To anyone who's reading these testimonials: Go for it with Tom! I've been into aviation for almost 20 years now and flying floatplanes has been on my big list of "things to do before you die"! I finally got the opportunity to visit BC and decided to go for my sea plane rating there. I chose Island Coastal Aviation, since they already had experience with foreign pilots and they didn't dissapoint me!

Tom works in a very professional and calm manner as well as on a high standard. It was a lot of fun flying with him and I felt very comfortable all the time. I can highly recommend him as an instructor to anyone!

What I love about flying floatplanes: the challenge, the freedom, the nature, being independant... and the possibility to combine my love for water & air as well as low level flying ;-) !

Thanks soooo much for these great & unforgettable flights and for all your help concerning the rest of my flying in BC! ... can't wait to be back!

It was always my dream to become a floatplane pilot. Just after finishing my PPL I went to Island Coastal for the 50 hour course. I learnded a lot in the environment of Pitt Meadows: I learned to find my way between all the boats on the river, I learned to handle current, tides and salt water. You find everything in this area! I loved to fly along the rivers at 500 and below. Also the mountain flying in B.C. prepared me well to fly in the Alps. It was a great time-builder towards my CPL and I appreciate to have flown my first 100 hours with instructors. Now I can't wait to get my floatplane career started. And last but not least, it was a blast to live in a hangar! I will come back some day!

Thank you so much for the amazing experience I had with you guys. You are a very kind and patient teacher and a very memorable one, as I have have had many over the years. You are also a very practical thinker & I thank you for making me a better pilot. Your course is more demanding than than the practical flight test I had for my Commercial Exam. I look forward to flying with you again soon. We are enjoying the sun on the Island.

After receiving a job offer last winter to go overseas to fly a Twin Otter on floats, I had to find a school to go to and get my Seaplane Training. I called around my area (London Ontario) and quickly found out that it being winter I would have to go out west for it. I contacted Tom and Kristene at Island Coastal Aviation and quickly got a friendly response. Tom filled me in on the procedures so I went out west. Tom and Kristine greeted me with such a warm hospitality. The flying experience was fantastic and the scenery was breathtaking. Tom is an awesome instructor! His ability to assess every student's strengths and weaknesses makes each and every student gain the maximum benefit from every flight! Being an instructor myself I am most definitely recommending any of my students and friends to Island Coastal Aviation!

Tom and Kristine,

I can't thank you enough for the time we spent together in June helping me to add a float endorsement to my existing license. It was definitely one of the most rewarding experiences I have been privy to in a very long while. Your accommodations are fabulous, your hospitality superb! To the both of you, I thank you for your efforts! Kristine, you have always been so kind, and so accommodating ... Tom ... Well, we are going on 15 years since I've known you first. You are an excellent instructor and mentor. I say that with all degree of certainty. I wish I would have had more time, seven hours was just not enough to really get the feel of things... C'est la vie! Airspeed, Ball, Power...

I got it!

Growing up surrounded by lakes in Manitoba and Ontario, float flying has always been a goal I've wanted to pursue. When the opportunity arose this past winter, while all the water in Manitoba was frozen solid, to travel to beautiful British Columbia and receive my Sea Plane rating, I didn't hesitate.

The welcome we received was extremely friendly and inviting, Tom and Kristene are both great people and perfect hosts. Their love and passion for what they do combined with their knowledge and experience on the west coast, make them the perfect choice for anyone who shares the passion for flying.

The experience of flying a float plane through the mountains, landing and taking off from some of the most beautiful lakes and rivers was simply incredible. Absolutely some of the most memorable flying I'm sure to ever experience. The training received from Tom was also not soon to be forgotten. Tom is an excellent instructor, with an incredible amount of experience to draw off of with an amazingly friendly yet professional cockpit demeanor.

The entire west coast flying experience was both incredibly beautiful and exciting, as well as education. Any pilot would benefit from the experience and will take the skills and knowledge gained from it with them for the rest of their flying careers.

In British Columbia, January is not the most popular month to embark upon float plane training but circumstances did not allow choosing a more clement time of the year. In the event, the weather - seasonally cold and wet - rendered only two days unflyable and I completed the course in five days. My success, of course, was due entirely to Tom Drybrough, an unusually gifted instructor whose relaxed manner is able to bring out the best in you as he gently and painlessly nudges you towards the exacting standard he demands. In short, he is simply the best instructor I have ever flown with! I have an abiding memory of Tom, ankle deep in icy water at the northern end of Pitt River, waiting for me to complete the required five take-offs and landings as the sole occupant of the aircraft on the only small patch of non-glassy water that existed on the river that day. What a guy! Should they ever decide to award a Nobel Prize to a float plane instructor, Tom will get my vote!

