Should Seaplanes Be Allowed on Lake Lanier?

What do you think of local pilots' wishes to open Lake Lanier to seaplanes? Tell us in the comments below.

A pilots’ group has asked the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to open up Lake Lanier to seaplanes.

According to the Gainesville Times, the Lanier Seaplane Pilots Association has petitioned the Corps for access to the popular 38,000-acre reservoir, which attracts 7.5 million visitors each year.

Troy Wheeler of the pilots’ group said it wants to use the lake for recreation “just like everybody else does. We’re all licensed, insured, responsible people, not 17-year-olds with a jet ski and a 6-pack.”

Read more on the Gainesville Times story here

The newspaper said seaplanes are already allowed on Lake Allatoona, a Corps of Engineers reservoir northwest of Atlanta, which requires seaplanes to “land” and take off at least 500 feet from shore and other structures, and stay away from small coves and narrow channels.

The pilots say seaplanes can land on water or land, and can be motored to a dock or up a boat ramp. “Once you’re on the water, you become a boat,” and then follow the same rules boaters do, Wheeler told the Gainesville newspaper. The group has already agreed it would not use the lake on weekends and holidays between Memorial Day and Labor Day, during the lake’s busy season.

Before considering a permit, Corps is requiring the pilots to conduct an environmental assessment before a public review is held.

The Lake Lanier Flight Center, which supports the petition, said on its website:

“Our goal of bringing business to the area while growing the General Aviation base in Georgia requires educating the community.  Safe practices on our waterways are the responsibility of the certificated pilots of floatplanes, and we want the community to know that our desire is to work with boaters and lake homeowners to establish reasonable guidelines for lake access.”

Find out more about the proposal on the Float Planes of Lake Lanier website.