With their own floatplane nearly ready to fly, Nigel Smith and his son Aaron decided to get their Seaplane ratings…
Words and photography: Nigel Smith
7 July 2021
My first job was working in Labrador with a Turbo Beaver Air Ambulance on floats, and ever since then I wanted to own my own seaplane one day. As the years went by it became obvious the only way I could manage to do that was to either steal one or build one myself. So back in 2003 I purchased a Murphy Elite kit from Vancouver and a float kit to go with it. By this stage my son Aaron, who flies 737s for Jet2, was also hooked on the idea, which finally rolled out last November to start the approval process through the LAA for a UK Permit.
A couple of months ago it was time to look at doing SEP (Sea) ratings and, as we both live in Scotland, it was an easy choice to select Scotia Seaplanes (DTO) for the task. Based at Prestwick Airport, and flying among the Galloway Hills, the 210hp FR172F Reims Rocket amphibian (G-DRAM) had enough capacity to enable us both to benefit by sitting in the back for each other’s lessons.
It was a fairly intense course, eight hours for each of us followed by a skill test, but luckily we’d both sat the pre-requisite written seamanship exams in Aberdeen several weeks earlier – so that was already sorted. You can do the 30 question technical paper onsite with Scotia – self-study is required, and a pass is necessary before sitting the skill test.
Day 1 was spent religiously going through the amphibian basics. The first vital lesson is to get a sense of ‘mode-switching’ into your head – you are either in the ‘land’ environment, or the ‘water’ environment – verbalise that ‘U’ in your ‘BUMFITCHH’ gear checks, loudly and often, visually checking their position and corroborate with the four blue/green gear lights in the cockpit. If you get this wrong and have gear down in the water, or up on the land, your day will not end well.
Next are the verbal checklists (WOODS and FPARTS), reading the water, learning float and marine terminology (‘lines’, not ropes – ‘charts’, not maps) and generally getting the feel of Wee Dram. Weight and balance requires careful consideration, with two crew on board we can load more fuel, but with a forward C of G, we need some aft ballast (10 litres of water in a rear float compartment) – with three on board we can pump out the ballast but are restricted to two-and-a-half hours fuel.
By Day 2 we were looking for crosswinds, rough and glassy water and learning the local terrain. By Day 3 we were getting more familiar with everything, and as we relaxed the fun really began to creep in – we tried beaching, buoying and even ramping out onto dry land. Step-taxying at 45mias like a speedboat with wings, sailing backwards without power, and sailing forwards with power – EFATOs with a 1,000fpm descent rate (get that nose down quickly), restricted area or ‘curved’
take-offs within a 500m circle, single float operations, balancing like a fine ballerina on aileron and rudder controls – we tried it all.
Day 4 culminated in a round-trip to Loch Eck then Loch Awe and some mirror-like glassy water. It could have involved a pub lunch on a beach, but time was pressing and Hamish, our instructor, had to get back for his day-job, for his afternoon shift running Scottish Airways in the ATC Centre.
Day 5 was the test itself. I went first and Aaron second. Operating from water has many elements akin to taildragger technique – when transitioning on take-off from nose-high plough-taxying, to hydroplaning ‘on the step’, all the forces (prop-wash, P-factor, torque and gyroscopic effect) are pulling you to the left, so positive rudder control is essential.
In crosswinds, and when settled on the water, aileron positioning and wind awareness is vital. ‘Reading the water’ with the ‘WOODS’ check is one of the first things you learn as you approach a water surface – (W)ind direction and speed, (O)bstacles in the water (swimmers, logs, deer), (O)bstructions out of the water (trees, masts, mountains), (D)epth (are there rocks or shallows?) and (S)ize – it may be long enough to land, but what if the wind changes or drops – will you be spending a cold night on a remote lochside, or leaving your passenger to walk home? This deliberation starts to become second nature, and soon you are estimating wind speed, spotting gust fronts, and anticipating left and right crosswinds from keenly observing the loch surface and surrounding terrain.
