Starting in April, Shark Aviation will be providing seaplane tours of Lake Cumberland, Kentucky. The seaplane tours will depart from the Lake Cumberland Regional Airport. The tours are approximately 30 minutes in length and include a landing on the water. The tours are conducted on the weekends from April through October. Shark Aviation maintains an online booking system for scheduling seaplane tours.
Shark Aviation uses a Cessna 185 on amphibious floats that is called “The Shark” due to its distinctive paint scheme. Reminiscent of the WWII fighter aircraft, such as the Curtis P40, the seaplane has a shark mouth painted on the nose. The seaplane carries up to three passengers and the pilot. Click here to learn more about The Shark seaplane.
Shark Aviation is authorized by the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to conduct to conduct air tours, including seaplane tours. This authorization establishes criteria related to safety, such as aircraft maintenance and pilot requirements. The FAA oversees all aviation tour operators nationwide, including seaplane operators. Shark Aviation complies with all FAA mandated requirements for air tour and seaplane operations.
Unless specifically authorized by the Army Corps of Engineers, commercial seaplane operations are prohibited on Army of Corps of Engineers managed lakes. On December 20, 2018, Shark Aviation received formal authorization to conduct commercial seaplane operations on Lake Cumberland. This authorization allows Shark Aviation to conduct seaplane tours and seaplane training on the lake. At present, Shark Aviation is the only authorized company to conduct commercial seaplane operations on Lake Cumberland.