About Us

The Challenge

The water flying community is a nano community compared to other recreational and professional activities. In order for us to maintain interest, access and a healthy population we must aggressively work to maintain the seaplane pilot population, keep this population safe and promote seaplanes to both the flying and non-flying public.

There are 11.8 million registered recreational boats and more than 9 million rv camping trailers in the United States and less than 10,000 seaplanes.

Vision

Ensure a healthy and vibrant water flying community today and in the future.

Mission

The Seaplane Foundation works to protect and promote the water flying community through advocacy, community development, science and education.

How We Do It

The Seaplane Foundation magnifies the efforts of the Seaplane Pilots Association by developing community activities, conducting safety programs seminars & seaplane workshops, creating educational programs, addressing threats to seaplane access such as invasive species, building the next generation of seaplane pilots through scholarship and youth development programs.

The Seaplane Foundation awards over 12 fully paid Tyler Orsow/Chuck Kimes Memorial Seaplane Rating Scholarships each year.

The Scholarship

This scholarship was established to honor the memory of Tyler Orsow and Chuck Kimes, two truly outstanding seaplane pilots that passed in 2011. The scholarship is intended to introduce aspiring professional pilots to the world of seaplane flying. It is maintained by the Seaplane Foundation (a 501-C3 non-profit organization), and donations to the fund are fully tax deductible. Each scholarship will fund a complete seaplane training program for a single-engine sea ratingto introduce aspiring professional pilots to the world of seaplane flying.