>> PLUGS ARE REMOVED, FUEL CAP IS ON.
HOW IS THE FUEL SET? >> I GREW UP IN CENTRAL IOWA AND
WORKED AT THE AIRPORT THERE. I GOT INTERESTED IN AIRPLANES
THERE. MY DAD WAS A MODEL AIRPLANE
BUILDER AND ALWAYS APPRECIATED
THAT. AND I WORKED FOR A FARMER IN
IOWA THAT WAS IN THE NAVY, AFFILIATED WITH SEA PLANES AND
KIND OF GOT INTO THIS THAT WAY. >> LET'S TAKE IT TO THE WATER.
>> ALL RIGHT. >> I BOUGHT A SEAPLANE THAT WE
COULD AFFORD. THAT WAS A SEAPLANE WE HAD TO
BUILD AND IT WAS HANGING IN THE BARN AT HOME ON THE FARM.
♪ >> AND THE VETERINARY FROM TOWN
HERE CAME OUT AND HIS SON FLIES IN ALASKA ON FLOATS.
SAW THAT AND RECOGNIZED IT AND SAYS YOU NEED TO COME DOWN TO
RISING SUN AND LOOK AT THE WATER
HERE. I DID AND I CAME DOWN HERE AND
IT'S IDEAL. IT'S ONE THE LARGEST, WIDEST,
STRAIGHTEST STRETCHES OF THE OHIO RIVER.
A LONG WAYS BETWEEN DAMS AND DURING THE SUMMER TIME WHEN THE
RIVER IS AT POOL, IT'S MAKES A
LAKE. MAC'S SEAPLANE IT STARTED OUT
WITH FLOAT PLANES AND DID SOME RIDES AND WE ADDED MORE PLANES
AND DID THIS FULL-TIME. SEATBELTS.
LIFE VESTS ARE ON. WE ARE COMPLETE WITH THE
BRIEFING. THE ENGINE CHECK LIST IS
COMPLETE. >> CLEAR.
HERE WE GO. [ ENGINE STARTS ]
>> WE'LL COME DOWN, GET THE AIRPLANE OUT.
WE USED TO BE READY AND WE FOUND OUT THAT PEOPLE REALLY LIKED TO
WATCH THE LAUNCHING PROCESS, ABOUT AS MUCH AS FLYING AND WE
KIND OF LET EVERYBODY WATCH
THAT. AND WE GO DOWN AND PUT THE
AIRPLANE IN THE WATER. WE DO PASSENGER BRIEFINGS ON THE
USE OF OUR LIFE JACKETS AND EMERGENCY EXITS AND THE
EMERGENCY EQUIPMENT IN THE AIRPLANE.
>> JUST ONE ATTITUDE, TAKEOFF AND LANDING.
IT HAS TO DO WITH THE FLOATS INSTEAD OF THE WINGS.
A LOT OF PEOPLE WANT TO FORCE THE AIRPLANE OFF.
IT DOESN'T HELP AT ALL. IT'S LIKE TRYING TO FLY A SPEED
BOAT ON THE WATER. THE WATER IS MUCH MORE DENSE
THAN THE AIR AND IT BECOMES THE OVERRIDING FACTOR.
♪ ♪
>> I HAD A COUPLE OF MEETINGS WITH THE PORT AUTHORITY AND THEN
THE CITY COUNCIL, AND TRIED TO EXPLAIN WHAT I WAS TRYING TO DO.
IT'S WORKED OUT VERY WELL. WE JUST DIDN'T HAVE A HANGAR.
AND THAT'S WHAT WE HAVE BUILT HERE WITH THE HELP OF THE CITY.
THE CITY HAS BUILT A BUILDING AND WE LEASE IT.
THE SEAPLANE BASE IS NOT L.A.X. IT'S NOT JOHN F. KENNEDY.
IT'S 67 INDIAN NOVEMBER. WE FILED FOR THAT.
AND THEN ONCE WE DO, THAT THEY HAVE TO DO A NAVIGATION
INTERFERENCE STUDY AND WE HAD TO TALK TO THE APPROACH CONTROLLERS
AT CINCINNATI AIRPORT AND THEY KNOW WHAT WE ARE DOING.
