(Above) A Cessna 208B Grand Caravan EX on floats, similar to a seaplane that could be operating out of Navy Pier next year. (Click on images to view larger versions.)

Seaplane service proposed for Navy Pier

17-Dec-15  Travel from Chicago to neighboring states by seaplane could be an option as early as next May. A Chicago investment company is seeking regulatory approval for an amphibious aircraft facility at Navy Pier.

Azure Aviation Group LLC, wants to use the quieter north side of Navy Pier for takeoffs and landings, operating during the day from May to November. Seaplanes are often used to get up and over bodies of water, says James Price Chuck (left), a principal of Azure Aviation Group. We also look at it as a transportation solution to get up and over congestion.

It has been about 60 years since Chicago had a seaplane base. At one time, there were two facilities at Navy Pier where amphibious aircraft could land. They were in operation in the 1940s and 1950s.

Chuck says what makes Navy Pier an ideal location is its breakwater, the barrier that protects the lock and harbor from waves. It would cost $200 million to build today, he says. Navy Piers transportation infrastructure is used less Monday through Friday when fewer tourists are at Navy Pier, and Chuck says officials there are very excited about bringing a different kind of visitor to the pier, thats not just a regional tourist but a regional business person.

5-10 flights per day anticipated

Five to ten times a day, a single-engine Cessna EX Amphibian with two pontoons, two pilots, and up to eight TSA-screened passengers would take off from Navy Pier. Milwaukee would be 30 minutes away. Indianapolis and Grand Rapids, 40 minutes. Springfield, 70 minutes.

While the aircrafts range is much farther, Chuck says 90 minutes will be the maximum flying time because after 90 minutes, seaplanes without a bathroom on board become not a lot of fun.

Exact air fares have not yet been determined, but a flight to Milwaukee will cost about $100. Indianapolis will cost about $180 and Springfield will cost about $200.

These prices will likely go up, in reality, but we are not sure yet by what margin, he says. Air fares are not yet set because some key operational costs are not yet set, either.

Reasons for flying evolve in Chicagos century of seaplane history

The first seaplane arrived in Chicago in 1913, landing in Monroe Harbor near where Buckingham Fountain would be built 14 years later.