The 50th International Seaplane Fly-In at Greenville, Maine
Approaching the landing zone from overhead the village of Greenville, this Cessna 185 is about to land on Moosehead Lake.
Story and photos by Ken Kula
The town of Greenville, Maine sits on a bay at the southern end of Moosehead Lake, the largest lake in the state. The small downtown area boasts docks for boats, including the Moosehead Lake tour boat Katahdin which leaves from here for hours-long scenic tours. Nearby docks also serve seaplane operations from the seaplane base (locator identifier is K52B) alongside the bay.
The State of Maine has a hangar there, naming it the Stobie Hangar, which supports some of Maine’s Inland Fisheries and Wildlife operations. The Maine Forest Rangers have a heliport across the inlet, and a Bell UH-1H is based there.
About two miles north of the downtown area, up a hill is the Greenville Municipal Airport. It handles the land plane and amphibious aircraft in the area (airport identifier is K3B1).
The Moosehead Lake region is known for its wide range of outdoor activities but lacks an abundance of highways. This gives seaplanes an advantage for providing transportation within the local area, and between larger cities like Bangor and Portland too.
In 1973, a group of experienced and well-known local pilots decided to invite other interested and experienced seaplane pilots to a weekend gathering of flying and socializing, centered at the facilities in Greenville. It immediately became a yearly event and attracted pilots from all over North America, and sometimes beyond.
DeHavilland Canada built hundreds of DHC-2 Beavers. Many have been re-engined with turboprop powerplants, but this Beaver has retained its mighty radial engine.
Since this start, for half a century the Greenville Seaplane Base has been the site of one of the more interesting fly-ins in the United States, the International Seaplane Fly-In. The organizers moved into a Non-profit status during the mid-1990s, “to promote fellowship, personal contact, and unification among seaplane pilots, and recreational and competitive events, including at least one annual Fly-In.” according to its web site.
The 2024 Wednesday through Sunday event during the first week in September celebrated waterborne aviation for the 50th time. The airport up the hill helps to facilitate the Fly-In, offering part of a temporarily closed runway for planeside camping and parking for those planes not able to be accommodated in the water. More camper/plane combinations were parked near the FBO and other hangars. A shuttle bus ran between the two airports.
With a fog bank over the lake in the background, a Bell Jet Ranger sits next to the Kineo View Lodge.
I was going to make my visit to this 50th Fly-In via a long day trip, but at the last minute my wife Shirl found the only available hotel room in the area at the Kineo View Lodge (Mt. Kineo is a landmark on Moosehead Lake) so we drove four hours Friday night for a Saturday morning visit to the event. Upon reaching the Lodge, it was well after dark but I could see a helicopter parked in the grass near the buildings. After a good night’s sleep, I drew the shades and looked out towards the lake, partly shrouded in morning ground fog. And there it was, a pristine Bell Jet Ranger parked on the lawn in front of me. This was going to be a fun trip! We had a short drive into town, had a bite to eat, and wandered over to the seaplanes which were cloaked with fog, many placidly floating on the calm lake.
A Taylorcraft and Cessna awaiting their turns to join the Parade of Floatplanes at Greenville.
I attended the Fly-In for about five hours and experienced three distinct weather conditions. I wanted to see the morning’s Parade of Floatplanes primarily, and the fog began to burn off around an hour before any organized operations were to begin. It was spectacularly clear for the Parade of Floatplanes around ten, but an hour later, it had clouded up and a heavy mist began to fall. Luckily, more events like the bush pilot’s canoe race, spot landing and taxi slalom timed races were mainly waterborne and didn’t require CAVU conditions.
A misty morning meant no flying for a while on Saturday.
On the water, about a dozen aircraft were tied up to docks, and another dozen or so were parked out of the water on the ramp. Big DHC Beavers and Cessna Caravans shared parking with smaller Cessnas, high winged Pipers, a Carbon Cub, Aviat Huskies and even a Taylorcraft on floats. An Aircam on floats was one of many planes on the concrete ramp.
Inside the Stobie Hangar, several aviation companies focusing on seaplane products set up a small trade show. Fly-In souvenirs were for sale, as well as local crafts housed in booths all around the grounds and in town too. Things opened up around eight in the morning as spectators began to file into the grounds. Lots of good food was to be found too.
Mallard Enterprises is building the ME-1A turboprop at Brunswick, Maine.
In the hangar, two concepts caught my eye. Brunswick, Maine’s Mallard Enterprises has designed the twin turboprop, composite structure flying boat, the ME-1A amphibian. Capable of carrying up to 2 crew and 19 passengers in a commuter configuration, other roles could include a VIP transport, cargo carrier, emergency medical transport, airborne fire fighter and as a military multi-mission platform. The headquarters is at the former NAS Brunswick airport and according to company web site, it has garnered orders for 58 aircraft in India.
The Sea Panther will be able to operate on water surfaces via a hydrofoil surface.
The other concept is the Sea Panther by Pepin Aero of Greenville. It’s a twin-jet air taxi design powered by a pair of Williams FJ-44 turbines. The first demonstrator will carry 2 to 4 people with the initial tandem design, while an 8-seat air taxi version is next. The first airframe is currently being built at the Greenville Airport. Estimated performance is a top speed of 420 knots and boasts a 60-knot stall speed, 1,000 nautical mile range, and a service ceiling of 38,000 feet. The use of hydrofoils is in an interesting amphibious feature.
Above are more photos from the Seaplane Base
Just a week before it took to the skies again, the DC-3 on Edo floats is prepped for flight at the Greenville airport.
Before leaving the town, we drove up to the airport to look for a very rare bird… the famous DC-3 on floats! Rumors on the internet last year was that the aircraft had been sold and left the airport, but luckily that information was incorrect. There it was, with a few people working around the #1 engine. One could see that a bit of airframe and float repairs had been made recently, and I heard that the last time it had flown was some eleven years ago. Even through the heavy mist, the aircraft commanded a lot of respect, sitting high off of the ground on it’s the huge amphibious Edo floats. (Note: a week after the Fly-In, this aircraft did fly again and even alighted on Moosehead Lake before departing back to the land airport!).
All of the comforts of home… camping planeside at Greenville’s 2024 International Seaplane Fly In.
There were dozens of aircraft on the closed end of one of the airport’s runways, with tents set up alongside them. This was evident of very good participation in the weekend’s events. Around the parking areas, a varied group of amphibians were gathered on land: a Grumman Widgeon, Lake 250, turbine DHC-2 Beaver conversion, Cessna 208 Caravan(s), and large Cessna singles were at rest in the mist.
Above are more photos taken at the Greenville Airport.
While we drove from central Maine to southern New Hampshire, I thought about what I just experienced. I spoke with many friendly and enthusiastic people; some were pilots while others were friends and family, or just airplane fans out for a day of watching seaplanes splash down in the lake. At the trade show, I saw a pair of intriguing turbine-powered concepts homegrown in Maine. There were some fantastic flying machines on display, easily satisfying my desire for unique photo opportunities of planes on the water. Greenville’s 50th International Seaplane Fly-In was exciting while laid back and relaxing too. The organization is definitely showing seaplanes in a positive light at a picturesque location.
