Lake Como Adventure, September 2013
Idrovolante: Flying at Lake Como
Who couldn’t love a seaplane base with a cafe / bar affixed to the hangar?
Como Seaplane Base turned 100 years old on October 5th, 2013. They have been flying floats since eight years after the Wright’s figured out how to fly at all! I met up with my wife, Mary who had already been in Italy for two weeks on September 17th and spent the next three days flying floats over Lake Como and adjacent lakes. I got to know the Aero Club Como leadership earlier in 2013 when they were in Seattle purchasing a SeaBee. During their visit I took Giancarlo flying in my C172XP. When w decided to go to Italy in 2013, adding a few days in Como was a no-brainer.
They have a C-172 XP amphib so to make things easy on myself, that’s what I flew in Como. I could just hop in and fly it since it’s the same plane as I own and I received all my SES ratings including CFI in one.
We arrived on Tuesday, were picked up by Giancarlo at Milan Lanete Airport and drove to Como where we met everyone and did our greetings and were give keys to our room behind and above the hangar. For us, the room was perfect. I alternately called it the barracks, or summer camp. For Mary and I having spent two years living out of backpacks in our 20’s it was delightful with everything we needed, a bed, table, bathroom and locking door.
The next morning, lovely Valentina told me I was scheduled in I-DROV at 10:00 with Francesco, the chief instructor. Francesco, invited Mary to join us and she said yes. This, by the way was her first small plane ride, first floatplane ride, and fist ride with me at the controls. Al it took was a handsome Italian to ask here. I need to work on my Italian look I think.
The pressure was on me to fly well since I had not only myself whom I could embarrass, but I felt I had the reputation of my prior instructors and the Northwest seaplane pilots in general to uphold. Good news is that I did fly well.
We flew the entire extent of Como and beyond to a small shallow glassy water lake with opportunity for every type of seaplane takeoff and landing possible. In general, we did normal, glass, and [slightly] rough takeoffs and landings. On the way back south we beached and had lunch.
Como is surrounded by beautiful verdant green and grey rock rising terrain several thousand feet tall and dotted with towns and villages. All the towns and villages are classic old Italy in style with lanes wide enough for a cart, stone buildings, red roofs, and myriad passageways. The shores are lined with homes of the rich and famous. Although I’m sure our local R&F homes on Lake Washington probably match in terms of dollars, they just don’t match in terms of romantic splendor. Imagine if Ross lake with it’s rising terrain was placed on top of lake washington. That’s kind of what it’s like.
On day two, I flew with Francesco again, this time leaving Mary behind. She hadn’t gotten hooked the day before. I think it was the steep turns. I shouldn’t have done that. We went to Lake Magiore to the west, overflying Switzerland to get there. It’s another beautiful big lake surrounded by the Alps. We did eights on some islands, landed by a castle, flew by a monastery and then headed to a real paved airport for me to get my first ever amphib wheel landings in. I did two trips around the pattern and thought “that’s not so hard, you just line up and land.” We returned to Como and I received a nice complement as Francesco referred to my water landings as “Smooth as Silk”. Como was in past days the silk center of Italy so I was pretty thrilled with the complement.
Prior to each days flying, we had breakfast at the cafe adjacent to and connected to the Hangar; Cappucino and croissants typically. After flying we were back there with the pilots, instructors, club members and students for beer or wine and talk of the days events and tomorrows plans. In the morning we all arrived at cafe with our serious focused looks on, and in the afternoons we showed up sitting back and feeling good about the days events. Great venue! Every seaplane base should have a cafe and bar attached.
On day three, Friday, I was assigned to fly with the examiner, so the pressure was still on and turned up a notch. It started put with clouds on top of the peaks and wispy of mist and fog in the valleys so It felt just like home. We did the other leg of Lake Como to the east, then several small lakes and back to Como for late lunch. I demonstrated some techniques we use here at home in the XP, including confined area and float lift takeoffs. They don’t teach those in their basic rating course, just in their advanced course.
The club has around a dozen seaplanes. C172’s are the primary trainer. and they are busy flying them all day. A C206 is used for tour flights, also busy all day. There are two Bird Dogs, a Supercub on amphibs, a Lake, and the SeaBee from Seattle (under construction), also a Macchi, and a Caproni biplane. All week I made it clear I wanted to fly the Caproni. It was not to happen. Maybe next time.
Friday night I offered to give a talk to the club about flying floats in the northwest. I had lots of pictures and videos. The event was well attended with upwards of 30 people in their classroom. Their favorite slide was a picture I took of a fuel cost and airplane rental sign I took in South Dakota a few years ago. The room erupted with calculations and chatter. They also enjoyed the very scuddy videos of flying up close and personal with Seattle’s grey muck. I stopped at precisely an hour and we were off to the local brewhouse for dinner, about 20 of us. [We owe them a dinner when they are in Seattle next] Mary and I departed early the next morning by train to pick up a car in Milan for further adventures in Tuscany with a bunch of garden writers.
I flew, 1.3 + 1.5 + 1.1 = 3.9 hours and it cost 1200 Euros, about $420 per hour. We flew Lake Como, lake Magiore, Lake Pusano, LILN Venegono, and two other un named lakes. I learned there are forbidden lakes (ok to land on), and strictly forbidden lakes (not ok to land on). Go figure that out. I haven’t.
