Advocates seek to end unfair Colorado seaplane ban
AOPA, Colorado seaplane pilots cite unequal treatment
Although some seaplane operations are allowed on Kenney Reservoir in western Colorado, flying seaplanes in the state has been a challenge since the 1980s when Colorado Parks and Wildlife prohibited them on waters controlled by the agency. Other agencies including the U.S. Bureau of Reclamation (USBR) jumped on board with similarly discriminatory prohibitions.
In a May 20 letter to the USBR Western Colorado manager, AOPA—joined by a coalition of aviation advocacy organizations including the Seaplane Pilots Association, Experimental Aircraft Association, and Colorado Pilots Association—argued that not only is the current seaplane restriction on Navajo and McPhee Reservoirs discriminatory and unfair, it is also unwarranted. The letter states, “Colorado experiences an average of 13.7 boating-related fatalities per year, which is approximately double the annual average of seaplane fatalities nationwide.”
“The evidence does not support continued discrimination against seaplane operations at Navajo and McPhee Reservoirs,” the letter concludes, asking USBR to start the process for revising the Resource Management Plan “to consider allowing seaplane operations to resume on Navajo and McPhee Reservoirs.”
AOPA advocates for all forms of general aviation. We will continue to support ongoing efforts to defend pilots’ freedom to fly seaplanes in Colorado.
If you are a seaplane pilot and have any documentation including pictures, videos, or logbook entries of seaplanes using USBR reservoirs prior to 2006, please email Ray Hawkins, the director of the Colorado Seaplane Initiative.
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