Hi,
are there any active or former (or future) seaplane pilots in this forum? Maybe some of you might be interested in trying something new, for example flying in Norway? I have noticed that seaplane flying here in Europe slowly returns to the minds of the flying and non flying aviation enthusiasts. Probably because more and more people are opening up and feeling a certain attraction by nature, freedom and independence.
I have learned to fly on floats in Flensburg in northern Germany at Baltic Seaplane GmbH because I had the offer to work as a commercial seaplane pilot in „Scandinavian Seaplanes“ . This is a company for air taxi and scenic flights in western Norway. At first I was afraid that flying seaplanes in this challenging environment was a little too much for me, but it turned out to be a real treat. The past seasons flying on Cessna 206 in the beautiful fjords, around glaciers and along the magnificent coastline is something I would never trade back again for a few more years of boredom sitting in an airline cockpit.
From seaplane flying in this rather unforgiving environment I have already learned so many things about flying, decision making and flexibility of the mind, that all my other flying and non flying life has profited quite a lot. And being so close to nature, being exposed to and working with the elements, made me feel so alive again, I would not have ever expected.
My colleagues in Scandinavian Seaplanes and I believe that this great way to fly and experience the beauty of Norway should be also shared with other pilots, so we have established our own DTO to offer seaplane training. We offer both, basic training to obtain the SEP(sea) classrating, and also advanced seaplane training for rated pilots who would like to learn how to proficiently operate a seaplane in challenging conditions.
We also offer this advanced training in the form of a several days long guided self flying trip through Norway. In the Cessna 206 you can take your spouse, girlfriend or even both along and combine some serious seaplane flying with a touristic experience. For those of you who would like to get an impression of what it looks like, my wife has put a selection of pictures from the past four seasons on her website:
https://weidnair-foto.de/norwegen/
(on this site you can also find pictures from our other small airplane trips from Iceland to Tanzania, maybe good to get through the winter:-)
The best of these Norway Seaplane pictures are included in our Scandinavian Seaplanes calendar for 2021 which can be found here:
https://weidnair-foto.de/shop/scandinavian-seaplanes-kalender-2021/
In order to find out more about the European Seaplane community, it would be quite interesting to learn about where you have learned to fly floats, if you still fly regularly or keep the rating current, and what makes seaplane flying so special for you.
Best regards and always happy landings on floats, or whatever else carries the weight of your airplanes below flying speed.
Christian Weidner
Hi, I do have a seaplane rating and fly regularly in Como, Italy as I am a member there of the Como Aeroclub. That allows me to fly myself in the Italian lakes area, eat lunch in nice places along one of the lakes such as Lake Como etc.
So, Norway sounds attractive. Is it also possible, after a checkout of course, to rent the C206? I have lots of experience flying that aircraft although mostly in Africa on wheels and lots of experience flying seaplanes in Italy.
CW wrote:
for rated pilots who would like to learn how to proficiently operate a seaplane in challenging conditions.
Tell me more 
I love a seaplane challenge. I know the guys at Baltic Seaplanes, I sold them the 172P from Ireland. That was a great aeroplane with the Airplains 180hp STC. Your wife is a very talented photographer, the photos are first class. The basics of seaplane flying I can teach to another landplane pilot in under 2 hours and I am not an instructor. The difference between the basics and being able to operate in high winds, tricky docking and handle emergency situations like damaged floats well that only takes years of practice! Parking a seaplane at your house is a big distraction to work, I can say that.
Tell us more about the flying rates and the local area as a holiday option.
CW wrote:
and also advanced seaplane training for rated pilots who would like to learn how to proficiently operate a seaplane in challenging conditions.
Hi CW, this sounds terrific. I found the Scandinavian Seaplane facebook page, but cant find a working web page.
I would be really interested in coming to do this training this next year. Could you tell us how this works. IE how many hours and cost for the basic seaplane rating, and then same for the advanced rating. The idea of being able to fly around Norway with and instructor and my wife for several days on the advanced course sounds ideal.
Hi,
I’m a seaplane pilot, took my qualification in Como and went back there several times for re-training. I ‘normally’ fly the C185 on floats here in Trondheim, but for the last 2 years it has been on wheels and now someone seems to want to buy it…
I could be interested in doing some extra training next season…
Looks a great location, and I would love to visit….maybe next year when we are allowed out to play!
