About this adventure: I don't want to seem to be recommending this kind of flying (and boating), and as I said earlier, I wouldn't have set out on it by myself. It was "The Viking's" experience and equipment that made it all go so smoothly.

On the other hand, I now know that, with proper preparation, a SeaRey is capable of doing a lot more than putting around over a lake or river on a clear, calm day. It really is a pretty good boat, and boating is a lot safer than flying when the visibility goes down.

So one of the lessons of this adventure, for me at least, is that the third SeaRey mode--floating--is important to keep in mind.

It's a matter of mind-set: My tendency was to think of it as an airplane first, and then as a car. But if anything it's inherently a boat first. And realizing that has radically changed the way I think about flying it.