A seaplane rating may be easily obtained from any number of approved seaplane schools.  If you have a current private pilots license, it will normally take from around 5 to 10 hours of seaplane instruction to familiarize yourself with the operation of a seaplane.  When you obtain your seaplane rating, this will also qualify as your bi-annual flight review.  

SeaPlanes For Non-Pilots.

As a non-pilot, you have the advantage of being able to tailor your flight training to foster specific skills that will make you a better seaplane pilot. Although you can obtain your pilot certification in seaplanes, completing your initial training in land-based aircraft is easier and less expensive. Focusing on rudder technique, heads-up flight (using the environment for reference rather than the instruments), weather, and judgement will help you prepare.

SeaPlanes For Pilots.

For certified airplane pilots, seaplane certification is a simple add-on, typically requiring less than ten hours of flight training, and in the United States, an FAA checkride. Skip to The SES Rating for more information about adding "single-engine sea" to your pilot certificate.

Recurrency

For certified pilots in the United States, a seaplane rating is a great way to satisfy your flight review (FAR 61.56) requirement. You'll spend a bit more time with an instructor than you would for a standard flight review, but you'll also have more fun and come home with new skills and a new rating.

Get Your Feet Wet

Regardless of whether you're a pilot or not, a demo flight in a seaplane is bound to jump start your motivation to pursue flight training. Don't feel as though every minute you spend in a seaplane has to be training-oriented. Seaplanes are ideal recreational vehicles. Reminding yourself of that potential with an occasional fun flight with an instructor will enhance your appreciation of seaplanes and give your enthusiasm a boost.

Many newly-minted seaplane pilots exclaim that training for the single engine sea rating was the most fun they've had in an airplane (or variations on that theme, but we digress...). Don't take it from us though - find out for yourself!

SeaPlane Overview

Presuming that you are a certified and proficient single-engine land pilot, the Single Engine Sea add-on rating requires only a few hours of training and, in the United States, a checkride with an FAA examiner. In the process, you'll learn to handle an airplane on the water, read the environment for wind speed and direction information, verify the suitability of a landing area, and secure the airplane at a beach, ramp, dock, or mooring buoy. You'll also learn better judgement, as your choice of runway, traffic pattern, and parking spot is your choice alone. Some of the new things you'll learn during the transition are described below.

SeaPlane Taxiing

Taxiing a seaplane is not the simple affair that land-based pilots are accustomed to. A seaplane is always in motion on the water -- there are no "brakes" in the conventional sense to bring you to a stop. Even the run-up is done in motion, with the pilot's attention divided between checklist items and navigation. The pilot must maintain constant vigilance for obstacles such as boats, submerged snags, and floating debris. The seaplane pilot must also be familiar with the vastly different characteristics of seaplanes when taxiing at various speeds.

SeaPlane Takeoff and Landing

Unlike land-based aircraft, seaplanes have some unique types of landings and take offs. For example, glassy (calm) water inhibits depth perception during landing, and adds significant drag during takeoff. Rough water pummels the airframe and passengers, prompting expedited liftoffs and prompt deceleration on landing. Crosswind landings have much in common with land-based crosswind procedures, but crosswind landings are rarely necessary in a seaplane because the landing surface is usually large enough to land into the wind regardless of its direction.

SeaPlane In the Air

Essentially, seaplanes handle the same when airborne as their land-based brethren. The two most significant differences are speed and yaw stability. Speed is obviously reduced by the bulky floatation gear, whether that be floats, sponsons, or the "step" in the hull. Yaw stability is eroded in float-equipped seaplanes by the addition of surface area in front of the center of gravity. When the airplane yaws, air hitting the front of the floats tries to maintain the yaw. Many floatplanes have enlarged vertical stabilizers to counteract this destabilizing effect, but adroit rudder control is still a valuable skill for seaplane pilots.

SeaPlane Coming Ashore

Flying a seaplane is the easy part. Docking, ramping, and mooring is where a seaplane pilot proves his or her ability. Precise control of the seaplane on the water, accounting for the effects of wind, current, obstacles, and momentum, leads to a respectable finale to the flight. Failure to exercise such vigilance results in very expensive dents.

SeaPlane One more thing.

It is wind that the seaplane pilot curses most often -- and doesn't thank often enough. Seaplanes naturally weathervane to point into the wind, and this is often the downfall of an otherwise perfect approach for docking or beaching, and sometimes a good reason to abort a takeoff or avoid a landing. But wind can also shorten a takeoff or landing, assist a docking or beaching, or act as a brake when motion is not desired. The ability to recognize and take advantage of wind conditions is critical for the seaplane pilot. The good news is that mother nature provides an abundance of clues. Learning to pick up on those clues is as much a part of learning to fly a seaplane as is mastering taking off and landing.

SeaPlane Read & Discuss

Obviously, we cannot prepare you in a few short paragraphs to master the breadth of skills required to be a safe seaplane pilot. Entire books have been written to assist you in developing those skills, and we encourage you to read a few of them. Also, do not underestimate the value of others' experiences. Get to know other seaplane pilots, and don't hesitate to ask for advice.

Seaplanes: http://www.seaplanes.org

Types of SeaPlanes

The word "seaplane" is used to describe two types of air/water vehicles: the floatplane and the flying boat.

• A floatplane has slender pontoons mounted under the fuselage. Two floats are common, but many floatplanes of World War II had a single float under the main fuselage and two small floats on the wings. Only the "floats" of a floatplane normally come into contact with water. The fuselage remains above water. Some small land aircraft can be modified to become float planes.
• In a flying boat, the main source of buoyancy is the fuselage, which acts like a ship's hull in the water. Most flying boats have small floats mounted on their wings to keep them stable.

The term "seaplane" is used by some to refer only to floatplanes (aircraft with floats as landing gear), with the flying boat being a distinct type of craft. This article treats both flying boats and floatplanes as types of seaplane.

An amphibious aircraft can take off and land both on conventional runways and water. A true seaplane can only take off and land on water. There are amphibious flying boats and amphibious floatplanes, as well as some hybrid designs, e.g., floatplanes with retractable floats. Modern production seaplanes are largely amphibious and of a floatplane design.