I did my seaplane rating at Jack Brown’s in Florida and have flown a couple of times at Como in their C172.
Wow this is quite some response, in such a short time!
Nice to read that you find this interesting. Yes, it really is terrific to fly seaplanes in Norway.
About the rates, I can almost promise, that it will not be cheaper than in other locations. This is mostly due to the very high costs for maintenance, salt water flying offers a lot of freedom but there is no free lunch.
For any quotes regarding the training and trips please contact Daniel Boden, who is the boss. daniel (at) seaplanes (dot) no would be his email.
The website is www.seaplanes.no, sorry if I put something wrong there.
Our season starts in April. In the years before 2020 we have spent a lot of time flying passenger rides for the cruise ships. Our bases are:
Notodden, where the seaplanes are maintained and hangared over the winter. Also one starting point for seaplane training (you can fly to ENNO with a land plane)
Then we have Bergen, close to the city center. You can fly airline to BGO and then come by train or taxi to Sandviken.
Then we have Aurland/Flåm, and Ulvik/Eidfjord, which are the most scenic places in Fjord Norway. The training will take place in all of these locations, and probably in Sogndal, as well.
The basic course for the SEP(sea) will be 10 hours with possible crediting of two hours for holders of a valid SEP(land).
For the advanced course, there is no limit, you can fly 20000hrs and learn a lot every day. But what we do is around five to ten hours, depending on what you would like to learn and how much time there is. There is no such thing as advanced rating in the end. The signed dual training with an instructor may help to one day convince an insurance company that you can rent a seaplane solo.
About solo rental: Due to the area of operation and the fact that we need the airplanes in commercial ops, they can not be rented without one of our instructors. Also, this way we can learn a lot more from you guys, and maybe vice versa. :-)
The advanced courses and the cruise trips can go wherever the good weather leads us.This year, for example, with one self flying customer we have been up north along the west coast until the polar circle, weather was really nice and he was very adventurous. Quite some cross country on straight floats. Next year we are planning to go to Lofoten as well, with all the nice little islands and beaches. We know a variety of really nice luxurious hotels, where we can dock the seaplane and stay for lunch, take a coffee break or stay over night. For those who are more inclined towards adventure, we can also arrange camping at a beach (weather permitting, of course) and getting a real taste of bush flying.
As mentioned earlier, check out the pictures on Jola’s Website www.weidnair-foto.de to see what you can expect. In reality it is even more stunning.
Have a nice evening!
Christian
Yes, I am a seaplane pilot. I own an amphibian, which I fly regularly from home. I have flown extensively in Norway, landing in several lakes (permission required), and in a number of sheltered areas. I have flown from Bergen, Fedje, Stryn, Up to Bodo, Honningsvag, Vardo, Kirneness and Lista, among the many beautiful places in Norway. I’ve also landed in the harbour in Split, Croatia. But most of my seaplane flying is in Canada; Ontario, British Columbia, Quebec, Labrador, and Nova Scotia. I can certainly attest that Norway offers some great float flying!
Hi there,
My wife and I learned on the 172P in Flensburg (as you might know :-). Since then I have bought a Lake LA-4-200 and we operate it on an SPO in research projects. At the moment we’re gathering data for training ESA marine litter detection algorithms. (https://aufwind.aero/air-sos/). We are based in Padborg EKPB.
Since our Lake needed very much attention to get it into the shape and condition it is now, we have gathered a lot of insight into these aircraft. So if you intend to purchase a Lake or have a problem in Europa with one of these aircraft, don’t hesitate to contact us, our workshop is always open to fellow Lakers (actually, for other aircraft types aswell :-) ).
In our hangar, a second Lake LA4-200 is operated by Nautic-Wings, giving the possibility to fly Lake in southern Denmark. For the next Season you can also make your SEP(sea) on this Lake.
Hi
this is really cool that seaplanes are even used in maritime research these days. To be honest, I was not aware of a workshop based in Padborg, so close to our homebase…
Amphibs seem to make a lot of sense in this area, otherwise maintenance might be a real challenge.
