Fall Flying in Alabama
This is really the best flying of the year. We can at last enjoy wake free lakes and relatively long days. Gone is much of the bumpiness and intense heat of summer afternoons. Our weather becomes consistent for days on end, for better or worse. From the air, the changing trees create unique patterns on the landscape as they explode into color.

Fall pilots enjoy the added bonus of actually getting more of the rated horsepower from the engine—pretty exciting after enduring high density altitudes all summer.This is also the time of year to get night current again (in your land plane), as well as getting comfortable with windier days following fronts. With the season's new flying pleasures, however, comes the need for alertness to different kinds of seasonal water hazards.

As lake levels fall (typical for this time of year), the risks of boat traffic are replaced with those from unmarked shallow areas. The receding water reveals new spots which were not marked with bouys during summer's higher water levels. Be sure to do a good flying survey of your prospective landing areas before committing your floats to risk. The truly shallow areas can often be seen from a low pass. It's harder to see submerged logs and pilings, so be extra observant.

As days get cooler and the water gets calmer, it's really tempting to just fire up the engine and blast off. Be sure to taxi around long enough to allow the engine and oil to warm up to a reasonable operating temperature. Once in the air, enjoy the clear days and beauty of our great country. Most of all, appreciate the privilege and freedom of flight.

Mike Massimini, recent grad (came all the way from Cincinnati, OH)

150 overhead (who was in that boat anyway?)

Responsible Float Flying
We are fortunate to have many beautiful, clean lakes and rivers in which to play. These are largely open to seaplane activity, while the majority of Georgia waterways are closed to seaplane traffic. We must cherish and protect the privilege of using our state’s wateways by being considerate of lake residents and boaters.

Most people living on the lake appreciate calm, quiet days, and none of them bought a lake house to be under an airport traffic pattern. Most of the comments I get from lake users are positive and they think the seaplane is pretty cool, but I am very careful not to frighten or annoy anyone.

Buoys
This just in from the FAA...effective Monday, October 28, 2002, all pilots must carry photo identification along with their FAA pilot certificate during flight operations. For complete info go to:
http://www.faa.gov/avr/arm/pir01023.htm

U.S. Coast Guard Boating Rules & Regs:
Bouys and Markers http://www.dcnr.state.al.us/MP/buoys.htm
Lighting http://www.dcnr.state.al.us/MP/lights.htm
Operations http://www.dcnr.state.al.us/MP/operations.htm

Texas Water Bill of Rights http://www.texasspa.org/water_bill_of_rights.htm

Are you a CFI? Flight Instructors get a 10% discount on training at WaterWings.

Wanted! Water flying stories, interesting experiences, questions, and suggestions for content you'd like to see in this newsletter or on our website. Email editor@flyseaplanes.com . We want to hear from you!