Like many out-of-the-way places, Maine is a victim of its geography. Tourists will sometimes venture inland for encounters with moose and Français-speaking locals, but most prefer to stick to the glittering coastline and the quaint towns, picturesque inlets and islands up and down bustling U.S. Route 1. But Maine is also home to some 6,000 lakes and ponds across a vast wilderness from its western mountains — still capped with snow when I arrived in mid-May — to the pictorial Kennebec Valley and the Maine Highlands to the north, the site of Baxter State Park, a 200,000-acre protected wilderness area that is home to more moose than people. Farther north still is what residents refer to simply as “The County” — Aroostook County, a huge expanse of isolated bush country along the Canadian border that is larger by total area than the state of Connecticut.
Seaplane Flying in Maine
We explain the popularity of seaplanes in New England's most inaccessible state.
Key Takeaways:
- The author traveled to Maine, a state where seaplanes are essential for accessing its vast wilderness, to fulfill a long-held dream of earning a seaplane pilot rating.
- Training at Twitchells Seaplane Base involved mastering unique challenges such as taxiing in strong winds, preflighting while balancing on floats, and specialized landing techniques for glassy or rough water and confined spaces.
- After successfully navigating a comprehensive check ride that included emergency scenarios and culminated in a humorous, but harmless, docking mishap, the author proudly became a certified seaplane pilot.
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