Progressive Aerodyne of Tavares, Florida, has donated a Searey Adventure amphibian to the Seaplane Pilots Association (SPA), which will be used for the next year to promote water flying.
“SPA is extremely thankful to Progressive Aerodyne for providing this exciting opportunity and partnership to expand our public presence with this great example of an affordable and very capable little seaplane,” said SPA Executive Director Steven McCaughey.
“At Progressive Aerodyne, we are committed to pilot safety, ongoing training and the responsible use of our waterways,” said Kevin Oaks, sales manager. “And these themes are consistently echoed by the Seaplane Pilots Association.”
“The plane will be displayed at as many flying events as possible over the next year,” added McCaughey, “including, hopefully, an upcoming seaplane gathering in Colorado, a state that has not historically been friendly to seaplanes.
“We will use the plane to spread the goodwill of the seaplane community, and since the Searey is quiet and does not use much fuel, it will be a great ambassador to educate people about seaplanes,” he continued.
“I’m thrilled that Progressive Aerodyne stepped up and the Adventure model is a great plane for us to use. It is a low-cost model with steam gauges rather than glass, which encourages pilots to keep their eyes out of the cockpit and concentrate on stick and rudder skills. It’s back-to-basics flying.”
The Searey Adventure model has a base price of $124,000, which includes pilot training and ADS-B compliance. The two-seat flying boat is powered by a Rotax 100 horsepower engine.
Progressive Aerodyne has been in business for 26 years and more than 700 Seareys are flying worldwide. The airplane is available as a factory-built and certified SLSA or as a kit.
In an epic world record flight, Michael Smith of Australia recently flew a Searey around the world solo.
Founded in 1972, the SPA is raising funds to build a $6.5 million headquarters on the lake adjacent the Winter Haven, Florida airport, near where Jack Brown’s Seaplane Base has been part of the community for 40 years.
“We’ve leased 1,000′ of shoreline and we will build a ramp big enough to accommodate amphibians as large as Caravans and Beavers,” explained McCaughey. “In addition, we will have floating docks to accommodate seven seaplanes and a 16,000-square-foot building with a 100’ by 100’ hangar, event pavilion and offices. The SUN ‘n FUN Seabird Splash-in will eventually be held there.”
The SPA will soon announce details of an Oct. 1-6, 2018, trip for SPA members to the Seattle area, which will include a tour of the Boeing factory and opportunities to fly seaplanes at Kenmore Air Harbor.
