Seaplane Night Landings
 

In order to retain night currency in an amphibious seaplane, does anybody know if those night landings have to be done in another amphibious seaplane, or can they be logged in a land plane, since you won't be doing any night water landings?

My understanding is that they do need to be done in the amphibious aircraft. However, I've heard different opinions on this. Anybody got anything?

61.57 (b)(1)(ii) says:
Single engine land and single engine sea are differing classes of the airplane category. Hence, they do not count for each other in the case of landing currency for carrying passengers.

I believe that in this case, amphibians are in the class of "sea."

An single engine amphib operated from land is the same as a regular single engine land plane. A pilot with no seaplane rating can even operate an amphib from land. So your single engine land night currency is good whether its made in an amphib or a regular land plane.

Up here (Canada), "Category" and "Class" have different meanings depending on application. "Single-engine," "multi-engine," "water/sea" and "land," etc., are pilot licensing classes. Hence a "sea" obtained in a single engine seaplane and a "multi-engine" obtained in a multi-engine landplane automatically includes a multi-engine sea, e.g., "single and multi-engine land and sea" (SMELS). I suspect it's the same where you are.

If you're in the US, The FAA says:

Category:

(1) As used with respect to the certification, ratings, privileges, and limitations of airmen, means a broad classification of aircraft. Examples include: airplane; rotorcraft; glider; and lighter-than-air; and

(2) As used with respect to the certification of aircraft, means a grouping of aircraft based upon intended use or operating limitations. Examples include: transport, normal, utility, acrobatic, limited, restricted, and provisional.

Class:

(1) As used with respect to the certification, ratings, privileges, and limitations of airmen, means a classification of aircraft within a category having similar operating characteristics. Examples include: single engine; multi-engine; land; water; gyroplane; helicopter; airship; and free balloon; and

(2) As used with respect to the certification of aircraft, means a broad grouping of aircraft having similar characteristics of propulsion, flight, or landing. Examples include: airplane; rotorcraft; glider; balloon; landplane; and seaplane.

The way I read it, takeoffs and landings in any e.g., "normal category, airplane" is valid for ALL "normal category, airplanes."

But there are caveats. Some aircraft fall into more than one "category," depending on how they are operated. E.g., you can't maintain currency in "utility category, airplanes" by doing the required takeoffs and landings in that same airplane operated in "normal category" - or vice versa.

You've got to slow down on the Absinthe.......

If where you're at is FAA land it is different. To get SMELS requires 4 checkrides. I've got SMEL and MES but not SES. Can't legally crank up a cub on floats. And you'd think being current MEL would cover you SEL but no, not in the FAA's eyes.

MES...Some of the old salts talked about landing in the harbor after civil twilight but I'm 80% sure they were skylarking me. plift raises an interesting point, never really thought about it?

Bummer. Times change... I guess. I got SMELS (Canada/TC and USA/FAA) in the '70s without ever seeing a MES airplane from up close.

AMES with Transport Canada license conversion never having turned a wheel, jeez. Don't know what you missed. For those logged hours flying boats, a snapshot from...

Nassau circa '86. Trundle down the ramp, sign two fingers up, put her on the step straight ahead south, dock market 10 o'clock and six hundred yards. Potter's Cay conch salad fresh out of the shell & clear bottle Beck's, a nearly religious experience. Anyhow, continue step taxi in turn 90 degrees left, steady at 50 knots or so and line up for the wide span under Hog island bridge. Clearing concrete pillars 12-15 foot off either wing tip, cob em up and skip off chop into smooth all at once climb above white caps at the open water east entrance. Most excellent, alive to see it one more time...today. At least this line has some other jokers doing Cat.

Man, I remember the Chalk days, they were special. Once even got to fly "Guest Copilot" Nassau/Mia Beach.