The Sea King

(Not to be confused with "The Sinking" because that would be unfortunate.)

June 24, 2020: Jamie and Don with their new-to-them Searey minutes after Don brought it home to KSDC

In the early days of the COVID-19 pandemic, my friends Jamie and Don partnered up to purchase a Searey, an amateur-built experimental category amphibious aircraft. Professional pilot Don flew the Searey home to the Williamson-Sodus Airport from Florida in June at an average ground speed of 80 mph over the course of two days. The Searey is not a cross country machine by any means. But for relatively affordable fun splashing around on local inland lakes and bays, it is 100% fit for purpose.

I think that Jamie's road to Searey ownership is inspiring and worth a mention. His childhood memories of watching seaplanes land and depart from the surface of Keuka Lake led Jamie to dream for decades of flying a seaplane. He dipped a toe into the aviation waters with paragliding, first unpowered then powered. From there, he earned his Single Engine Land (SEL) private pilot certificate in 2016 with the Williamson Flying Club (WFC). His ultimate goal was ownership of a Searey, arguably the most affordable amphibian available. In preparation for owning a tailwheel Searey, Jamie earned a tailwheel endorsement in 2018 and a Single Engine Sea (SES) rating in 2019, both with the Rochester Air Center.

Despite a decades-long obsession with seaplanes, Jamie did not experience his first water landing until 2019 while riding right seat in a 1946 Grumman Widgeon owned by WFC member Barry. I was privileged to be along for the ride that day. Jamie aptly describes purchasing the Searey as the culmination of a fifty-five year old dream. Talk about patient tenacity!

Note the landing gear switch: green for grass, blue for water

During the latter half of 2020, Jamie delighted in sharing the Searey experience with his family and our mutual friends at the WFC. After a few failures to connect, my schedule finally matched up with an offer for a ride from Jamie and we met at the airport on the morning of October 31. It was the last day before the Searey "turned into a pumpkin" (came due for annual inspection).

Launching from Runway 28 at the Williamson-Sodus Airport

Jamie's greatest concerns about taking me flying were my height and weight, two parameters that the diminutive two-seater was not designed to accommodate in any excess. He was also concerned that climbing into the airplane would be challenging for me, but I found it easier than clambering into the back seat of a J-3 Cub. I think Jamie was mildly impressed by how easily I accomplished it.

Mask? Yep. Still pandemic times.

I found that I needed to scrunch down a bit and tip my head toward the aircraft's centerline to keep from contacting the canopy. The low instrument panel barely accommodated my knees. I fit well enough to splash around on some local waterways, but was grateful that we were not setting off on a multi-hour cross country flight. Wearing a fleece jacket, a light coat, and a life preserver, by the time I buckled myself into place, I was bundled up like Randy from A Christmas Story and truly felt like "a tick getting ready to pop".

The Searey has a thick airfoil and climbed enthusiastically on the chilly October morning, casting a unique shadow across the grounds of the Williamson-Sodus Airport.

The instrument panel is simple, but what more is needed for low and slow VFR flight? The Searey is truly a hybrid of boat and airplane. I was amused to see the keyring attached to a float of the sort that everyone back home used for their boat keys. 

We flew low and slow just offshore along Lake Ontario.

Reaching the town where Jamie and I both live, we checked out this completely unremarkable hovel perched along the lake shore. In all seriousness, while I wished that I also had a observatory attached to my house, I do not envy this owner his tax bill.

Our goal was Irondequoit Bay, a large body of water off of Lake Ontario that separates Rochester from its northeast suburbs. Along the way, we passed the fishing pier located a couple of miles northeast of my house from which The Bear and I have watched many sunsets over the great lake.

As we arrived at Irondequoit Bay with the Rochester city skyline low on the horizon, Jamie studied the waves below to assess wind direction. We would be landing to the southwest.

We circled to lose altitude and turned southward to land.

Video of two landings on Irondequoit Bay

Considering that Jamie captured such an excellent video of my last landing on the Alton Bay Ice Runway, it was only fitting that I return the favor from the right seat of the Searey. We made two landings on Irondequoit Bay that morning. The way that the Searey's hull skipped along the bay's surface while on the step reminded me of rides in my uncle's speedboat as a kid.

I drive across the Bay Bridge on my daily commute. We passed beneath it as a boat on an orthogonal heading to what I could usually achieve with my car. This offered a unique perspective on the familiar structure.

The Searey sits relatively low in the water. My rear end was at an altitude roughly -1 foot relative to the waves.

Powering up for departure, the visibility was not great due to a combination of sun and spray.

We circled the bay, taking in the glorious foliage at peak fall color.

We landed a second time in the northernmost portion of the bay.

The main problem with photography from an amphibian? Water spotting. I wonder if they make Jet-Dry for seaplanes? It is an experimental...we could just rig something up, right?

We departed Irondequoit Bay westbound toward Charlotte and the Port of Rochester where we observed a small flotilla of sailboats loitering near the outflow of the Genesee River.

From Charlotte, we reversed course back toward Sodus and flew past the embarrassingly rudimentary shacks populating the Lake Ontario shore.

Sodus Bay

We passed Chimney Bluffs at an unusual altitude, one that was well above the boats, but lower than I ever fly my airplane through the region. 

Sodus Bay from Searey height.

The wind was picking up at the Williamson-Sodus Airport and Jamie had to work a bit more than usual to land the lightweight taildragger. 

It was a wonderful morning to see the fall color and enjoy splashing around in an amphibian. Thanks, Jamie! This was so much fun, though I wish I fit in the airplane better. Does anyone know if they come in a large?