Who knows a DAR or Fed

[Danzer1]

No that will not work. In a nutshell: If LSA on the AWC, it must always meet the LSA requirements listed on the AWC.

[Esser]

How often are you going to get ramped on the side of a lake.....

[Danzer1]

We all know there are some that "skirt the rules", but what happens if something goes wrong?

Out here, float planes attract attention. Private property owners, curiosity seekers, our "Coast Guard", etc. Fish and game flies over looking for hunting violations calling in ground to check on licenses and poachers. DEA looking for smugglers. All it takes is one photograph showing your floats and your N number sent to the FAA to verify ownership and "Houston, we have a problem". I know (out here) DEA and fish and game (at least) take air to ground photo's to document their "suspects". In the back country we see them flying around all the time!

Not something I would entertain, but to each his own!

Greg

[Geowitz]

What a bunch of sheep we have become...

[Esser]

All in the name of progress eh? Reminds me of 1984.

Up here you would get slapped with a $250 fine and maybe a 15 day license suspension if you were rude. Show me a float operator that says he operates within gross weight all the time and I will show you a liar. But I think the attitudes about float planes up here are very different because they are seen as a work horse and with out them we couldn't access half the country.

However, Highwing brings up a good point about insurance.

[HighWing]

How often are you going to get ramped on the side of a lake.....

I appreciated all the other comments and offer one of my own.

I was at the seaplane base at Sun N Fun last year when two Seareys went down within minutes of each other. The first suffered minor structural damage and was towed in. The second went down almost vertical shortly after takeoff and sank on site. Both passenger and pilot survived, but the pilot was taken away by ambulance.

My comment: You can bet the FAA will become involved with the latter incident. When I planted my airplane in an emergency landing, the FAA accident investigator was at my bedside with some questions. We were hospitalized for less than a week and confined to bed while recouperating at home when he came. He gave me a list of things he needed to see - My License, Medical Certificate, Pilot Log Book, and both aircraft log books. Also included in his list was a printed W/B for that flight. We were on our way to the Factory Fly-in with two souls, full fuel, luggage and snacks. Keep in mind that the FAA contacted our insurance company and they took immediate control of the airplane on site as we were then in the emergency room.

Also keep in mind that everything in the airplane was there for independent inspection and evaluation. Further, the insurance company - in my case AIG - is the grand inforcer. It is my understanding that if any FAR is violated, the insurance company is well within its rights to say, thanks for the premiums guys, See Ya! Our experience with AIG far exceeded our expectations. The insurance proceeds paid for the airplane I am in today.