WaterWings Aviation

WaterWings Seaplanes LLC runs the WaterWings Seaplane School from Shelby County Airport (KEET) near Calera, Alabama. It is best known for seaplane ratings, but it also trains helicopter pilots. The school says students should get a respectful, unhurried environment and that safety will not be compromised.

Helicopter training

• Helicopter private, commercial, instrument, CFI, CFII and ATP ratings
• R44 transition training
• Airplane pilots need a minimum of 30 hours to add the helicopter rating
• SFAR 73 training and an instructor endorsement are required before flying an R22 or R44

The helicopter aircraft are a 1978 Hughes/Schweizer 269C/300C, restored in 2009 by a private collector, and a 2006 Robinson R44 Raven II, an air-conditioned instrument trainer that carries four people. The site lists the 269C at 450 dollars an hour and the R44 at 600 dollars an hour, each with a one-hour minimum and a 250 pound weight limit.

Other training

The school offers single-engine and multi-engine seaplane ratings, flying boat training in the Super Petrel, multi-engine sea training in the Lockwood AirCam under an FAA LODA, multi-engine land training in a Piper Aztec, tailwheel endorsements and unusual attitude and spin training. Gift certificates are available.

Company facts

• Owner and chief instructor: Charles Welden, a Designated Pilot Examiner since 2018, with helicopter training in his own background
• Two hangars at Shelby County Airport (KEET), with Willow Point Airport (AL71) and Lake Martin also used
• The company employs its own FAA certified mechanics
• Named a Distinguished Flight School in the You Can Fly survey for 2017, 2018 and 2019