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The Multi-Engine Sea Rating
Pilots always want more. More power, more speed, more altitude, more
seats, more airplanes, more money. Having more than one engine is a common goal of many
aviators, but some peculiar challenges await multiengine seaplane pilots.
Two Ratings in One
Acquiring the Multi-Engine Sea (MES) rating requires a combination of skills - those learned while flying
twin-engine aircraft and those acquired flying seaplanes. Thus, obtaining the SES rating
and the MEL (Multi-Engine Land) rating is the best way to prepare for the MES rating.
Engine Failure
The hardest part of flying a twin-engine airplane is flying with one inoperative engine. An
engine failure sets up an asymmetric thrust scenario that makes controlling the airplane
tricky. Learning how to maintain control after an engine failure is one of the most important
components of training for the MES rating, just as it is for the MEL rating. Slower operational
speeds complicate matters somewhat for the multi-engine seaplane pilot, requiring better
awareness of and faster reactions to engine failures.
Taxiing
Directional control while taxiing in a multi-engine seaplane is both fantastic and problematic.
Differential thrust allows the pilot to select the heading of his or her choice, without using
water rudders and regardless of wind direction. But the multi-engine seaplane pilot must constantly
adjust differential power settings to maintain a straight course. Once you've mastered this skill,
you may never want to go back to single engine seaplanes.
Hulls vs. Floats
Most multi-engine seaplanes are flying boats, as opposed to floatplanes. Floatplanes are fitted with
floatation devices, typically twin pontoons, that are attached to but distinct from the fuselage.
Flying boats, on the other hand, utlize the fuselage itself for floatation. Flying boats thus sit
lower in the water, have a wider beam, and exhibit different handling characteristics. Floatplane
pilots may need a couple of flights to get used to piloting flying boats.
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