Good things… New sections… Seaplane Egress

New sections added, for seaplane enthusiasts

It has taken a while and much experimenting to get the seaplane forum out of its baby shoes. My belief is, that with a few minor modifications (as hopefully implemented by the membership) the forum will be able to stand on its own. While many of the founding and early members went though the obligatory changes and technical difficulties with me, some may have jumped ship. My initial idea to furnish a virtual home and information exchange platform to local and state seaplane associations and interest groups, but also my attempts to make the forum available independent of a membership to SPA or any other association may have caused some misconceptions, but that’s normal and to be expected. When I changed course, away from the associations and stopped trying to cater to them, things improved. As this is the first forum I have launched as a “total one man show” many of my actions where attempts to see what works and what doesn’t. For sure an interesting and sometimes utterly frustrating process! Except for a few, the feedback on changes and additions has been either positive or non-existent. Those who have provided feedback, had the opportunity to mold and shape this forum into it’s current form and content. Thank You! Important to remember is that the group remains, or attempts to remain, in partner like relationship with other forum providers, who may only furnish one section for seaplanes. The future will hold the clues, as to the need and acceptance on a more broad level.

With that, a few more new sections have been added. The goal: Completeness! Making the seaplaneforum.com site a one stop shop requires a broad spectrum of seaplane specific interest areas. A decision was made to offer members the opportunity to share experiences with their particular float brand, but also a “non certified” section for all the experimental and LSA’s which are all gaining footing in this market. The newly created  Seaplane Employment Opportunities section will hopefully prove beneficial to those who are looking for and offering employment in this industry. Further, I do hope to have done a good thing by providing the For Sale & Want To Buy section free to all signed up members. With the end of the season only a few months out, I know that people will be looking to share information on technical issues. Hence Technical Seaplane Talk is available.The forum domains & hosting is secured for quite a while to come with the help of some individual & industry supporters. At this point, all we need is solid activity, fun and networking, mixed in with growth.

Bryan Webster, a long time veteran in everything pertaining to Seaplane Egress Training / Knowledge joined us last week and I do hope the forum will benefit from this important aspect of seaplane flying. Bryan may be able to give us a first hand look into this sector, but members are invited to join in with sharing their particular measures to increase their chances for survival in seaplane upsets. This blog has been a tremendous indicator that people do care for this kind of information and if we can make one pilot think and get training or read, we have already done more than we could have ever wished for. Members are invited to share everything, from safety gadgets to personal technique, procedure or style.

Last but not least, the updates on Jim Poel have become less frequent, and that is due to good progress and developments. From what I hear, Jim is on solid food again, has used a telephone and is other than that already planning to be active with upcoming events. A few thousand visitors to this blog came here looking for updates on his status and recovery and I am honored to have forwarded all the comments and well wishes to Lovada. My sincere thanks to Bruce Hinds, at the Washington Seaplane Pilots Association who has kept many of us in the loop!

Soft Docks & Fly Safe!

International Seaplane Pilots Invited

TheMembers of Montana Seaplane Pilots Association where welcomed today in the Seaplane Forum!  Several invitations from within the U.S. are still open. The forum has expanded its search for interested Seaplane pilots quite a bit in the last few days. France, Italy, Germany, Switzerland, Greece – to name just a few where all cordially invited to join in on the global network. 

The forum has gained 76 new members so far and we are hoping to see many more join the ranks! Local & State SPA Leaders are now grouped together, to make messaging within the forum easier. The SPA page will receive another makeover and I plan to have a “Field Directors Area” as well – which can be used and viewed by members to help in distributing quick and efficient news updates from the field. Separate invitations will be issued within next week, to see what the interest in such features would be, and how it can be tailored to meet individuals needs. The goal is quick and efficient communication that allows for quick reaction and support. For Members & Supporters there is a CFI/DPE Network  in development, which will allow local flight schools and CFI’s, but also Designated Pilot Examiners (DPE’s) to communicate current issues and topics from the Seaplane Training Environment.  The forums growth has already outperformed  my expectations and there is a cool bunch of people together. However, it seems as if visitor numbers dropped sharply, as visitors discovered missing page icons. It was fixed quickly, nonetheless and we are climbing again.  We also hope to read from members who have joined and activated their accounts, but have not yet posted. On the technical side, all forum functions are back on track, even the repeated login issues reported by a few members (cookie permission based) have been resolved. All Feeds are back and re established to make following the forum easier for more convenient & efficient visitors.