I've always thought flying a seaplane would be cool. Seeing television images of Alaskan bush pilots taking off from remote lakes and rivers alwasy intrigued me, yet the sport also seemed quite exotic. Not something a country boy like me would ever be able to do.

If you've shared similar interests you might want to check out the Seaplane Pilots Association website, which contains all types of news and information on the sport.

Don't worry that you don't live near a large body of water either. Did you know there are more than 179 public-use seaplane bases across the US? AOPA has updated its Seaplane Flying subject report to provide members with more information about adding the rating. Also included are articles from AOPA Pilot and AOPA Flight Training magazines on the types of aircraft that can be equipped with floats, like a Piper J-3 Cub, and numerous ways to put that new rating to use.

Seaplane flying may not be quite as exotic and out-of-reach as I thought it was.