WE DISCUSSED PATTERNS. WE HAVE BEEN OPERATING HERE
EIGHT OR NINE YEARS NOW. WE DON'T GO HIGH ENOUGH TO GET
INTO THE BOTTOM OF THEIR AIR
SPACE. IT'S QUITE A BIT DIFFERENT.
IT REQUIRES A DIFFERENT RATING TO FLY ON THE WATER.
THERE'S QUITE A FEW DIFFERENTS. THERE'S DOCKING AND SAILING AND
MOORING AND RAMPING, ANCHORING, ROUGH WATER, COULD FIND AREA OF
TAKEOFF AND GLASSY WATER
TAKEOFF. >> WE GOT TO FLY LIKE YOU ARE
DRIVING DOWN THE INTERSTATE, STAY ON THE RIGHT SIDE OF THE
RIVER AND IF SOMEONE ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE RIVER, WE MAKE
IT EASIER TO SEE. >> WITH SEAPLANES, YOU KNOW THIS
AIRPLANE BEHIND US TAKES A MILE, WATER LOADED TO TAKE OFF AND IT
WILL TAKE ABOUT 1500 FEET IF YOU ARE BY YOURSELF.
SO IT HAS A BIG EFFECT WITH
WEIGHT. THREE TIMES LONGER TO TAKE OFF
IN A SEAPLANE, THAN LANDING. YOU CAN LAND IN A LAKE THAT YOU
CAN'T GET OUT OF, UNLESS YOU TAKE THE AIRPLANE APART.
>> IT'S A LITTLE DIFFERENT ART TO AVIATION.
I JUST CALL IT CLIMB WITH NO
BRAKES. >> THE SEAPLANE PILOTS
ASSOCIATION HAS A GREAT ONLINE WATER LANDING DIRECTORY THAT
REALLY HELPS TO DEFINE WHAT WATER IS AVAILABLE TO LAND ON.
♪ >> THE OHIO RIVER IS AN OPEN
FEDERAL NAVIGATABLE WATER AND WE CAN OPERATE HERE WITHOUT ANY
SPECIAL PERMITTING. >> FLEW A YOUNG AMISH BOY.
THEY WATCHED US FOR AN HOUR AND HE ASKED ME HOW MUCH A RIDE WAS.
HE TOLD ME. HE SAID THANK YOU.
HE WENT UP AND TALKED TO HIS DAD, I GUESS AND CAME BACK DOWN
WITH THE MONEY. AND I TOOK HIM FOR A FLIGHT AND
HE WAS VERY STIFF. HE TOLD ME IT WAS HIS FIRST
AIRPLANE RIDE. I CAME BACK AN LANDED AND I SAID
HOW COME YOUR DAD SAID IT WAS OKAY TO GO FLYING.
I DON'T UNDERSTAND IT. HE SAID IT DIDN'T HAVE ANY
WHEELS AN HE THOUGHT IT WOULD BE
OKAY. >> OUR BUSINESS STARTED OUT 90%
RIDES AND 10% TRAINING. WE ASSUMED THAT WE WOULD MINE
OUT OUR LOCAL AREA WITH RIDERS, YOU KNOW WHEN YOU HAVE A LOT OF
PEOPLE FROM OUT OF TOWN. I WOULD SAY NOW WE ARE PROBABLY
50/50 WITH RIDES AND FLIGHT INSTRUCTION.
>> YOU CAN SEE THE WIND STREAKS OUT ON THE WATER GIVES YOU AN
INDICATION OF WHAT DIRECTION THE WIND IS BLOWING, THAT AND GROUND
FLAGS. AND IF YOU ARE IN DOUBT, YOU CAN
ALWAYS STICK YOUR WATER RUDDERS UP AND THE WA WEATHER VEIN.
>> IT'S PROBABLY ON EVERY PILOT'S BUCKET LIST TO GET A
SEAPLANE RATING. WE HAVE TO DO MORE COMMERCIAL
SEAPLANE RATING BECAUSE OF THE CHALLENGES OF THE OHIO RAVER.
IT TAKES -- RIVER. IT TAKES MORE TIME TO GET
QUALIFIED ON THIS RIVER. WE ARE NOT ABLE TO GIVE QUICK
RIDES JUST FOR THAT PURPOSE BUT WE MAKE A LOST COMMERCIAL
SEAPLANE PILOTS AND THAT'S WHAT WE PREFER TO DO.
