Thanks much all! I got my ticket at local Brown's Seaplane Base here in Winter Haven, they pretty much wrote the book on it and it's also where I took my first flight back when I was a wee tot. Unfortunately though there isn't much of anyplace that rents seaplanes for solo operation due to high insurance, so I'll probably pop in there once every six weeks or so to get in a little "splash time" for currency.

Most of my time is in the venerable Cessna 172 which will likely continue, but my dream bird and reason for the seaplane rating is the Murphy Super Rebel 3500 on amphibious floats...



The M14 radial is real popular right now for this bird but it was originally designed for Lycoming power but will accept a number of alternative power plants. While not necessarily wanting to get into a debate of auto vs. air engines (air will always win in a straight fight) I've narrowed my choices down to either the Mazda 20B or a surplus turboshaft engine. Either way I'll end up with a long, narrow turbine nose like on a Pilatus PC-6...



If I can swing the turboshaft then I can use biodiesel and whatever jet fuel is available, but with the Mazda I've got less initial expense and self-maintenance. At least I won't have to worry about the decision for a good long while, and at the moment there's a strong movement toward new diesel aviation engines with 14 new designs going into production this year alone.

Oh, speaking of Seabees, Brown's has a twin Seabee they use for the multi-engine course. I think it's about $450 an hour wet/dual.