Dads, Grad, and Seaplanes – and congrats, Kirk!

Posted on June 13, 2011 by toby

My pal Kirk

Hey, everyone,

It’s sure been busy around here!  We’re really getting into the season now, what with the weather (finally!) getting summery, and people wrapping up another school year.  In the past week alone, we’re carried many proud graduates (and their even prouder moms and dads) on our Seattle scenic flights.  We’ve also welcomed people from Germany, Austria, Mexico, California… and from right here in Seattle, too!

My friend Kirk came up from Colorado to take his ASES (airplane single-engine sea) checkride.  Of course he passed :-)  Kirk has an interesting flying career: he flew helicopters in the military, and now flies a corporate jet.  He came to us with an AMES (airplane multi-engine seaplane) rating, and he has several hundred hours in a Grumman Albatross.  That’s cool!

Hey – if you’re stumped for ideas for Father’s Day, or for that special graduate in your life, how about a seaplane ride?  A scenic flight, perhaps, or an introductory flight lesson? It’s a unique gift they’ll always remember!

Hope to see you around the Lake!

cheers,

Toby James

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And the checkrides just keep a’comin’!

Posted on June 2, 2011 by toby

So, we did six checkrides in the month of May.  That’s a lot!  And it’s a lot of fun, too.

Our most recent seaplane pilots are both active in other, very interesting areas of aviation.  One’s the chief engineer for the Shuttleworth Collection, all the way “across the pond” in the United Kingdom.  The other pilot flies a C-17 Globemaster for the United States Air Force.  We’re all honored that these pilots chose to fly with us for a few days, and experience life on the water!

Jean-Michel, and my friend Kit, his instructor

Paul, in his "civvies"

The Shuttleworth Collection is billed as the home of the “Edwardian Flying Machines,” and it includes some fascinating old airplane (or “aeroplanes” as they say over there.)  Jean-Michel is their Chief Engineer, and he was in town for a few days. He took one lesson with us, just for the fun of it, and decided to get his rating while he was in town!

Paul flies the “big iron” for the Air Force, out of Joint Base Lewis-McChord, which is south of Seattle.  He took delight in flying an airplane “low & slow,” and we had lots of fun flying with him, too.

See?  If you’re a pilot who’s been dreaming about getting a seaplane rating, what are you waiting for?   We’re ready for you!  And if we’re good enough to teach those who fly antique aircraft, or the big jets for the Air Force, imagine what fun we can have flying with you!

Cheers,

Toby James

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Congrats, Suzanne!

Posted on May 25, 2011 by toby

My friend Suzanne just soloed!

I’m very proud of Suzanne!

On Monday May 23, Suzanne got to take a lap around Lake Union all by herself.  I love it when our students solo, because then I get to go out on the dock to congratulate them.  She reported that the flight was very straightforward – no surprises, and she felt she’d been prepped well.  I gave my friend Kit, Suzanne’s instructor, an extra Toby nudge for that. <grin>

Suzanne has been one of our loyal customers for a while, and she’s now also working here!  She’s in the office on weekday mornings, so if you’re in the neighborhood, stop by to say Hi!   Better yet, come take a flight with us.  You just might get to say Hi to Suzanne in the air (over the radio of course)

Suzanne, landing by herself for the very first time

Yay!

cheers,

–Toby James

 

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What a busy week! With congrats to Tim, Jim, and Lonnie

Posted on May 22, 2011 by toby

Hey, gang,

Wow, it’s really starting to get busy around here!  We’ve had checkrides, birthdays, and engagement flights, too.  Not to mention it was also the week of International Learn to Fly Day, an event promoted by the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA). Anyway, spring is well underway, that’s for sure.  Don’t miss out!

So, we’ve had three checkrides this week.  A “checkride” is a flight test, which a pilot takes to earn a new qualification.  Obviously, around here, that means getting qualified to fly a seaplane.  We teach both primary instruction (for brand-new pilots) and add-on instruction (for existing pilots who want a seaplane rating.)