Who couldn’t love a seaplane base with a cafe / bar affixed to the hangar?
Como Seaplane Base turned 100 years old on October 5th, 2013. They have been flying floats since eight years after the Wright’s figured out how to fly at all! I met up with my wife, Mary who had already been in Italy for two weeks on September 17th and spent the next three days flying floats over Lake Como and adjacent lakes. I got to know the Aero Club Como leadership earlier in 2013 when they were in Seattle purchasing a SeaBee. During their visit I took Giancarlo flying in my C172XP. When w decided to go to Italy in 2013, adding a few days in Como was a no-brainer.
They have a C-172 XP amphib so to make things easy on myself, that’s what I flew in Como. I could just hop in and fly it since it’s the same plane as I own and I received all my SES ratings including CFI in one.
We arrived on Tuesday, were picked up by Giancarlo at Milan Lanete Airport and drove to Como where we met everyone and did our greetings and were give keys to our room behind and above the hangar. For us, the room was perfect. I alternately called it the barracks, or summer camp. For Mary and I having spent two years living out of backpacks in our 20’s it was delightful with everything we needed, a bed, table, bathroom and locking door.
The next morning, lovely Valentina told me I was scheduled in I-DROV at 10:00 with Francesco, the chief instructor. Francesco, invited Mary to join us and she said yes. This, by the way was her first small plane ride, first floatplane ride, and fist ride with me at the controls. Al it took was a handsome Italian to ask here. I need to work on my Italian look I think.
The pressure was on me to fly well since I had not only myself whom I could embarrass, but I felt I had the reputation of my prior instructors and the Northwest seaplane pilots in general to uphold. Good news is that I did fly well.
We flew the entire extent of Como and beyond to a small shallow glassy water lake with opportunity for every type of seaplane takeoff and landing possible. In general, we did normal, glass, and [slightly] rough takeoffs and landings. On the way back south we beached and had lunch.
Como is surrounded by beautiful verdant green and grey rock rising terrain several thousand feet tall and dotted with towns and villages. All the towns and villages are classic old Italy in style with lanes wide enough for a cart, stone buildings, red roofs, and myriad passageways. The shores are lined with homes of the rich and famous. Although I’m sure our local R&F homes on Lake Washington probably match in terms of dollars, they just don’t match in terms of romantic splendor. Imagine if Ross lake with it’s rising terrain was placed on top of lake washington. That’s kind of what it’s like.
On day two, I flew with Francesco again, this time leaving Mary behind. She hadn’t gotten hooked the day before. I think it was the steep turns. I shouldn’t have done that. We went to Lake Magiore to the west, overflying Switzerland to get there. It’s another beautiful big lake surrounded by the Alps. We did eights on some islands, landed by a castle, flew by a monastery and then headed to a real paved airport for me to get my first ever amphib wheel landings in. I did two trips around the pattern and thought “that’s not so hard, you just line up and land.” We returned to Como and I received a nice complement as Francesco referred to my water landings as “Smooth as Silk”. Como was in past days the silk center of Italy so I was pretty thrilled with the complement.
Prior to each days flying, we had breakfast at the cafe adjacent to and connected to the Hangar; Cappucino and croissants typically. After flying we were back there with the pilots, instructors, club members and students for beer or wine and talk of the days events and tomorrows plans. In the morning we all arrived at cafe with our serious focused looks on, and in the afternoons we showed up sitting back and feeling good about the days events. Great venue! Every seaplane base should have a cafe and bar attached.
On day three, Friday, I was assigned to fly with the examiner, so the pressure was still on and turned up a notch. It started put with clouds on top of the peaks and wispy of mist and fog in the valleys so It felt just like home. We did the other leg of Lake Como to the east, then several small lakes and back to Como for late lunch. I demonstrated some techniques we use here at home in the XP, including confined area and float lift takeoffs. They don’t teach those in their basic rating course, just in their advanced course.
The club has around a dozen seaplanes. C172’s are the primary trainer. and they are busy flying them all day. A C206 is used for tour flights, also busy all day. There are two Bird Dogs, a Supercub on amphibs, a Lake, and the SeaBee from Seattle (under construction), also a Macchi, and a Caproni biplane. All week I made it clear I wanted to fly the Caproni. It was not to happen. Maybe next time.
Friday night I offered to give a talk to the club about flying floats in the northwest. I had lots of pictures and videos. The event was well attended with upwards of 30 people in their classroom. Their favorite slide was a picture I took of a fuel cost and airplane rental sign I took in South Dakota a few years ago. The room erupted with calculations and chatter. They also enjoyed the very scuddy videos of flying up close and personal with Seattle’s grey muck. I stopped at precisely an hour and we were off to the local brewhouse for dinner, about 20 of us. [We owe them a dinner when they are in Seattle next] Mary and I departed early the next morning by train to pick up a car in Milan for further adventures in Tuscany with a bunch of garden writers.
I flew, 1.3 + 1.5 + 1.1 = 3.9 hours and it cost 1200 Euros, about $420 per hour. We flew Lake Como, lake Magiore, Lake Pusano, LILN Venegono, and two other un named lakes. I learned there are forbidden lakes (ok to land on), and strictly forbidden lakes (not ok to land on). Go figure that out. I haven’t.