Such thing as Insument ASES?

[polaris746]

A C-172XP with floats I'm looking at says its IFR certified. Can a seaplane actually fly in IMC? I don't get it?

On resumes it would say Instrument ASEL. Is there such thing as Instrument ASES?

 

[Seadogrun]

I'm trying to figrue out why you wouldn't be able to fly a float plane on instruments?

 

[imacdog]

Seaplanes can fly IFR. Your ticket should say "instrument airplane" which is good on wheels or floats.

 

[polaris746]

I'm trying to figrue out why you wouldn't be able to fly a float plane on instruments?

Well, it's kind of hard to fly an ILS approach onto a pond . . .

 

[DrProc]

Well, it's kind of hard to fly an ILS approach onto a pond . . .

How about an NDB approach?
http://204.108.4.16/d-tpp/0707/09122NGB.PDF
http://204.108.4.16/d-tpp/0707/05935NGA.PDF

 

[imacdog]

Well, it's kind of hard to fly an ILS approach onto a pond . . .

Come up to Victoria, BC and watch seaplanes shoot instrument approaches to the airport and circle to the water.

 

[polaris746]

oh wow

 

[avbug]

A seaplane rating is all about surface operations; instrument flying is all about flight above the surface.

Your instrument rating is for airplanes, in this case; it applies as others have said, equally to seaplanes or land planes; it applies to the category (airplane), not the class (single engine sea, for example).

The area to which you're approaching while operating under IFR in a seaplane may or may not have an instrument approach, and you may or may not need one; you don't need a destination to be IMC, or to have an approach, to file there, as you can file to any point in the NAS system (including a lat/long, if you like). You may intend only to file to VFR on top...a properly equipped and certified aircraft may certainly fly IFR, even if it's floats only.

A lot of float aircraft are amphibs, and capable of shootin approaches to hard surfced runways, or as another poster pointed out, flying to a runway and circling to water. Likewise, approaches are available to water.