Anyway! Here are the three newest floatplane pilots: Tim from California, Jim from Bainbridge Island, and Lonnie from Kennewick!

Lonnie and me

Jim, a sailor from Bainbridge Island, and me

Here I am with Tim, who came all the way from Long Beach, CA

 

We also had some wonderful couples fly with us on some scenic flights, and get engaged in the process!  Love those flights…..

And along the way, on May 21, I celebrated my sixth birthday!  I’ll sign off with a poem that my friend Kit recited for me, in honor of my birthday. It’s by A.A. Milne, who, as you might know, wrote all the delightful Winnie the Pooh stories.  Anyway, here it is:

  • When I was One,
    I had just begun.
    When I was Two,
    I was nearly new.
    When I was Three
    I was hardly me.
    When I was Four,
    I was not much more.
    When I was Five,
    I was just alive.
    But now I am Six,
    I’m as clever as clever,
    So I think I’ll be six now for ever and ever.

    • A.A. Milne, 1927

Cheers, everyone!

–Toby James

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The aviating apiarist! And, congrats, Bo!

Posted on May 6, 2011 by toby
First off, a big Congrats to my friend Bo, who just passed his seaplane add-on rating checkride!  Bo works as a pilot for NetJets, and he recently spent some time with us, having a lot of fun. 🙂

 

Hey – did you know that in addition to flying seaplanes, my ‘dad’ is also an apiarist?  A beekeeper, that is?

Hive security, with my friend Becky

It’s true.  We have our own bee society, right here on the dock next to the airplanes. My dad ‘Jim’ takes care of the bees, feeding them, providing them with calming smoke, and just keeping his eye on them.  And every so often, they reward us with delicious honey (well, the humans are rewarded.  I don’t get to eat the honey…. usually)

It’s a complex business, beekeeping.  It’s all about the bees’ devotion to their Queen Bee; the queen is surrounded by worker bees and drones.  The queen lays thousands of eggs, and the workers keep things buzzing (heh) in the hives.  The workers (female) do all the work; the drones (male) hang around to fertilize eggs and mate with new queens.

And, of course, the by-product of all the work is the delicious honey, the result of the bees’ gathering nectar & sweetness from nearby flowers and plants. That’s another reason why we have so many pretty flowers around our Seattle Seaplanes dock.

Getting the honey out of the hive involves a complex process, too – spinning the honey out of the honeycombs.  Here’s a picture of my friend Dominique and my ‘mom’ Linda getting the honey out:

Alas, we don’t sell the honey, but next time you’re down to see us on the lake, take a look at the hives!

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Come see us out and about!

Posted on April 27, 2011 by toby

It's getting sunny enough to sunbathe!

Hey, Gang,

Spring is definitely in the air around here – the geese continue to torment me, the rosebushes are getting thick with leaves and branches, and more folks are coming to fly with us.  I love it!

We’re going to be out and about talking about seaplane flying and Seattle Seaplanes, so please stop by if you have a chance!   Here’s the scoop:

Saturday April 30, 10:00 – Noon, my pal Kit will be at the Aviator’s Store on Boeing Field in Seattle, giving a free seminar all about floatplanes!  If you’ve read this far in my blog, you’re probably interested in floatplanes.  Kit promises me there’ll be something for everyone to enjoy, whether you’re a seasoned old salty pilot, or not even wet behind the ears!  ( I made those up )

Wednesday May 11, 3:00PM – 7:00PM, the Greater Seattle Chamber of Commerce Trade Show, Qwest Field WaMu Theater.  Here’s your chance to see us, and see a lot of other cool stuff about Seattle, too!

Alas, neither venue allows dogs, so I won’t be there :-(  But I promise, you’ll have a good time anyway – and that just gives you an excuse to come see me down here at the Lake!

See you soon!

cheers,

Toby James

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Return of the turtles!

Posted on April 18, 2011 by toby

Spring is definitely here – I saw one of my turtle pals today!

