Commercial SES passed.

snoboy

snoboy

Pre-takeoff checklist
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Aug 17, 2012
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176
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Maple Valley Wa
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snoboy
Well I passed my commercial floatplane checkride. Our club has a beautiful 1979 172XP on EDO floats. It has the 210hp Isham engine, a Garmin 430 with a KX155 nav com and even has an EDM 700 engine monitor. Its a beauty. Any way I've now got 16 hrs logged in it and I'm having a blast flying it. Pretty cool when your step brother owns a restaurant on a lake that allows float planes. I've visited him more in the last 3 months than in the last 10 years.
so that leads me to my last certification that I want...CFI. I'm gonna start CFI in a few months and am looking for advice regarding good course material. I went to ATC a local facility to prep for private written and just used instructor to prep me for oral. I used King Schools for Instrument and Commercial SEL and had good results. I used Dauntless for the Commercial Seaplane add on for oral prep and it was a quick and easy learn for me. Well quick and easy to me is 3 months not 3 days. So any suggestions for me to get my head going in the right direction for CFI are welcome.
 
Congrats! Nothing like float plane flying flying :yes:


As for the CFI, tutoring some PPL students is the best way to go, self study, Wikipedia is actually really good for FOI subjects.

Use Shepard or dauntless for the written.


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If you're having fun with the seaplane, you could do your CFI ride in the XP.
 
Congrats,have that rating on my bucket list.
 
Congrats!!! Sounds like a fun rating.

I would likely get it myself, but probably could never enjoy using it afterwards. Isn't it one of those deals where nobody will actually rent you a seaplane unless you have a billion hours in one??
 
Kritchlow said:
Congrats!!! Sounds like a fun rating.

I would likely get it myself, but probably could never enjoy using it afterwards. Isn't it one of those deals where nobody will actually rent you a seaplane unless you have a billion hours in one??
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Thanks fellas. It's really a gas to fly floats and do water work. My checkride was a blast. I told my instructor I was in no hurry to take my checkride, I was more concerned with getting alot of flying in with different conditions of wind and water. It can vary widely from one end of a lake to the other. I got well practiced in all the PTS skills and some extra special skills that only come from a 7000 hr float pilot. 40 years old and he's flown floats in Alaska, Scotland, Dubai, San Francisco, and Washington. There's just so many small tricks of the trade. The other reason is he's funny as heck and just super fun to hang out with.
 
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snoboy said:
Thanks fellas. It's really a gas to fly floats and do water work. My checkride was a blast. I told my instructor I was in no hurry to take my checkride, I was more concerned with getting alot of flying in with different conditions of wind and water. It can vary widely from one end of a lake to the other. I got well practiced in all the PTS skills and some extra special skills that only come from a 7000 hr float pilot. 40 years old and he's flown floats in Alaska, Scotland, Dubai, San Francisco, and Washington. There's just so many small tricks of the trade. The other reason is he's funny as heck and just super fun to hang out with.
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Who was the instructor and where did you do it?
 
My instructor is James Finson, DPE was Fred Brink who is a line Capt at Kenmore Air which is located at the north end of Lake Washington next to Seattle. James and I flew from our home base in Renton at the southern most tip of Lake Washington up to meet Fred at Kenmore air at the northern most tip of the lake. We held the oral portion up stairs in Fred's office at Kenmore Air, oral lasted a little over and hour with paper work and all. Then we headed down to the dock and started the checkride by properly casting off into slightly windy condition and he let me choose my method of departure. I chose to shove off and sail the plane downwind with flaps extended and using my pilots door to act as a barn door. Fred wanted to see real world float plane skills. I sailed a few hundred feet to clear everything and then started the plane and began with a normal takeoff. We flew south doing the PTS procedures and testing down to the southern end of the lake and then begin heading back north while still testing and eventually end up back at the dock for a final mooring/docking procedure. I came in parallel to dock and remained on the down wind side which put my door dockside. I kept the plane upwiind of the end of the dock so when I shutdown my drift would have me skimming the dock. He questioned my decision thinking I probably wouldn't pull it off but I have boating experience and to me it's a logical move. It ended up working perfectly and he was impressed, I gave one last shove on the rudder to aim the plane, stepped out on the float and literally stepped on to the dock as the plane reached the dock. It was my moment in the sun. and boom it was over. The addon requires no air maneuvers so to speak, it's all about getting on and off the water correctly and maneuvering on the water. Glassy water TO and landing techniques, Rough water TO and landing techniques, Crosswind TO and Landing, Step taxi turns down wind to upwind, upwind to downwind turning. I got lucky and had a killer variety of water conditions so Fred could really put me through the paces and I had a blast. Also you gotta study up and be familier with your basic USCG water navigation rules, buoy numbering and colorings etc., rights of way rules etc. I love talking float planes so don't hesitate questions.
Minnesota is also a floatplane mecca.

Mike
 
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