[SRT] Blog Posts

Well, Hello There

It's just me, John McLeroy.

Some of you are familiar. If not then you really should know I'm a pilot who (like, really really) loves to fly anything and nearly everything. I think my personal boundaries are bracketed by the gravity vector, known to me as 'plummet mode' that some air sports portend. I need a place to go -an adventure to have- and a glide ratio better than zero to get me there. My passion for all things aviation comes from the curiosity that surrounds the machines and the missions they've been created to solve. In so many ways, I'm very much like you in that I saw an opportunity to have an adventure, needed to figure out how to make that happen, stay alive while having fun doing it and somehow share all the sights, sounds and destinations with my family and friends.

Along the journey I've learned a ton (and continue to learn) about the way to realize my dream of flying Searey's and share it with others. Because I have a Teacher's Heart my...

SFIA stands for Searey Flight Instructors Association and is much more important to you than it first seems. It plays a major role in the ecosystem of our Searey specific aviation environment and serves owners and operators at a deep level that extends to all kinds of interested people and companies. I'd like to explain some of the details that go into why it is such a big deal so that our community can appreciate why we need it and how it makes our lives better.

Today there are so many barriers to keeping our collective ability to fly whenever and wherever we want open and accessible. I'm so thankful I live in a state and travel to areas that embrace aviation and seaplanes but this is not that kind of problem. It's also not a problem like a group of neighbors who are upset that we make noise or fly low during our maneuvers like takeoffs and landings. This kind of problem is getting more difficult because we keep making some major mistakes in the eyes of a very important partner -...

First, no...that's not me or my plane in the picture above. I've seen this happen though and it could have been prevented. Here's the story of how you can prevent it too.

17 years ago I had just bought my Searey and I can remember it like it was yesterday. I had known for years this day would come somehow, one way or another. We all have the story of how we go from the original idea of getting one to the day it actually comes true (and for those of you not quite there don't ever give up hope).

Well, it's time to take her for a ride! But wait- I'm getting ahead of myself just a little...

I've known about the Searey planform for quite a while, like 1992 a while. I've also known Kerry and Paige, the Richter family business and the history even before the moment I would actually fly my plane. I had watched from afar the exploits of this bunch of former hang glider/ultralight turned amphibian scene from the pages of magazines and news clips for years. As a hang glider pilot myself I had...

This is a great spot to read about the latest news, adventure, gotta have, don't do this, have you...and all kinds of people are going to know what it's like to be part of the [SRT] Family.

Learning is just as important as doing. Most of the aviation that I've ever done has been in my mind. I've played out scenarios to see where things might go right or wrong. I've talked with friends and told them of my concerns so they could share their experience or perhaps have an idea.

Watch our blog posts for interesting pieces that can make your flying better and more fun. And anybody who has ever talked with me knows that FUN is always the tie breaker!