After eighteen months of planning and the granting of all local approvals, seaplane services are set to return to the River
Derwent.

Tasmanian Air Adventures (TAA) is the creation of former Qantas 747 pilot Christiaan Durrant and fellow aviator/adventurer
Timothy Robertson, who plan to connect visitors with iconic wilderness sites across Tasmania.

“Our unique experience will provide visitor access to the Tasmanian wilderness and other popular tourism locations via a
selection of unforgettable day adventures,” Mr Durrant said.

Mr Durrant said the company had gone to extraordinary lengths to ensure their services would be considered a world class
eco tourism experience that employs leading environmental practices and is consistent with the working port and
Tasmania’s tourism positioning.

“The arrival of our aircraft in Hobart marks the culmination of more than twelve months of extensive consultation with
authorities, harbour users, residents, waterfront businesses and other groups. We’ve conducted noise level analysis of the
seaplane under power and found that at Mures the noise level will not exceed 43 decibels, where as a normal conversation
is conducted at between 60 and 65 decibels,” Mr Durrant said.

As part of the Civil Aviation Safety Authority (CASA) certification process, Tasmanian Air Adventures will conduct rigorous
certification flights from Sullivans Cove next week, with a view to commencing passenger services soon after CASA has
granted final approvals.

Under the plan:
– TAA will operate an eight seat DeHavilland DHC-2 Beaver seaplane, the most widely used commercial seaplane in the world;
– The seaplane will be based at a purpose built pontoon at Kings Pier Marina on Hobart’s waterfront;
– Flights will be restricted to normal business hours (9am to 5pm in Winter and 9am to 7pm in Summer);
– An estimated five flights will operate each day; and
– The service will taxi at idle power approximately 1,000 metres clear of the Sullivans Cove waterfront prior to take off.

Mr Durrant said that while TAA’s plans were a first for Tasmania, seaplanes were not new to the Derwent.

“Large seaplanes have in fact operated in Hobart intermittently since the 1920s. Today, seaplanes are most commonly used
in Australia by environmental tourism operators at iconic locations such as the Great Barrier Reef, Broome, Cairns, Sydney
Harbour, and now Hobart,” Mr Durrant said.

With assistance from local authorities, TAA has actively sought to inform other river users of their planned services, with
fact sheets and information about the seaplane available on the company’s website at
www.tasmanianairadventures.com.au.

Download Fact Sheet:
TAA_Fact_Sheet_Nov_2011.pdf
Tasmanian Air Adventures