Southern Seaplane Inc

I just got back from attending their sea plane training program. I can't begin to state how much fun and how rewarding the experience was. My few day's there have definitely made me a better pilot. I suspect their bayou based location made the training more enjoyable and more real-world-practical than just flying circles in and out of a large lake. I was very happy with quality of the instruction material, instructor professionalism, and the level of detail they covered. I would go back there again in a split second. I have already recommended them to members of my local pilot club. My only regret is I wish Yelp would allow me to rate them with more than 5 stars!My biggest thanks to everyone on the Southern Seaplane staff!Ken K

Overall, I give my experience with Southern Seaplane, Inc. Seaplane Safety Institute a 5 out of 5. I could not have asked for a more friendly welcome, hospitality, and very experienced, great instructors. This is the type of atmosphere and training I've been searching for after dealing with so many inexperienced primary instructors who were just looking to get their hours and leave. With so much experience, I was happy to actually have a few instructors while here, all who I learned many new things from. The ambiance of the multi-generational family business is something you don't find much anymore. Southern has been in business since 1954. They have had to evolve a lot since then and it was a pleasure to listen to all the stories. That also meant training was based on almost 70 years of experience just within the family business, more when you add the years and time of individual instructors. While everyone may not officially be family, you could see everyone, from the linemen to the maintenance staff, were treated as so. Being able to stay in the bunkhouse made me feel a part of it also. Plus it was like living on my own airport after everyone left for the day. I had everything I needed with the kitchen, full bath, and time to explore and enjoy my surroundings. Besides all the great things I learned with training, I was interested to see how the course was tailored to the individual, including the ground portion being specific to aircraft type, float brand, and float configuration (straight or amphib). I can't recommend this advanced training along with the underwater egress portion enough. I myself think I've found the place I'll go back to for commercial. Thanks so much for the great experience Lacey and Southern Seaplane!

On our trip to New Orleans in May of 2015 we were lucky enough to take an aerial tour over the city and the Mississippi delta. It turned out to be the highlight of our visit to the city! We took off with Lyle Panepinto in the water behind the Southern Seaplane hanger and went over the city to begin our flight. Lyle is very knowledgeable of the landmarks and high-rises, which helped us get our bearings while flying over the beautiful city. Then he took us up around the delta and showed off the coastline. The whole experience was very professional, which made us feel at ease right away (as we had never been in a sea plane before). But it was also very entertaining and informative providing us with a history of the area and the rich culture. I would recommend one of Southern Seaplane's aerial tours to anyone planning to visit the The Big Easy! It was a truly charming experience that we will never forget.