Welcome Guest. Sign in or Signup

2 Answers

Amphibious Requirements

Asked by: 5932 views Aircraft Systems, Commercial Pilot, FAA Regulations, Flight Instructor, General Aviation, Light Sport Aircraft, Private Pilot

I was talking with a fellow instructor the other day and we got to the topic of amphibious aircraft.  This led to the question:  I am single engine land & sea and multi engine land rated, so obviously I do not have privledges to fly a multi engine sea airplane.  However, theoretically I come by a Grumman Widgeon and want to fly it.  Would I be legal to fly it as long as I restricted myself to only land operations? And the oposite situation, what if I only had a multi engine sea rating (no land rating) could I fly it as long as I restricted myself to only water landings? Or to fly an amphibious aircraft are you required to hold both land and sea ratings?

We came to the conclusion that you should have both, and if you had access to the aircraft, might as well go get your rating so there is no question about it.  We couldn't find any regulation that stated one way or the other though.

Ace Any FAA Written Test!
Actual FAA Questions / Free Lifetime Updates
The best explanations in the business
Fast, efficient study.
Pass Your Checkride With Confidence!
FAA Practical Test prep that reflects actual checkrides.
Any checkride: Airplane, Helicopter, Glider, etc.
Written and maintained by actual pilot examiners and master CFIs.
The World's Most Trusted eLogbook
Be Organized, Current, Professional, and Safe.
Highly customizable - for student pilots through pros.
Free Transition Service for users of other eLogs.
Our sincere thanks to pilots such as yourself who support AskACFI while helping themselves by using the awesome PC, Mac, iPhone/iPad, and Android aviation apps of our sponsors.

2 Answers



  1. Kris Kortokrax on Mar 08, 2012

    Interestingly enough, Lynch’s FAQ shows the common sense answer that you only need ratings for the operation you are performing.  You don’t need both to fly the amphib.  If you are land rated, you may operate on land.  If you are sea rated, you may operate on the water.  If you have both, go for it on land or sea.

    +5 Votes Thumb up 5 Votes Thumb down 0 Votes



  2. Matthew Waugh on Mar 12, 2012

    Although we caution that at NO time has Lynch’s FAQ been the FAA’s official positon.
     
    The answer probably depends on the state of mind of the inspector that ramp checks you. Or you could ask the Chief Counsel for an opinion.

    +1 Votes Thumb up 1 Votes Thumb down 0 Votes


The following terms have been auto-detected the question above and any answers or discussion provided. Click on a term to see its definition from the Dauntless Aviation JargonBuster Glossary.

Answer Question

Our sincere thanks to all who contribute constructively to this forum in answering flight training questions. If you are a flight instructor or represent a flight school / FBO offering flight instruction, you are welcome to include links to your site and related contact information as it pertains to offering local flight instruction in a specific geographic area. Additionally, direct links to FAA and related official government sources of information are welcome. However we thank you for your understanding that links to other sites or text that may be construed as explicit or implicit advertising of other business, sites, or goods/services are not permitted even if such links nominally are relevant to the question asked.