The question is in the title. Granted, adding a Seaplane rating once you have your SEL is not complicated and many pilots do it in a weekend. But suppose a pilot gets his hands on a Republic Seabee or a Lake Amphibian. If he only operates it as a land plane, can he still be PIC? Or would he require a Seaplane rating because the aircraft itself is classified as a seaplane?
Here’s what Transport Canada says:
The seaplane rating is intended for the pilot who already holds a license. In
theory, this is quite straightforward as it simply involves converting a skilled pilot
from one environment, namely land, to a new environment, which is water.
The implication here is that it is on water. I assume the American regulations are similar.
Presumably flying an amphibian solely as a land aircraft does not require a float rating. (Plus, there are actually floats with wheels built in). However, I recall my fist landing approach in a Cessna 150 with floats, about 500 feet up the stall warning goes off. I went to push the nose down and the instructor says “don’t worry about that…” The floats changed the flight attitude of the plane so the stall warning triggered even though there was no stall. Ha ha …not!!
This is the thing - I suspect there’s a different handling to an amphibian or float plane, so you really (really!!) want to be familiar with the aircraft and properly checked out on the type. Lake, for example, has a motor on a pylon above the fuselage, which I would expect handles differently.
The next step would be convincing the insurance company that they should insure you despite not being able to fly the aircraft in the full environment it was designed for. Unless, you don’t plan to be around to collect insurance should you have an accident. When many such craft are in the hundreds of thousands it’s foolish not to insure them.
There is one difference I know of, even when operating from land. The external floats have wheels that extend or retract into the float. The nose wheels are non-steerable; they’re free-castering, like the front wheels on a shopping cart. The only way to steer when rolling is to apply the brakes on one side or the other, plus any force you get from the rudder.
I don’t know if that’s enough to require a different rating, but I suspect it’s covered during training for a seaplane rating.
The Grumman AA-5, for one, had a castering nose wheel and was steered by differential braking. AFIAK, there aren’t any AA-5 float planes.
I’m not surprised that some planes have been designed that way. But when you mount a Cessna on floats, you lose the nosewheel steering that you’re used to.
I had to google to find that SEL means single engine land, although I did guess that PIC means pilot in command.
My float endorsement was several hours of float plane flying and landing (many years ago). I imagine a “landing a plane with wheeled floats” is not something that requires a specific endorsement, just careful training for the incredibly few who choose to use such a plane. Again, the ultimate guide is your experience and your insurance company’s confidence in your abilities. (and a very long smooth runway to practice on)
(I did hear stories of someone actually landing a regular float plane on grass beside a runway when service was needed, rather than having to trailer it from the dock - but possibly urban legend. Considering that you can flip a floatplane by digging in too hard on landing on water, i suspect skidding to a halt on grass would require extremely careful handling. )
I’ve heard A-4 Skyhawks have been landed on their (empty) drop tanks.
As for amphibious float planes, remember to retract the wheels before landing on water.
Actually this is commonly done. Lots of videos online:
I expect you do need to touch down gently to not damage the floats.