Advocates seek reversal of seaplane ban on Maine lake
Maine legislative committees have had hearings on bills AOPA supports to restore permanent seaplane access to a northern Maine lake, and to widen employment and training opportunities for aviation mechanics.
The bill to restore seaplane access to Katahdin Lake seeks to reverse the Baxter State Park Authority’s action to ban seaplanes—a move that contradicted a commitment the state made to the private landowner when the property was deeded to the state, as the family that sold the land has reiterated.
“Therefore LD 1574 is as much about our great state upholding one of Maine’s most coveted ideals—upholding a commitment and keeping its word—as it is about allowing access to an important transportation industry,” wrote AOPA Eastern Region Manager Sean Collins, who is a Maine resident, in testimony submitted for the bill’s April 25 public hearing.
The family of aviators who sold the property around the lake also weighed in, noting that the legislature should “right a bad wrong to our family” by restoring seaplane access to Katahdin Lake, according to Tom W. Gardner, president of W. T. Gardner & Sons, in a letter to lawmakers.
Preserving aviation access to the waterway “was the only stipulation requested during the sale negotiations with the State. Katahdin Lake would always in perpetuity be open for float planes. Float planes have been in that lake for over 100 years and my family and I are all float plane pilots. We fly into the back country in Maine and Canada and that land was supposed to be opened forever for float planes after the sale went through to the state of Maine,” he wrote.
Collins added that the park authority can issue waivers of the seaplane prohibition on a case-by-case basis. He noted in testimony that seaplane aviation is prevalent on the Maine aviation scene, with float-equipped aircraft “recognized as useful tools” serving purposes ranging from wildlife surveys and water-quality analysis to emergency evacuations and search-and-rescue missions.
The Seaplane Pilots Association also supported the bill, pointing out that “seaplanes have been an integral part of transportation in the Katahdin region since the 1930s supporting timber operations, sporting camps, and fish and wildlife management. Unlike motor vehicles, they leave no visible evidence of their operation on the landscape.”
Sponsors of the measure include Rep. Benjamin Collings (D-District 42), Sen. James Dill (D-District 5), and numerous co-sponsors.
Mechanic training
Collins said AOPA would continue to advocate for the goals of another bill that sought to create an airplane mechanic education program in Maine but did not receive the backing of the Committee on Innovation, Development and Economic Advancement (IDEA) despite support from the Maine Business Aviation Association and the Midcoast Regional Redevelopment Authority.
The Midcoast Regional Redevelopment Authority noted in testimony that an FAA-certified training school could attract new aviation businesses to the state “and create good paying, high-quality jobs” consistent with an initiative the group is pursuing at Brunswick Landing, the general aviation airport that began operations on the grounds of the closed Brunswick Naval Air Station.
Despite the setback, “I think there is hope for big changes in the future on this front,” Collins said.
