Q. Am I required to complete the approved AIS training available through the link on the WSPA or SPA website?
A. No, there is no requirement, but completion of the training and printing the certificate (for the current calendar year) will qualify you to self-clean and self-certify your aircraft to be free of AIS which will please enforcement personnel and allow you to avoid enforcement actions, assuming that your aircraft is clean and in compliance.

Q. If I have taken the training before through the SPA website or even the old 100th Meridian website, why would I have to do this again, and then each and every year?
A. You can think of it as recurrent training. To approve the training, the “water managers” have required us to have a means of disseminating the most current information. All inspectors are required to “stay current.”

Q. My plane is registered in Washington.  Assuming I’ve done the training and printed the certificate, do I need to do anything else for landings in Washington Waters?
A. Yes, Washington State Law requires that operators of seaplanes registered in that state obtain (each and every year) an AIS Prevention Permit from the Department of Fish and Wildlife. The permit is good for one year from date of purchase.  Presently, the cost is $22 and while the training referred to above is highly recommended, this Permit is mandatory.

 Q. My plane is registered in Washington.  If I’ve completed training and carry my certificate with me, together with keeping a rolling 30 day log of waters visited and cleaning/decontamination performed, do I need to do anything else to visit waters in OR, ID or MT?
A. Not as of now, there are no further requirements, but check with state and local resources before visiting waters whose requirements you’re not familiar with. Idaho, Montana and other states that join in on the authorization may decide to implement a sticker, permit or require one in the future.

 Q.  My plane is not registered in Washington.  Do I need to do anything besides AIS training/certificate and 30 day logs to fly to waters in ID, MT, OR or WA?
A.  Yes, WA requires all seaplane pilots to purchase a permit whether you are a resident or not. However, the other do not require it at this time. However they may decide to implement stickers and permits.  Check back or with the appropriate state agencies.

Thank you Steve Brault for your suggestions and comments! Others are welcome . . . we want this to be crystal clear.