>> WELL, I WENT TO SEVERAL DIFFERENT FLIGHT SCHOOLS TO GO
AHEAD AND GET ALL OF MY RATINGS FROM PRIVATE ALL THE WAY TO
COMMERCIAL. AND THEN I CAME HERE ASKING FOR
MY SEAPLANE RATING, WENT THROUGH THE WHOLE TRAINING SEAPLANE
PROCESS. AND GOT MY COMMERCIAL SEAPLANE.
HE PUT ME THROUGH A FEW TRAINING FLIGHTS, AND SENT ME UP ON
SEVERAL TOURS AND HERE I AM
TODAY. >> PRETTY SIMPLE IN SEAPLANES.
WE DON'T USE FULL FLAPS BECAUSE THERE'S NO SUCH THING AS A FULL
STALL LANDING IN A SEA PLANE. IT'S ALL HYDRODYNAMIC RATHER
THAN AERODYNAMIC. >> WE DEVELOPED A TRAINING HERE
THAT WE KNOW VERY WELL AND A WISE PILOT, AN OLDER SEAPLANE
PILOT. HE SAID, WHEN YOU ARE IN A SEA
PLANE, IT'S EASY TO EXPLORE. BUT IF YOU EXPLORE, YOU WILL
PROBABLY FIND SOMETHING. I TOOK THAT TO HEART, AND WE
HAVE A TRAINING AREA FROM AURORA ALL THE WAY DOWN THE RIVER TO
THE WARSAW DAM. >> MAKE THE FLAPS 20 DEGREES AND
FUEL SELECTOR, THE RUDDERS ARE
UP. WINDOWS AND DOORS ARE CLOSED AND
LOCKED.
♪ ♪
>> WE ARE INDIANA'S WORST ON TIME PERFORMANCE AIRLINE.
WE ARE CANCEL A FLIGHT IF IT'S UNSAFE OR WE WON'T GO IF IT'S
UNSAFE. WE WILL BE GLAD TO STAY AT THE
BOTTOM OF THAT LIST, I GUESS. THAT'S WHAT WE ARE.
WE ARE IN THE ENTERTAINMENT BUSINESS, REALLY.
PEOPLE DON'T COME OUT HERE UNLESS THEY WANT TO HAVE SOME
FUN AND IT'S TO GO THEM, SOMETHING DIFFERENT.
>> UP WEST MOST INTERESTING THINGS -- ONE OF THE MOST
INTERESTING THINGS ABOUT THIS IS HOW QUICK YOU FIND OUT HOW YOUR
PASSENGERS, THEIR PERSONALITY
IS. AND AFTER THE FIRST FEW MINUTES,
YOU KIND OF FIGURE OUT HOW YOU WILL DO YOUR TOUR FROM THERE.
NO TWO TOURS I DO ARE THE SAME. IT'S JUST BASED ON THE
PERSONALITY OF WHO I'M FLYING WITH.
>> I THINK ONE OF THE MAJOR REASONS THAT I WANTED TO DO
THIS, WHEN I WAS YOUNG, IT WAS REALLY AN INTEREST TO ME TO GO
TO THE AIRPORTS AND WATCH THE AIRPLANES FLY, WATCH AIRPLANES,
HANG OUT, BE ABLE TO GET CLOSE TO THE AVIATION COMMUNITY.
WHAT I HAVE NOTICED IN MY LIFETIME, THE AIRPORT SECURITY
HAS GONE UP. THERE'S FENCES AROUND
EVERYTHING. IT'S KIND OF INTIMIDATING.
WE ARE DOWN HERE IN THE MIDDLE OF TOWN ON PURPOSE.
WE ENCOURAGE PEOPLE TO COME IN AND SEE WHAT'S GOING ON AND BE
INTERESTED IN AVIATION. WHO KNOWS.
THESE KIDS THAT ARE WATCHING US, I MEAN LITTLE KIDS WATCHING US
FLY, HOW WILL IT IMPRINT THEM LATER ON.
MAYBE THEY WILL PICK A JOB OR MAYBE THEY WILL BE FLYING
AIRLINERS BY REMOTE CONTROL. AVIATION HAS BEEN GOOD TO ME AND
I WOULD LIKE TO MAKE SURE THAT IT CONTINUES.