CESSNA FLOATPLANE MAKES A SPLASH AT AIR RACE CLASSIC

Many pilots aspire to get a seaplane rating after they've completed the private pilot certificate. It's a fun rating that gives you a chance to experience a very different kind of flying--taking off from and landing on rivers and lakes.

Two pilots are adding a new twist to float flying by racing a 1975 Cessna 182 on Wipaire floats in the Air Race Classic, an all-women's cross-country event. Pilots Jenny Jorgensen and Mary Build of Maine are said to be the first team to fly an amphibious aircraft in the historic race.

This year's event launched June 20 from Mesa, Arizona, and ends June 23 in Menominee, Michigan. Jorgensen and Build are members of the Katahdin Wings chapter of the International Organization of Women Pilots, better known as The Ninety-Nines. You can read their adventures online.