The Seaplane Pilots Association isn’t just another group doing fly-ins and hunting down discounts on rental cars - this group is about improving the profession of seaplane operations as a whole. The Association holds about 50 safety seminars a year, meeting pilots from Alaska to Australia and doling out FAA WINGS credits along the way.
Steve McCaughey is the Executive Director of the Association, and came out to SUN ‘n FUN to build awareness among everyday pilots that there’s more to seaplane flight than noodling around the marina. Real-world preparation is tantamount to McCaughey, as he demonstrates at airshows like SUN 'n FUN. Wearing a personal flotation device, he recounted one of their FAA training programs that helps demystify the process of activating one in actual water conditions. Putting seaplane pilots into the water, and having them inflate and deploy their personal flotation device (PFD), often for the first time), is a pretty cheap way to exert some downward pressure on fatality statistics - after all, an accident is never a good time to start learning the the proper use of survival gear on the fly.
Other initiatives with the Seaplane Pilots Association were highlighted, too, like their effort to become a self-policing bunch in the eyes of regulators. Thorough decontamination of seaplane equipment is vital to help limit the spread of pests and invasive species, and getting a true kill on some of those critters requires a little more effort than one may think. The Association does much more, too, advocating for operators and hosting its own private compendium of water landing areas. That could come in quite handy on a cross-country voyage, helping a seaplane pilot find the perfect out-of-the-way slip with a stash of 100LL.
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