3 Reasons You Should Get a Seaplane Rating

Looking for a completely new experience, a way to learn new flying skills, and have a blast at the same time? Consider getting your seaplane rating, which is much easier and more fun than you might imagine. 

Grab your life vest because we’re heading into uncharted waters. 

Here’s a look at a few reasons why getting your seaplane rating is so much fun. 

Why Would You Get a Seaplane Rating?

The seaplane rating, either ASES (Airplane Single Engine Sea) or AMES (Airplane Multi-Engine Sea), can be added easily to any Private, Commercial, or ATP certificate. 

The requirements are nothing more than receiving training to proficiency from a flight instructor and taking a checkride with a Designated Pilot Examiner (DPE).

Of course, not every school has a seaplane or a seaplane-rated instructor. 

For this rating, most pilots travel around the country to the school that makes the most sense to them. 

Since many of these schools are in vacation hotspots (e.g., Florida or Alaska), it makes sense to turn the whole thing into a once-in-a-lifetime aviation adventure.

It’s the Most Fun You Can Have in an Airplane

There is something undeniably cool about flying a seaplane. 

Freedom from runways—freedom from land altogether. Half plane and half boat; it has been said that flying a seaplane is about as much fun as you could ever have in a plane. 

Eighty percent of the Earth is covered in water, so limiting yourself to airports seems silly, doesn’t it?

If you’re unconvinced, YouTube can probably provide some evidence to sway your opinion. Check out videos of folks flying to cool mountain lakes for fishing or island hopping through The Bahamas. 

Seaplanes are operated in some of the coolest vacation destinations around.

In addition to getting your rating, you might make it a trip of a lifetime. Seaplanes are commonly used as bush planes in Alaska and British Columbia, so that’s one area you might look into earning your water wings.

How Hard is it to Earn a Seaplane Rating

The seaplane rating is one of the easiest add-ons to your pilot certificate. 

It only requires a few hours of training and a checkride, so most seaplane schools offer a weekend program to get it done fast. 

Most include between five and ten hours of dual instruction, making the cost somewhere between $3,000 and $6,000. 

Picking an inexpensive aircraft will also keep the costs down. Jack Brown’s Seaplane Base in Winter Haven, Florida, has offered ASES ratings in Piper Cubs on floats for decades. It’s an economical and fun introduction to a classic airplane. https://brownsseaplane.com/ases-rating

There are also seaplane options for sport pilots. For a cutting-edge experience, you might consider checking out a flight school operating the Icon A5 light-sport seaplane. There are few cooler LSAs than the Icon. https://www.iconaircraft.com/a5-flight-training/

It’s a Great Way to Get a Flight Review (and Some New Experience)

The more training you complete, the better pilot you’ll become. A wide variety of aviation experiences looks good on a professional pilot resume, and the seaplane rating is something other pilots probably won’t have if you’re competing for a job. 

Seaplanes require excellent stick-and-rudder skills, so having the rating on your ticket also makes a statement.  

You’ll learn things from a different perspective and come away with a whole new set of experiences for your aviator’s tool bag. Any novel training experience is a great opportunity to meet pilots and network.

Many pilots justify the expense and time of getting the rating by using FAR 61.56 to their advantage. The rule says you need a flight review every two years unless you complete a checkride for a new rating (Part 61.56 d.1). 

So if you’re due for a flight review and need to go up with an instructor anyway, why not get a new rating at the same time?

Is Getting a Seaplane Rating Worth It?

It’s not all glassy water takeoffs and unrestricted visibility when you have your seaplane rating, however. The truth is that once you get your ASES rating, you might not be able to use it. 

Renting a seaplane is pretty much impossible—the insurance risk is too great. And, if you want to buy a seaplane, you’ll likely need to find an experienced seaplane CFI to fly with you for many hours before your underwriter will allow you to fly it solo. 

For those pursuing non-airline pilot jobs, seaplane pilot jobs are limited for professionals, with many pilots picking up seasonal or overseas work. There just aren’t many operators, and those out there want experienced pilots with lots of ASES/AMES time. 

However, these facts of seaplane life do not make the arguments for getting the rating any less appealing. For many pilots, the seaplane rating is a bucket list item for their own personal enjoyment—all the more reason to do it in a cool place and a cool plane.