Come seem them for yourself – and take a floatplane ride!  It’s a great time of year to fly….

Cheers,

Toby James

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We’re part of history!

Posted on April 12, 2011 by toby

First Boeing airplane! Lake Union, Seattle

I’ve been watching the lake come to life this spring – more birds, more boats, more planes.  Spring always makes me think of “beginnings,” but it got me thinking about history, too.  What’s come before.  (pretty philosophical for a Doberman, don’t you think?!)

Did you know that the Boeing Company started on Lake Union?  Did you know there have been seaplanes operating here since 1914?   The first seaplane flight from Lake Union happened in 1914, and then in 1916, Mr Bill Boeing flew his first plane, the B1, from his dock at the foot of Roanoke Street.  The Boeing company trained pilots for World War I, and then after that, developed its own airline.  Did you know that United Airlines was what the Boeing airline turned into?  I think that’s pretty cool.

Anyway, if you’re interested in the history of our home lake, here’s the Lake Union Virtual Museum (a direct link to the seaplane part of it.)  Check it out!

And come be a part of history yourself, as we continue on into the next decade of the 21st century!

Cheers,

Toby James

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Visiting pilots, from near and far

Posted on March 24, 2011 by toby

Here's my pal Michael!

 

My pal Nathan and I, out at the plane!

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 We had lots of friends from near and far here recently.  Experienced pilots from all over the world, here to have fun in seaplanes!   We kept the Designated Pilot Examiner, Mike, busy with three commercial-level checkrides – three professional pilots who fly land planes, but who wanted to earn their Airplane Single-Engine Sea (ASES) add-on rating.  
 
 
We had Michael, who flies airplanes for Northwest, er, I mean Delta.  And Nathan, who has flown for Alaska Airlines, (and who’s currently a “real airline pilot, because he’s on furlough.)   These guys came to fly a small airplane for some fun, and to get their seaplane ratings.
 
 
There’s my friend, Jesse, who also took his commercial ASES checkride – Jesse does lots of things with airplanes, including not only flying them, teaching in them, and fixing them, too!
 
 
And then, we got to meet, and fly with, a super nice Irish pilot named Paul, who’s in town to pick up a brand-new Boeing aircraft for his airline back in Ireland.  Paul came down for one flight, and had so much fun, he came back the next day, too!
 

The camera ran out of juice, so here's a tip of the hat to my friend Paul from Ireland!

 
 
I’m sorry I don’t have pictures with everybody (so, hey, guys, come back when the camera battery’s charged, eh?!)
 
 
If you’re from another part of the world, or even just around the corner, please come see us.  And,  you can earn your ASES in just a few days’ time.  We love flying with everyone from around the world!
 
 
And, if you’re a pilot from outside the USA, we can work with you, too. Just give us a call, or send us an email.
 
Besides, dogs speak all languages. 🙂
 
Cheers,
Toby James
 

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Pictures with some of my (many) pals!

Posted on March 14, 2011 by toby
 Warfield cousins like dogs. And dogs like Warfield cousins!

One of the things I love most about being here at Seattle Seaplanes is, without a doubt, the people.  We have the best folks in the world, whether they’re visiting, or whether they work here!

 
Here are a few photos of me with some of my favorite people. (actually just about all people are my favorite people, and here are a few of them!!)
 
Here are my friend Kit, and her cousin Sarah, who was visiting from Montana.  They both grew up on cattle ranches with lots of dogs, and they know how to play!
 
James and Toby James

Here I am with my pal James, who’s studying hard for his CFI exam. James flies our scenic flights, and will soon be instructing here as well.  James and I are great buddies, even if he does call me “Turkey Lips.”

 
Bob and Toby
And here I am with my friend , Bob.   Bob is one of our instructors – he’s often around here on the weekends. 
 
I love all my pals, and I’m also always in the market for more friends, so please stop by to see me!
 
Cheers,
Toby James
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