May 2005

    As a pilot living in the land of 10,000 lakes I suppose it’s natural to fantasize about flying from water in the summer and snow in the winter. However, like many others I assumed I would never get to experience it until I owned my own plane. That’s likely where a desire to own a 185 came from. One afternoon while daydreaming I wondered where I would get training if I did ever buy a plane. On a whim I typed “185 Training” into my favorite search engine. One of the results was “Adventure Seaplanes” and I came to find out they were at Surfside Seaplane Base less than 15 miles away.

     It was 40° and raining when I called the number from the web site and a cheerful Brian Schanche greeted me. While on the phone with Brian I heard a lot of aircraft noise in the background and asked if he was in the shop. “Nope” he said, “I’m sitting in a lawn chair watching airplanes.” “What?! It’s miserable outside” I thought “this guy must be certifiably nuts”. Instead I learned he was sitting in a lounge chair enjoying an 80° day at Sun-N-Fun. When I stated I was jealous he said “Call so and so and see if he’s still heading down. I’m sure he wouldn’t mind someone in the right seat.” I was floored…  I was impressed he would make such an offer to a stranger and disappointed even a miracle couldn’t get me out of the office. All the same, I instantly knew I had to find out more about Adventure Seaplanes. 

    It wasn’t until one joint replacement and 7 months later I would get my chance to meet Brian. It had been a number of years since I was pilot in command but I was instantly impressed with his 185 and hooked on tail wheels. We started working on my tail wheel endorsement, high performance endorsement and BFR at the same time but the real thrill was getting into the PA-12 and flying skis. It only took one flight and I was hooked. The Land of 10,000 lakes just turned into the land of 10,000 runways and I was thinking to myself this has got to be the most fun a person can legally have! The 185 was on hydraulic skis and in my mind just about the coolest cross-country machine for this part of the country. The PA-12 was on straight skis, seemed to use hardly any ice for takeoff or landing and with the seaplane door offered the best view I’d ever seen. Talk about the best of both worlds!

     If I wasn’t hopelessly addicted to these planes yet, what was coming clinched it. Soon enough the ice started to melt and I knew the "Buck 85" as Brian calls it and the PA-12 would be going on floats. Sure enough the same week the ice was off I was taking my first seaplane flight. Wow! I think I may have giggled like a little kid. I’ve heard it said float flying is the most fun you can have outside the bedroom. After that first flight I completely understood the statement. There is a feeling of accomplishment you get from each flight different from flying into an airport. This is probably because no two landings are alike and your environment is always changing. You have to plan your moves a little different and take into consideration elements of your surroundings you otherwise would ignore.

    Brian is a terrific instructor and fortunately for me pretty laid back. I can’t count the number of times I looked down in the PA-12 to see the turn coordinator swing from side to side. When that happens you just know the fellow in back is getting tossed about. Yet I never once got what would’ve been a justified smack in the head or poke in the ribs. Soon enough Brian had taught me to fly all over again. This time I learned to really fly the plane and respond to what was going on around me. When I got my PPL I learned to fly downwind, base and final at a set RPM, airspeed, and flap setting for each segment while using fixed cues on the field. In the PA-12 on floats all the cues were gone so I learned to improvise and feel the plane for what it needed. No two approaches are the same so each requires a little different technique. 

    Next I got to spend a few hours with Lowell and was soon leasing time in a 185. Lowell is another excellent instructor and very easy to fly with. After getting comfortable in the 185 I’m once again convinced it’s about the coolest cross-country machine for the north woods. I’m pretty sure a person needs both a PA-12 and a 185. The 185 may carry more and is faster than the PA-12 but for pure flying enjoyment you can’t beat a Cub. Lucky for me Adventure Seaplanes leases both! 

    Soon enough summer was in full swing and there was something to do nearly every weekend. All the lakes around here have restaurants and resorts and everyone knows someone with a cabin. There are literally hundreds of destinations within an hour of the Twin Cities. That said… just hanging out at Surfside is a blast in itself. In the summer there is always activity at the base. Students, Surfside residents and transient aircraft are entertaining to observe and you get to meet a lot of really neat people. The atmosphere is laid back and feels more like a park than an airport. 

    I was fortunate to spend a good deal of time at Surfside because I became a resident. After flying one of the 185’s for the first part of the summer I found and purchased one of my own. Did I mention this was an addictive past time? At any rate… Brian happened to know of a low-time 185 in Northern MN and not only flew up there to help inspect it but pointed me to a friendly banker who helped finance it. If you think that first takeoff in a seaplane is a rush wait until you do your first takeoff in your own seaplane.

North of the Arctic Circle.

    Summer is also a busy time for Brian and Adventure Seaplanes. In addition to instruction and the leasing of aircraft Brian keeps himself busy guiding groups of aircraft throughout Northern MN and WI as well as into Canada as far north as the Arctic Circle. I was disappointed I couldn’t find time for an Arctic Circle expedition but throughout the summer and fall I was lucky enough to find time to follow Brian a couple of times. If there’s a place you can park a seaplane Brian knows where it is and who runs it. If you’ve never flown into Canada it’s really nice to have folks who can tell you what to expect and how to proceed. 

    Before I knew it the leaves were changing colors and it was getting to be time to go back onto wheels. Adventure Seaplanes was there to help again and was showing folks like me how to fly on wheels. I was still a fairly low-time tail wheel pilot and fortunately for me there were folks to help. I mentioned before you learn to fly a little different when your flying off-airport. This is really apparent once you get back into a controlled environment and the skills you learned on floats make life a little easier. After a few hours with Brian and Lowell I was soon enjoying another 20 knots of airspeed in my 185 and comfortable going anywhere. Next thing I knew I had my 185 on hydraulic wheel skis and ice fishing became interesting for me once again. While we didn’t get as much snow as I hoped for it was a good time on skis and a great time to work on my IFR rating. 

    It’s now 40°, the spring showers are pouring out of the sky and I’m feeling an itch that will only be satisfied by getting back out on the water. Maybe it’s time to put the floats back on and start looking for places that have their docks out.  Or maybe I need to make a trip to the Bahamas with Brian. Did I mention Adventure Seaplanes knows the Bahamas? What about Arizona? 

...Brad