I would urge anyone contemplating float plane training to contact Tom. In my view, the Island Coastal Aviation experience cannot be beaten.

Thanks again for the warm welcome and the great training. I really enjoyed my time in Pitt Meadows and I can't wait to come back for more flying. I really appreciate the thorough training you provide and the advice you have given. The accomodation you provide is perfect and very comfortable. I found the Pitt Meadows area a great place to learn to fly seaplanes, all the training locations are close by with plenty of variation.

Not only does BC provide an exciting and varied environment for float  training, but Tom is a uniquely talented instructor.  In taking the  time to recognize and address each student's individual learning style, Tom's teaching is creative and personalized.  I left with a solid base of experience in float and mountain flying, had a pile of fun, and gained a friend and mentor in the process.

When I got into aviation, I had no idea what my best options were. When I arrived in Pitt Meadows Tom and Kristene immediately helped me feel at home as well as Tom was more then helpful to show me all the options that where available to me. He also introduced me to many of his successful students who have shared many stories on their growing success in the industry, mainly due to Tom's expertise and willingness to help others become successful in aviation. Taking Tom's 50 float course was the best decision I have made so far, he helped me improve my flying skills as well as perfect float and mountain flying, it was a great experience that I can't see anyone ever regretting.

When I got into aviation, I had no idea what my best options were. When I arrived in Pitt Meadows Tom and Kristene immediately helped me feel at home as well as Tom was more then helpful to show me all the options that where available to me. He also introduced me to many of his successful students who have shared many stories on their growing success in the industry, mainly due to Tom's expertise and willingness to help others become successful in aviation. Taking Tom's 50 float course was the best decision I have made so far, he helped me improve my flying skills as well as perfect float and mountain flying, it was a great experience that I can't see anyone ever regretting.

I consider my self one of the lucky low time pilots in these hard times to have a job in aviation.

After finishing my 50 Hour Seaplane course at a school near Vancouver in May 09 I got my first job in the aviation world with Island Coastal Aviation as a fire spotter and then later they trained me as a fire patrol pilot. As soon as I arrived I felt like a family member.

When I did my company check-out with Tom, I soon realized I should have done my 50 hrs float/bush course at Island Coastal Aviation on their C172 instead of with another school on their C180, who I chose because it was closer to my home. It requires such finer skills to fly a C172 on floats, much more so than the C180. I share this opinion with many others in the industry. When you learn on a C172 you develop a much higher skill level which will be used all throughout your float flying career. It prepares you much more for the real world out there, always flying close to, or at gross weight. Others have told me that learning on the C172 makes it so much easier to upgrade to larger aircraft later on, and I agree.

Tom has been a great employer/instructor for me and I'm really happy that I can profit from his experience. There is not one day that goes by where there is not a new situation. He's always willing to share his experience and makes you focus and aware of different scenarios. He doesn't just teach you how to fly floats; he goes the extra mile to turn you into a better pilot. As a past PPL and CPL instructor with thousands of instructing hours, he's always on top of your flying and advises you how to fix things. Even on the way to our base and the drive home after work you get ground briefings. I remember the days at my flight school all too well where I got charged big money for extra instructor time. I've also seen him doing it with students while on course, if you need a little more of his time, he won't charge you more. Isn't that special?

Also, he doesn't have hidden charges when you do your float plane training with him, fixed price that's it, not like most places with extra fuel, insurance surcharges and so on.

You can also use the float/ bush course for time building towards your CPL. It makes you such a better pilot. You get so much more knowledge and experience out of it. Besides, it's fun to fly through the mountains.

I recommend to every one who wants to get float training to see Tom at Island Coastal Aviation.

Last but not least, make sure you choose a school like Island Coastal Aviation that can issue you a tax receipt at the end of your course. At the end of my 50 hour course I found out that the school I attended could not issue me a tax receipt. ... that cost me thousands of $$$.

Thanks again to Tom and Kristene!

My name is Eric Hung, I am currently a flight instructor in training. I came out to Canada's West Coast to get my 7-Hour basic float endorsement so I could add to my flying experience. I certainly wasn't disappointed. Tom is a very experienced instructor and I definitely learned a lot from him. I also appreciated the hospitality offered by him and his wife Kristene. Thank you Tom and Kristene for everything!

