I flew floats in Alaska. I owned a float plane for 13 years. During that time I have learned a few things. Float flying is hard to get into and can be even harder to get out of.

Everyone needs to be able to make a living and to have a life. Most career seaplane pilots hate their jobs. A pilot can get stuck doing it for life. I have a friend right now who has been forced to concede his dream of a normal life in the lower 48 and has to return to Alaska this summer. He and I started up there together and he has not been able to find a way out.

The time is nearly useless to most other areas in aviation. After you have done it for a while it is possible to eek out a living and it becomes difficult to start over. Fun is fun but people need to be able to have a full life. Seaplane jobs usually are located in remote areas where it is difficult to make a life. There are guys who I knew from long ago who are still up there flying but are not happy about it.

An airline captain who I flew with put it nicely when he said "I too wasted my youth flying seaplanes in Alaska". Looking back it was all a waste of time. It did not help me to achieve any of my overall life goals and I do not feel improved for the experience of it. Aviation has a lot of attractive traps, pit falls and dead ends. Flying floats is one of them. The time is worthless and does not usually lead to a situation that provides a beneficial and productive life.

I do not hold much of a better opinion of airline flying however in the airlines there is at least a chance of finding a happy ending.

Skyhigh