camp in this exact spot and your circling around looking at how shallow the lake is or how big those waves are or how rocky that shore is it's a different thing. Having someone with experiance to teach you the finer points of bush flying and descion making is the best way to start. After that a good set of hands and feet with some common sense will take you a long way.

red003 · Post by **red003** » Thu Mar 17, 2005 2:48 am

'how to fly floats' is a good little book published by edo. not huge or anything but comprehensive enough to give you a bit of an idea about what you'd be getting into with float training.

neechi · Post by **neechi** » Thu Mar 17, 2005 12:37 pm

http://www.avidaviator.com/seaplane.html

Great Book.

water wings · Post by **water wings** » Sat Mar 19, 2005 8:24 pm

notes of a seaplane instructor by Burk Mees (spelling sucks)
AirHart rocks, and has a great reputation (been told to put the name on my CV by more than a few places) one of the few operators that let students go real solo.
Float flying is Fun...even if you are working with 400 lbs of dead bloody moose in the back, it should still be fun. Looking for a float job is not fun. Welcome to the "wonderful World of Floats" (a good video if you can get it)
fly safe

RVR12 · Post by **RVR12** » Wed Mar 23, 2005 8:24 pm

Anoter good book IMO, is "Bush Pilot" by Pierre Rivest... "Notes of a Seaplane Instructor" is also a good one.