Marina Droogers
London, Ontario
I always dreamt of flying a floatplane; however, after completing my CPL last fall it seemed easier to get my instructor's rating and find a local job. I soon realized I had made a big mistake and should have followed my dreams. A friend of mine told me about the awesome experience she had with Island Coastal Aviation. I emailed Tom and immediately received a friendly response. A few weeks later, I headed west to beautiful BC to take the 50 hour course. Tom, along with his wife, Kristene, welcomed me with warm hospitality. Being introduced to float flying on BC's West Coast is an experience any person who is passionate about flying would both appreciate and love. Tom works patiently with you on an individual basis to hone your flying skills and to give the best float training possible. Along with the training I learned valuable insights about the industry which ultimately helped me get that first job. I cherish the memories from my training and the amazing views the coast has to offer. Thank you Tom, for helping me establish solid direction in my aviation career! Thank you, Tom & Kristene!

I began my aviation career over 34 years ago as a bush pilot in northern Canada where I flew Cessna, Beaver, Otter, Beech 18 and Twin Otter seaplanes over a span of 5 years then had an enjoyable 27 years with the airlines. I simply wanted to renew and relive the memories I had of those early days on the lakes and rivers, the sense of freedom I felt with a seaplane, the daily exposure to magnificent scenery and the hourly personal challenge of this type of flying. I was surprised how quickly the old instincts returned under Tom's easy going, patient manner. As has already been stated by many others, the aircraft are indeed clean and well maintained and you will be thoroughly checked out on floats! I can also guarantee you will find the West Coast of British Columbia a challenging and beautiful place to fly! Tom and Kristene, all your hard work has paid off, I thank you and can't wait to return for my annual review!

I came to do a 50 hour seaplane course as part of my time building towards the commercial license, but left with much more. The course was excellent, and the skills taught by Tom have been a great aid in working towards the commercial license. Tom did not just teach me how to fly floats, but about all aspects of the industry. Always professional, yet friendly and accommodating, I can't think of a better place to learn to fly floats.

Many thanks to Tom and Kristene for your kind hospitality and expert, patient instruction. Your aircraft are all in great shape, and together with the beautiful BC scenery it all adds up to a fantastic experience. The accommodation is comfortable and well appointed. The floatplane instruction is of the highest standard and I can recommend Tom's services to anyone wishing to fly in challenging terrain.

Mountain and Bush Course: Navigating through the maze of steep sided valleys, maneuvering amidst canyons and glaciers, not only felt like flying through Jurassic Park but proved an invaluable experience for the world of bush flying. Thanks to everyone for a totally enjoyable and informative course.

50 hour Seaplane Course: Prior to commencing the course I had heard many good reviews of the 50 hour floatplane course. It exceeded all my expectations. It didn't take long to see why the West Coast is regarded as one of the best places for float flying. Tom and Kristene really made me feel at home and not having my own transportation proved not to be a problem. The course was very much geared towards getting that all important first job. Tom is a very experienced, committed instructor and easy to get along with which made the flying great fun. I would recommend float flying to anyone in aviation, whether their ambition is the airlines or becoming a Blimp pilot. Float flying really refines the skills and tests your ability to read the weather. I'm personally now hooked on flying floats.

I was looking for basic (seaplane) flight training, and I found excellent flight training coupled with hospitality and service to match the training. The employees and students went out of their way to make every part of the training fun and easy. The top notch instruction, equipment and accommodation makes for a package that puts them ahead of the rest in flight training in Canada.

I was relaxed from the very first day, I never felt like I was out of my country. I flew 15 hours with Tom Drybrough. Flying with him was an unforgettable experience. I came to know that Tom is one of the best floatplane instructors in Canada. He is the best training according to me.

I did my 50 hour Professional Seaplane Course as part of my hour building towards my JAR commercial licence. Starting out with very little idea of where to train on floats, Canada seemed an obvious place to start as float planes and Canada are synonymous with one and other.

Typing in 'Float Planes Training Canada' in an internet search came back with many schools. Very few were as helpful as Tom over the email. There were obviously many questions to be answered before I came here as a foreign student. They also seemed to have the best deal as accommodation and transport were included and course availability was good.

I was left with no worries except to go and fly. The float flying is mostly done in an area with a lot of remote lakes situated between the highest mountains along the beautiful west coast of BC. There are also a number of coastal islands which are explored during the course in the hunt for a good spot to do some circuits.

Robin is now a captain with a major airline.

Tom is a very thorough instructor who keeps on top of all your mistakes and bad habits whilst keeping the cockpit an enjoyable place to be. At this stage in my flying, this meticulous approach is important to me if I am to reach the commercial standard.

In summary, the course was all I hoped it would be and the fifty hours on floats over BC's West Coast was one of the most memorable months for me so far - not to be missed.