OSHKOSH — Chesapeake Sport Pilot in Maryland has been granted FAA authorization to provide factory-approved Searey transition training, officials reported Tuesday at AirVenture.
The flight school is the first in the nation to receive a letter of deviation authority (LODA)from the FAA specifically for Searey training, said Helen Woods, chief flight instructor of Chespeake Sport Pilot.
The Searey is a two-place, amphibious flying boat that fits in the light-sport aircraft category. It is the most popular amphib in the LSA category, with more than 600 kits sold and more than 500 flying, said Adam Yang, president of Progressive Aerodyne, the Tavares, Florida-based company that produces the Searey kit.
“As with most kit planes, flight training has in the past been problematic for Searey owners as builder of experimental aircraft are neither allowed to take a flight instructor with them during the first 40 hours of flight testing nor generally allowed to renta another experimental aircraft of the same model for training,” Woods said. “This LODA granted by the FAA will allow us to offer training in our flight school Searey so that builders can become proficient in the handling qualities of a Searey before flying their own aircraft for the first time.”
Chesapeake Sport Pilot is the Mid-Atlantic dealer for the Searey and offers sales of both fully built Seareys as well as kits.
For more information: ChesapeakeSportPilot.com, Searey.com
