It’s not unusual for residents on Tan Lake to see speed boats and jet skis cruising by their back windows during the summer days, but a new method of transportation has made its home along the popular shoreline.
About a month ago, Oxford resident Mike Weltyk decided to purchase a small, 1961 Cessna-180, four-seater seaplane he docks in his backyard.
The on-call commercial pilot usually flies planes shipping automotive cargo and piloting Life Flights, where he transports human organs to hospitals for those needing transplants or surgery, but said his seaplane has become a fun, personal hobby.
Weltyk became interested in planes when he was a senior at Lake Orion High School. He’s been flying about 20 years now.
To fly a seaplane legally, one must have a pilot’s license with a sea plane rating. Weltyk said he had to log 6-10 hours of flight training, then fly with an instructor to receive his rating.
‘It’s just different than flying a regular plane because the water conditions are changing all the time,? he said. ‘Plus, you’ve got boats and stuff you’ve gotta look out for.?
Before he takes off for any flight, Weltyk checks the fuel lines to make sure there’s no water inside, and also must pump water out of exterior holes on the pontoons. If any water is left in, it can make one pontoon heavier than the other.
After a quick check of the orange wind sock on top of his house, he slowly taxis out to one end of the lake.
Weltyk also makes sure he carefully and thoroughly checks each and every one of the controls inside the cockpit before taking off.
‘I wouldn’t say it’s harder, but there are some techniques to flying a seaplane,? he said.
For instance, if the lake is free of any ripples, it would cause a large amount of friction under the pontoons of the plane, causing a rough takeoff.
‘If the pontoons don’t want to get out of the water, you have to lift one out of the water to get rid of the friction,? Weltyk explained.
He’s even become the family chauffeur, flying his family to other places in the state, like Houghton Lake, and even takes the neighborhood kids up for rides, too.
It’s the freedom he feels when he’s up in the sky that he enjoys the most.
‘It’s just the view and being able to go wherever you want to go,? he said.
Because his commercial piloting is an on-call job, it’s hard for Weltyk to fly the seaplane as much as he’d like.
Some residents in the Tan Lake area, however, haven’t been as happy to see the new seaplane as others.
Although it can be noisy at takeoff, Weltyk said he does his best to be as quiet and as safe as possible when he’s over the area, and in no way wants to disrupt the daily lives of his neighbors.
His seaplane is in full compliance with the rules passed down by the Federal Aviation Administration.
In fact, Weltyk said he’d be happy to hear from residents in the area about how they feel. He may even take them up for a ride if they’d like.
For anyone interested in obtaining a seaplane rating, Weltyk said training is offered at Northwoods Aviation in Cadillac. You can contact them at (231) 775-6641.