Water and ground pre-take-off and landing checks are covered by FPARTS – or PFARTS if you are flying with blokes of a certain age – (F)laps (set), (P)ropeller (fully fine), (A)rea (clear and checked by ‘WOODS’), (R)udders (water rudders are ‘UP’ for take-off and landing), (T)rim set and (S)tick (fully aft on the water).
Our instructors Hamish (Mitchell) and Stewart Houston, were very patient with us both, and by the time the test came around we were really enjoying the scenery and freedom that float flying brings, all the while learning from the 20 years of combined float experience that Hamish and Stewart have between them. We can thoroughly recommend Scotia Seaplanes, and training as a pair provides an excellent opportunity to double-up and learn from the back seat. We are both now looking forward to being able to try out our newly learned skills on our own aircraft.
After successfully passing our tests, Hamish welcomed Aaron and me into the Seaplane Clan.
Scotia has trained, revalidated and flown many pilots over the last 10 years, but this is its first ‘double whammy’ – 20 hours flying, two skill tests, and 80 water landings in five days.
It is also a first for Stewart, its new examiner, and this has transformed its ability to help anyone gain, renew or revalidate their seaplane qualifications.
Later in the week their was another successful pass – Royal Navy test pilot, Lt Cdr Chris Gotke, who has also been selected to fly the Supermarine S5 replica that is currently being planned by The Supermarine Project.
Scotia conducts most of its training around the Galloway Hills to the south of Prestwick – indeed Loch Doon was a seaplane training base during WWI – and it can claim to have successfully trained more pilots there than the Royal Flying Corps! In fact, at very low water the 100-year old ramp and hangar foundations can appear, ghost-like, out of the water and to ramp on this is quite a rare and haunting experience.
Loch Doon, takes its name from the ‘Dun’ or castle that sits on an island and dates from the 13th century. Built by Robert the Bruce’s uncle, this whole area is where, in 1307, ‘The Bruce’ started his guerrilla campaign against Edward the First (let’s not pull at that thread…) – leading ultimately to the ‘home win’ at Bannockburn.
Loch Doon becomes the River Doon, passing under the Brig O’Doon at Alloway, where Robert Burns was born and where he was inspired to write the horror tale of Tam O’Shanter, as well as the more romantic Banks and Braes O’ Bonnie Doon.
In our more advanced lessons we also use the dramatic lochs around Loch Trool and Loch Dee – some are up to 1,700ft asl, which makes for some interesting density altitude calculations – particularly in the height of summer!
Further afield Scotia also offer two or three day ‘seaplane safaris’, heading north from Prestwick into the mountains, and staying at various locations, Oban, Glenforsa or Plockton. This is an ideal way for two pilots, or a pilot and partner, to experience Alaska-style bush-flying closer to home. You gain dual time and learn mountain flying techniques and skills. Lochs, mountains, beaches, hotels, whirlpools, picnics, eagles, distilleries and castles can all be woven into a mini-adventure.
The flexibility and versatility of amphibian operations means Scotia can slip the surly bonds of hard runways, and enter a landscape with more than 100 potential landing sites. With three normal-sized adults on board, it is restricted to two-and-a-half hour sorties, so avgas availability then becomes a vital part of the planning. The recently reopened facilities at Oban Airport are a godsend, which now enables the company to base itself at Oban or Mull, from where it can access and experience the entire west coast of Scotland.
Primarily based at Prestwick Airport (open 24/7) and operating from Prestwick Flight Centre, the surrounding area is well served with amenities and alternatives to flying should either the weather or family feel uncooperative. The base is also less than an hour by train from Glasgow, and within the Prestwick/Ayr area there are golf courses, museums (that chap Burns again), and ‘plenty big hooses’ to see – Culzean Castle and Dumfries House to name but two.
As Robert Burns appropriately predicted in his poem The Cotter’s Saturday Night: From scenes like these, old Scotia’s grandeur springs… He could quite easily have been writing about his local seaplane base.
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