Getting into floats.

[a&p cfiguy]

I'm really interested in flying floats. I've decided not to pursue airlines and that I'd be much happier with a home every night type of job. I've got lots of single pilot 135 IFR type of flying and that's what I enjoy. Lately I've been looking into flying floats in the northwest (seattle, canada, possibly alaska). But I have no float time! I know the first step is to get the rating, no problem. But I'm concerned about what to do after that. A lot of these companies want 200-500 hours float time. How do you build that time up? Paying for it, as always, is not an option to me. I'll pay for the rating, but that's it. So what to do? Any ideas on how to build float time so I can get one of those jobs? BTW I've got about 2000 hours, ATP, 135 single pilot experience flying pax on scheduled lines. Also have an A&P, IA, maybe that can help? How did some of you float plane pilots out there build time? Any companies that fly both land and sea planes that you can eventually upgrade from land to sea? What are some of the better / worse float plane operations out in the northwest? Thanks.

 

[propsarebest]

buy a 172 or a cub with floats. You can ALWAYS sell it after you have yer time, for the same that you paid for it.

 

[Launchpad]

Instructing in a Seaplane is a good way to build time. In the Northwest your pretty much looking at Kenmore, NW Seaplanes, Sound Flight and Seattle Seaplanes (Chrysler)... Most of them require a fair amount of Seaplane time. I would suggest sniffing around Alaska....