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WaterWings Seaplanes
We are the only school to offer multi and single engine sea in both flying boats and floatplanes. Single and Multi Engine Seaplane, Light Sport Seaplane, Multi-Engine Land, Helicopter, Tailwheel, Amphibious AirCam MES, Spin, Upset, and Unusual Attitude Training
Our mission:
To offer students the best training environment and tools possible while providing fun and adventure. We want our students to leave with plenty of stories to tell their friends, new skills, a better understanding of our flying environment, and a yearning for more. Students will be treated with respect. They will never be rushed, or yelled at. Safety will NOT be compromised.
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Have you ever dreamed of flying floats? Get your seaplane rating here, on one of Alabama's beautiful lakes. In a typical two-day course you'll fly 2 to 3 hours a day, and there's no FAA written exam. Getting your WaterWings counts as a bi-annual flight review. If you already have your rating, we can help you keep your sea legs, too, with recurrency training. We operate two Glass Panel Aviat Huskies on Wipline 2100 amphibious floats, as well as two Super Petrels, and a couple of Aircams.
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Flying Boats and Light Sport Seaplane (Super Petrel LS)
WaterWings has two new 2021/2022 Super Petrel LS Turbos. These are flying boats. The Super Petrel is a biplane, an amphibian, a light-sport aircraft, and a hoot to fly. The light sport part of it means that if you really hate checkrides with examiners two of our instructors can fly with you and get you the Light Sport seaplane endorsement. But wait... You are a commercial pilot and you want a commercial pilot seaplane rating. That can happen in the Super Petrel as well. You just have to take a checkride. In any case the Super Petrel LS is a dream to fly. The turbo charger gives it an awesome kick in the pants to get it off the water quickly on a hot summer day. During the summer months we usually fly with the doors off for a cooler open air experience. The Super Petrel is a modern airplane with carbon fiber bones, Garmin G3x smarts, and Rotax 914uls muscle.
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The Lockwood AirCam is an amazing and unique machine. It redefines the idea of open-air flying. You sit out in front of the aircraft. The windshield blocks most of the wind. There is no plexiglass or aluminum to spoil your view of the world. It has ample power to get you up and out of the water. It has a high lift wing to let you fly slow and enjoy the environment or take photos. We have two AirCams a 2018 and a 2007 model with Garmin G3X Touch avionics. One even has heated seats for the cooler months the other can be fitted with a full enclosure for winter, making things nice and cosy. WaterWings has been granted a LODA (Letter of Deviation Authority) from the FAA allowing us to train towards private and commercial Multi Engine Sea Ratings in the AirCam. We are thus a one stop shop to get your MES rating in the AirCam.
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We offer tailwheel training in a classic 1939 Piper J3 Cub and our 2006 American Champion Super Decathlon, The cub is the airplane that really started general aviation. It was the trainer for thousands of pilots in World War II, and is an iconic aircraft for good reason. Even though its design is more than 75 years old, the Piper Cub is a great trainer. It's not too easy, it's not too hard. It is real flying. The Super Decathlon is a bunch faster and more challenging, but still teaches the same skills. All of your flying will improve with a tailwheel endorsement. The endorsement requires no written, no checkride, just a good command of the aircraft on take-off and landing in a variety of conditions. The training takes from 3 to 10 hours depending on your flying history and your hand/eye/foot coordination.
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The Multi-Engine Rating opens the world of true high performance and commercial aviation to the pilot. To be truly marketable in the corporate or airline world the multi-engine rating and some considerable multi-engine time are critical to your resume. There are people and pilots who will not fly at night or in IMC without two engines. The redundancy of equipment and the speed of the aircraft make them vital to critical missions. We have a very nice and well equipped 1965 Piper Aztec available for training.
Rotorcraft / Helicopter Training
Our helicopter is a 2006 Model Robinson R44 Raven II air-conditioned instrument trainer. It is capable of carrying 4 people at 110kts in air-conditioned comfort using around 15 gallons an hour of fuel. Robinson blew the curve for piston helicopters when it came out with the R22 Trainer, and then it blew the curve again when the much more capable and functional R44 was introduced. Never had helicopters been more affordable and reliable. We are offering private, commercial, instrument, CFI, ATP, and R44 transition training in this awesome machine.
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Flying helicopters is a remarkable experience. Who among us was not in awe when Charlie pushed the red button in the Wonkavator, well a helicopter can do most of what the Wonkavator can do and probably a few extra tasks. It is truly a point to point method of travel if you have a good landing spot that you have control over or at least permission to land on. The view from the helicopter is unparalleled.
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Getting the rating is pretty easy. If you are already an airplane pilot, you need a minimum of only 30 hours. Call us an we will get you started.
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Many of us grew up with a 10-speed bike. But, you can't jump curbs, ride in the grass, or into the woods on a skinny tire bike. Then they made mountain bikes, on which, you can go nearly anywhere and do almost anything. Normal airplanes are good to 60 degrees of bank and 30 degrees of pitch. Aerobatic aircraft have none of these limitations. Come see what you've been missing and how to get out of strange situations safely.
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As pilots, we have been trained to avoid spins at all costs. This makes them sound like scary monsters that will kill you instantly. This is not the case given enough altitude and a little knowledge. Spins are simply the result of an uncoordinated stall. Most planes will exit a spin when the power is cut and the controls neutralized. We will teach you how to get into and out of a spin in the Super Decathlon. The monster will be tamed as long as there is altitude to recover.
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Private, Commercial, ATP, CFI, Instrument, Re-currency
Need something more or less than mentioned above? Give us a call and we will help make your plan a reality.
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We proudly offer our troops and veterans a 5% discount on all our services. Without their dedication and sacrifices we would not have the freedoms of flight that we so enjoy.
Need a gift certificate? Call or email us, we will get you setup.
WaterWIngs Seaplane School was named a "Distinguished Flight School" in the southeast for 2017, 2018 and 2019 in the You Can Fly survey and Charles Welden was named as a "Distinguished CFI" in the same survey.
