Seaplane in France

Dear European friends,

Welcome to the English homepage of our website !
Initially a simple translation, we will do our best to keep you informed about all of our projects and of the evolutions of our national rules.
Remember : We would like to see your seaplanes on our water landing surfaces, as soon as next summer !
Let's cross our fingers.
Please forward this page to your float friendly friends.

Check our website for updates !

Kind regards,
Olivier Ripoche
olivier.ripoche@sfr.fr

                    Together: Seaplanes, LSA/ELA and Ultralights                    with our public services, to revive hydro-aviation.

 
Since May 2009, France Hydravion has been working to bring together  every protagonist and prospective partner of French hydro-aviation, to develop a legal expertise in order to inform the float-flying community and to propose new legislation.
France Hydravion is a tool not only for its members and subscribers, but also for aeronautical federations from which the “hydro”  division has been missing or inactive for lack of fighters.

Report:

France has 5.500 km of available coastline, 3.000 km of navigable rivers and several hundred lakes large enough for seaplane landing. Currently, less than ten stretches of water are available for use.
But hundreds of thousands of outboard motors, as well as 15,000 personal watercrafts are using/polluting french waterways, with their exhausts inject gas and oil into the water. Did we miss something ?

Target 2011: To modernise legislation regarding Hydroplane bases and surfaces , without changing the rules for Ultralights.

The law governing access to hydrosurfaces (occasional for planes) dates from March 13th 1986 (but should not be confused with the regulation concerning Ultralight platforms, presented on the same day in the French Official Journal).
Our job is to propose a new synthesis regrouping “hydrobases and hydrosurfaces for hydroaircraft”, adapted to current constraints. It’s the key for the resumption of this activity.

Let's put our strengths and our skills together!

Target 1000 members and subscribers : Register free on the site and invite your friends!
Hydroplane enthusiasts, airline and light aircraft pilots, manufacturers, but also lawyers, historians, DGAC civil servants, simulation fans, model makers or nature lovers. We need to put our heads together to find a long-term plan for hydro-aviation development. All our skills will be useful for this cause, its not necessary to have an aircraft or aeronautical experience.
A contribution is requested for member status, but you can register for free.
You can then visit the specialist windows (on the right hand side) and become experts!

Whilst preparing a simplified regulation, lets continue to open aquatic platforms (ULM) and hydrosurfaces (seaplanes) within the current regulatory guidelines !

Do you know of a stretch of water that could lend itself to “hydro” activity?
Do you know the owner of a stretch of water? A decision maker within the EDF, VNF or a sand quarry company ? A mayor, a chief constable?
Now’s the time to activate our networks to overcome an obstacle, simple ignorance, or hierarchical hesitancy.
So, to your address books!

The French DGAC are incidently giving us all their support to find and contact the owners and legal capacity tennants of a public stretches of water.

No to fate ! There is strength in numbers !