Charles Welden’s first attempt at earning his seaplane rating ended after just one day.
Welden, 57, started his aviation journey at 16, when he got a job parking cars to pay for flight training.
After earning his private pilot certificate soon after turning 17, his interest in seaplanes started when he noticed a Cessna 150 on straight floats that had been parked for years at a dock on Alabama’s Lake Martin, where he spent a lot of time growing up.
But it wasn’t until 1997 that he had the chance to scratch his seaplane itch, when he flew a J-3 Cub on floats with an instructor who turned out to be a drill sergeant.
After getting his fill of verbal abuse, the soft-spoken, laid-back Welden did not complete his second day of training.
“It was boot camp with a drill sergeant instructor. No prep was done,” he recalls. “Abuse was not the ticket I had purchased. I knew that there had to be a better way.”
It was not until several years later that he had the opportunity to buy that same Cessna 150 floatplane and use it to finally complete his Single Engine Sea rating with a different instructor.
Years later, as a CFI who owns WaterWings Seaplanes, a seaplane flight school near Birmingham, Alabama, Welden notes that seaplane flying should be an enjoyable experience.
“Seaplane flying is supposed to be a fun learning experience,” he says. “If you’re not having fun, then we have failed.”
“If you’re not having fun, then we have failed.”
After his bad experience with his first seaplane instructor — and several years enjoying float flying as a hobby — Welden noticed a need for seaplane training in Alabama, which led him to become a CFI.
Meanwhile, he also pursued a successful career creating specialized software for television stations, a business he sold in 2016. He then started an IT support business, Tailwinds Technologies.
During that time, he was also running WaterWings, which he started in 2001.
Since then, he has passionately concentrated on growing the seaplane school.
“I don’t consider instructing a job,” he says. “It’s a lifestyle I love to share with others, and I meet some really interesting people.”
His approach is successful. WaterWings was named a “Distinguished Flight School” in the southeast for 2017, 2018, and 2019 and Welden was named a “Distinguished CFI” in the Flight Training Survey from the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association.
His total flight time is over 8,000 hours, with about half of that as a flight instructor. In addition to numerous instructor ratings, he is also a Designated Pilot Examiner (DPE).
Welden offers year-round training with a unique fleet of single and multi-engine seaplanes at two bases of operation southeast of Birmingham, Alabama.
Welden’s main toy box is an 8,000-square-foot hangar at Shelby County Airport (KEET) in Calera, Alabama, just west of the Lay Lake reservoir of the Coosa River. This location is supplemented with a second large hangar at the private Willow Point Airport (AL71) on Lake Martin, a huge man-made body of water near Alexander City, Alabama.
Want a single engine sea floatplane rating? Welden has a 2001 Aviat A1B Husky on Wipline 2100 amphibious floats.
Or, if you prefer to get your bottom wet in a flying boat, he has two Super Petrel Light Sport biplane amphibians available.
“The Super Petrels have been a very popular training option due to their performance and low cost of operation,” says Welden. “Our 100-hp Super Petrel performs very well with its Rotax 912iS engine, but our brand new 400 Series Super Petrel, with its turbocharged 115-hp Rotax 914, is what most people now want to fly. That’s why we currently have our original 2020 Super Petrel for sale.”
Multi-engine seaplane ratings are offered in two classic 1946 Grumman Widgeon G-44A flying boats and a like-new 2018 AirCam on Clamar amphibs.
“Pilots from all over the world travel to WaterWings to fly a Widgeon with us for several days,” Welden says.
“Flying the single engine Super Petrel is a good way to get ready to transition to the twin-engine flying boat,” he adds. “With proper training, the Grumman’s reputation for porpoising on takeoff and landing is not a problem.”
“The Widgeon is a dream to fly,” he continues. “You feel like you’re back in the 1940s, cruising the countryside with your elbow out the window.”
“The Widgeon is a dream to fly.”
The school just recently earned FAA approval to conduct multi-engine seaplane ratings in the AirCam, he reports.
“It’s important to note that the applicant must already have a multi-engine rating in order to qualify for the MES rating in the AirCam because it does not have controllable pitch props,” he adds.
Don’t have a multi-engine rating?
“No problem,” says Welden, who also has a 1965 Piper Aztec in his fleet that’s available for twin engine instruction.
“The Lockwood AirCam is an amazing and unique machine,” he continues. “It redefines the idea of open-air flying.”
He adds that while WaterWings’ AirCam has a high windshield and heated seats, he is looking into the enclosed cockpit version “to make it more comfortable to fly in the winter months.“
Rounding out Welden’s flight training options are two planes on wheels that are available for tailwheel instruction: A 1939 Piper Cub and an American Champion Super Decathlon, which is also used for aerobatics and unusual attitude recovery.
Out of town customers often combine a tailwheel and seaplane rating during one trip, he notes.
In the past, Welden has had a Robinson R44 helicopter in his fleet and he’s looking for another one now.
He’s also in the process of restoring that little Cessna that started his own journey with seaplane flying. It turned out to be a good performer because of its 150-hp conversion and STOL kit, he says.
Besides his unique fleet of aircraft, location plays a big part in Welden’s success.
Lay Lake is only about 15 minutes flight time from KEET, so he can get a customer on the water quickly. Long straight stretches with few residents to disturb make it ideal for “splash and goes,” he adds.
Lake Martin, with exceptionally clear water and more than 800 miles of shoreline, is about 45 minutes away. The huge reservoir offers an endless variety of landing options and some waterfront restaurants accessible to seaplanes.
Welden has a very specific mission in mind when training new pilots.
“We want our students to leave with plenty of stories to tell their friends, new skills, a better understanding of our flying environment, and a yearning for more. Students will be treated with respect. They will never be rushed or yelled at. Safety will not be compromised.”
Perhaps his philosophy is best summed up in a tagline on his website: “We make you better at things you love to do.”
For more information: WaterWings.com
