Seaplane seaworthiness and how flying boats and amphibians can make a difference. The Pan Am Clippers are revered by those who care and are mostly forgotten by those who do not care about the flying boats. The Clippers, named after the tremendous romantic sailing ships of the early 19th century, were not one aircraft...
The Navy uses Ship Readiness to assess their ability to operate in the world’s oceans. You cannot find the definition of Sea Readiness in a dictionary. The Navy has an equivalent process called Ship Readiness, which involves assessing whether ships and crew are ready to operate in the waters of the world’s oceans. I...
A Guide to Operating Seaplanes in the Seas. In Flying Boats, Amphibians, and Seaworthiness, I defined the terms needed to understand the technical aspects of seaplanes. Now, I will discuss the definitions required to understand the essential technical aspects of operating in the sea. This means understanding sea states and how they relate to...
The Real Meaning of Happiness. During the aftermath of the 2015 Terror Attacks in Paris, there have been several TV programs presenting panels of experts, including psychologists, attempting to explain the reasons why young men from Europe or America join ISIS or Taliban terrorist groups. The obvious reason for most of the media is that they...
Richard Quest, a CNN business commentator and aviation analyst, asked me, “What is the difference between a floatplane and a seaplane?” Richard explained that on a newscast, he called an airplane on floats a seaplane, and the know-it-alls bombarded him with comments saying he got it wrong. My answer is an attempt to explain...
