Primary Mission

The primary mission of the Seaplane Pilots Association is Advocacy. Our mission is to be the voice of the seaplane community and to represent the interests of seaplane enthusiasts on the federal, state, and local levels. It includes ensuring fairness and equality for seaplanes to share public waterways with all other user groups.

Since 9/11, the U.S. and other nations have enacted a vast range of security measures to protect borders and infrastructures. This is generally a good thing and many of these measures have contributed to the safety of all citizens. However, in the name of "national security", many agencies at every level have implemented unfair and unreasonable regulations and practices that have little or no impact on security. The seaplane community has become the target of a growing number of these "national security" measures. Seaplane operators have been singled out among all other water recreational users in a discriminatory manner, most often without legitimate and judicious rationale.

Seaplane pilots have been unreasonably banned from some water bodies by decision makers due to noise complaints. Such bans are imposed even though numerous other vehicles and engine-driven appliances in the same locale produce significantly higher decimal levels and for much longer periods of time than a departing seaplane. In other cases seaplane restrictions are imposed under the general umbrella of "safety", while official FAA seaplane accident reports indicate an extraordinarily small number of incidents involving seaplanes and boats, swimmers, or shore-side structures. Still other seaplane bans originate from the jealous or selfish regard for public waterway access by other user groups. Canoe paddlers complain when water fliers arrive easily at the same remote back country area that took them two days of hard work to reach.

The seaplane community is under attack like never before across North America and Europe. A growing array of empowered decision makers at every level are attempting to ban seaplanes from the waters under their control. The Advocacy Mission of the Seaplane Pilots Association is to prevent unreasonable access restrictions as much as possible and to intervene and arbitrate on behalf of the seaplane community when necessary.

Proactive Advocacy

SPA has an impressive record of successes in overturning federal, state, and regional regulations banning seaplanes. Our most potent strategy in accomplishing these goals, however, is what we call Proactive Advocacy - preventing unfair restrictions before they ever become formal regulations or laws. Proactive Advocacy measures include education of public officials, decision-makers, other waterway users, and the general public about seaplanes. Education measures include introducing these groups to the legacy of seaplanes, their use in public safety and service, seaplane pilot training levels, seaplane taxiing limitations, safety record, minimal environmental footprint, and a vast array of other aspects of the seaplane world little known to the general population. Proactive Advocacy also includes all the SPA initiatives to ensure that the seaplane community maintains its record of safety excellence. The perception of seaplane safety is our most vulnerable point of attack for those attempting to ban seaplane access. And all those pilot practices we promote such as courtesy, responsibility, being an avid environmental steward, seaplane PR overtures, and our ongoing efforts to become a valued member of the local communities of our flying areas. These efforts are all part of Proactive Advocacy in that they help support our rationale for equal and fair access to our public resources.

Head-On Advocacy

In those situations, however, when The Seaplane Pilots Association has to take on the government or other waterway controlling agencies, we implement a professional, measured approach and seek productive dialogs with top level decision-makers. Rather than confrontations with regional or local authorities, SPA seeks to immediately establish productive dialog at the highest appropriate levels. Deliberate behind-the-scenes work of SPA staff and key members helps greatly move advocacy measures forward. Quiet discussions with top officials have lead to mutual understandings, respect, and positive outcomes in many cases. When all other advocacy measure fail, however, SPA will seek legal remedies to ensure seaplane access fairness and equity.

In waterway access discussions with federal and state agencies, among the first questions asked is, "how many seaplane enthusiasts do you represent?" Size matters. There is extraordinary strength in numbers when advocacy issues are front and center. We must guard against becoming "leave-us-alone" mavericks that crave isolation, are reluctant to welcome newcomers or to share our favorite "Lake FarAway" locales with others. This mindset is hazardous to our advocacy health. We need each other to collectively preserve our right to share our natural resources fairly with other user groups. As we have seen across North America, a growing number of entities are trying their best to unfairly single out seaplanes and ban us from public waters.

As the effects of the most recent economic crises magnify the already devastating increases in fuel costs, all aviation organizations must guard against membership losses as some pilots sell their aircraft and abandon their life-long love of flying. Share your passion with a friend or family member by making them a fellow member of your SPA. What a wonderful gift to someone you know who loves the water as well as the sky.

The several tabs below in this section will help you explore various components of SPA Advocacy measures. I hope you find them helpful and informative. Please keep the SPA office informed about local advocacy issues or effective practices that we can pass along to other members.

Regards,

James McManus, Executive Director
Seaplane Pilots Association