As soon as I took a flight in a seaplane for the first time I knew it wouldn't be the last, and I immediately wanted to find a way to fly them more and more. Your first flight, first landing, and first day carrying passengers all have that same unforgettable feeling, and landing on the water for the first time is no different.
In 2021 we opened our doors in Philadelphia, not the first place to come to mind for seaplane flying, but a truly great place to learn. With rivers and waterways to practice in, you get an unrivaled perspective of flying in real environments as well as landing on the pavement at the end of each lesson.
Flying in Maine gives a great taste of flying in the back country with large lakes and small rivers so you don’t have to ever land in the same spot twice.
Whether you want to fly floats for fun, or to pursue a career with one of many carriers across the country, we’re excited to help accomplish your goals and show you a whole new side of aviation!
We can't wait to welcome you to Northeast Aviation!
Hi! I’m Alec, I started flying in 2016 and have explored every side of aviation I can venture into, whether flying warbirds, flying animals to their new homes or working at airshows, if there’s a plane involved, I want to be there. One of the best parts of flying is seeing someone's pure joy flying for the first time, so whether you're new to flying, or new to seaplane flying, I can't wait to have you join along!
I'm Tim Buhrmeister and I love general aviation! I am active member in my aviation community as a flight instructor instructing high school kids along their journey getting their private pilot certificate. I fly Cessna Caravans on both wheels and floats as well as a Citation Sovereign and Falcon 2000. My favorite type of flying is seaplane flying and I'm happiest at the controls of one!
Chris has 12,000 hours in more than 90 aircraft models, and is typed rated in Gulfstream G650, Global Express, Falcon 2000, Falcon 50 and several other aircraft. He holds an ATP Multi-Engine Land and Sea Certificate, and is a certified flight instructor. With vast seaplane experience flying charters and teaching students, Chris has been a fabulous DPE with us for over a year now and provides a great checkride experience.
Steve has been an examiner for over 12 years and flies just about anything you can imagine, from gliders and seaplanes to jets and warbirds. He loves teaching and always has a great way of making things make sense no matter how complicated they might seem.
Portland Maine (PWM) or Bangor (BGR) are the two closest airline destinations, rental cars are available or if coordinated in advance we can come pick you up as well. If flying your own plane, KIWI or KRKD are the most convenient locations to land at!
The short answer, no. Like anything, different people learn at different rates, and while some may pick up the skills at a different pace than someone else, we've had zero incidents where a student could not finish their rating and feel confident to take the checkride by the end of the course.
Yes, the ground material covers the information needed and training will specifically include necessary knowledge for the sign off for both endorsements as needed.
The hourly "rental" rate with an instructor is $550.00 per hour.
Once a training date has been confirmed you will be sent a link to our learning series that will allow you to self study each component of the course before you're training date. This way we can focus more on flight time, but still have ground sessions as needed.
On average students take about 5 hours of training to complete the course. This doesn't mean it is a goal or expectation of any student and there is no need to ever feel rushed to finish in any "minimum time".
We are very understanding that Mother Nature likes to makes things interesting from time to time. We are committed to making things work for our students, if weather conditions require a change we are happy to move training dates free of charge and provide any additional training as necessary if the checkride was moved due to weather to ensure you feel confident and ready for the flight.
We have multiple DPE's that we use to ensure maximum availability, some instruct with us as well, while some come from different areas as needed, regardless, you're sure to have a great experience with any of the examiners you take your checkride with.
Currently we are not able to rent the seaplane "Solo" to anyone after the rating is earned, however, we are looking to add a rentable two seat aircraft to our fleet soon as we understand many would like this option to be available to them.