Chief Pilot, Steve Krug offers high quality endorsement training in the Beaver Amphibian (SWB). Please see Steve’s Q & A section under Seaplane Training. SeaWing Airways is not a flying school. Our Chief Pilot, Steve Krug holds an approval from the Civil Aviation Safety Authority to conduct conversion training for float endorsements. Steve conducts the training on the Beaver Amphibian. The course is structured essentially for pilots wishing to reach a standard suitable for a job flying seaplanes commercially however pilots both private and commercial may wish to learn about seaplane flying purely for additional experience, or just for fun. We prefer to offer training during the winter months, however we may be able to offer other times if necessary. Sydney Seaplane  – Seaplane Training Questions and Answers Q. Where is the training conducted? A. The training is conducted in Sydney Harbour at Rose Bay, from Bankstown Airport, and in and around Pittwater the Hawkesbury River, Brisbane Waters (at Gosford) and Tuggerah Lake (on the Central Coast). Briefings can be conducted at Bankstown Airport and our Palm Beach facility. Q. How long does a full endorsement take? A. This can vary according to your abilities, our requirements and our availability. All flight training is conducted around our regular charter operations. It is possible, if our charter commitments are quiet, to complete an endorsement in 5 or 6 days – however this is unusual. The constraints of weather, aircraft serviceability and charter commitments can affect the program. Q. How many hours to get my endorsement? A. This varies and depends on the individual student’s aptitude, application, dedication and skills. As a rough guide, 11 or 12 hours will be sufficient, with up to 80 or 90 water-landings. Q. What is the cost? A. We do not offer a “fixed price” endorsement. Once the student reaches the required standard of competency, and we have conducted all sequences and briefings, then the endorsement is complete. Every student is different, however as a rough guide, somewhere around $9,000 to $11,000 for a full endorsement should be expected. Q. How is this calculated? A. Firstly, briefing notes on the course cost $95 (plus GST). Briefings are charged at $90 per hour, plus GST. About 6 hours of briefings is necessary for a full amphibious endorsement. The rate for dual instruction is $25 per minute (plus GST). This is charged on the basis of time in the air. IE: Floats Off to Floats On, Wheels Off to Wheels On, etc. So, $1,500 plus GST per hour usually will give you more time in your log book than we actually charge for. A significant amount of time is spent working on the water, and this is not charged at the ‘per minute rate’. Additionally, $11 (plus GST) is charged for each take-off. This includes Touch-and-go’s. Q. Why is it so costly? A. You can get an endorsement or do seaplane training elsewhere in Australia at a lesser cost, however it is important to remember that when flying with Steve, all … Continue reading Seaplane Training