| SEAREY S-LSA | No assembly required | VIDEO EXTRA Fly along with Senior Editor Al Marsh in Sebring, Florida, in this online video. “BILGE PUMP” IS NOT A standard switch in most aircraft, but it is in a Searey two-seater that can retract its gear and float like a boat—or lower it to crawl out of the water on its belly like a reptile. More than 500 pilots have spent about 800 hours each assembling the Searey as a kit since 1992, but approval as a Light Sport aircraft (LSA) in November 2012 means the Searey LSA Sport is available factory-built for those who wouldn’t trust themselves to change a toilet flapper, let alone build an airplane. Fifteen Searey LSA models are on order at Progressive Aerodyne in Tavares, Florida, America’s “Seaplane City.” PHOTOGRAPHY BY CHRIS ROSE 46|April 2013 B Y A LTO N K . M A R S H