Water landings make special event on Long Lake

SOUTH KITSAP — Janie Hinds' seaplane was built the same month and year she was born.

But having been completely overhauled — with every single rivet replaced — her 67-year-old Republic Seabee appears as though it just came off the assembly line.

"Looks a lot better than me," she said with a laugh.

Hinds was one of the 30 or so seaplane enthusiasts who gathered at Long Lake on Saturday for the Washington Seaplane Pilots Association's annual fly-in barbecue.

Some 20 seaplanes were expected, with arrivals sliding into the lake from Bellingham, Tacoma, Auburn, Renton, and as far as Oregon and as close as Port Orchard.

"This is kind of our last fling," said Greg Corrado, explaining that most seaplane owners stow their planes away around this time of year, bringing them back out in late spring.

The fly-in is usually held at Mason Lake, but Corrado, the association's vice president, decided to host at his lakefront home this year. Seaplane parking was tight along his dock so he roped in 13 of his neighbors for overflow space.

The association has about 100 dues-paying members and 400 newsletter subscribers.

Many members, Corrado said, use their seaplanes to reach prime fishing and camping grounds in hard-to-reach places dotting the San Juan Islands and coastal British Columbia and Alaska.

When the wind's on his side, he can go from Long Lake to Ketchikan, Alaska in just under seven hours.

Pilot Joel Mapes of Bremerton doesn't care where he's headed as long as he's in the air.

"It's cheap psychotherapy, and it's more effective," he said.

The guest of honor was a rare Hamilton Metalplane. Built by a Boeing subsidiary in 1929, the silver-skinned Hamilton was one of the first all-metal planes made in the U.S.

The rear propeller and rounded-nose design of Hinds' Seabee also drew plenty of attention. The Seabee was developed to meet anticipated demand from the many military pilots returning home from World War II. But for most wartime pilots, flying for war never translated into a desire to fly for sport or pleasure. Only 1,060 Seabees were produced. About 200 are still flying, Hinds said.

Having a seaplane means Hinds and her husband can visit Puget Sound's most beautiful places while taking in the scenery from just above the trees.

"I love watching it all go by," she said. "I still leave nose prints all over the windows."

Story and Photo Gallery:  http://www.kitsapsun.com