History Made: First Female Seaplane Pilot to Fly Around Mainland Australia Tells Tale of Adventure

By Carmelo Turdo

St. Louis area pilot Cathy Babis, who recently became the first female seaplane pilot to complete a flight around mainland Australia, gave a presentation about her experience on July 10 at Creve Coeur Airport. It Takes 100 Years, a project in the making since last summer, commemorated the centennial of the first flight of its kind employing seaplanes back in 1924. Babis flew with Australian native David Geers in his Progressive Aerodyne Searey in part to make history, but also to support Roses in the Ocean, Australia's lived experience of suicide organization. The Roses in the Ocean emblem was prominently displayed in the forward portion of the aircraft's hull.

The flight took 58 days of flying one or two legs per day, with accommodations made along the way at each destination. The runways were both in the water and on land, taking advantage of the Searey's amphibious capability to operate like a boat or use conventional landing gear at an airfield. The aircraft was relatively easy to maintain in the field, fun to fly with a cruising speed of 90mph, and, in this case, well equipped with Garmin avionics. The downside of using a small seaplane is of course space and weight, much of which was taken up by fuel, with only 15lbs. of baggage allotted per person. 

Cathy Babis joined the project last July by answering a five-week-old Facebook request from David Geers asking for a seaplane pilot to accompany him on the circumnavigation flight scheduled for April-May of 2024. Originally just browsing Facebook for a way to get seaplane hours, she could not resist the "adventure of a lifetime" offered by her new friend. Before long, she was in Australia, flying 10,330 miles in 117.6 flying hours, burning 760 gallons of fuel and visiting 38 destinations. It was a challenge to find 95-octane fuel in some coastal towns, sometimes having to haul fuel bladders in the truck of a passer-by or carefully draped over an e-bike. Accommodations were sometimes rather rustic, but at the end of the day something became available thanks to the local hospitality.

The Searey proved to be reliable throughout the trip with only two significant incidents. One was a flat tire at the airport in Goolwa, and later an oil leak from the engine's turbo that was repaired in short order. Flying along the coast gave an extra measure of safety as well as the spectacular views of the local shorelines. Flying the Romeo 405 scenic flight path along Sydney Harbour was one highlight of the trip, and each stop along the way provided a new opportunity to experience the local culture and enjoy the natural beauty of the continent. 

Some bucket list items were also checked during her time Down Under, including a camel ride, a tandem skydive and scuba diving in the Great Barrier Reef.    

About Cathy

Cathy Babis brought a wealth of aviation industry experience to this flight. She gained her initial flight training in the Civil Air Patrol and became a flight instructor. After learning about GI Bill flight training and educational opportunities, she joined the U.S. Army hoping to become a helicopter pilot. When there were no helicopter training openings for her, she then became an air traffic controller. Babis now had another valuable aviation industry vocation as a civilian controller in the busy Los Angeles area. She also had the benefits to obtain a degree from Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University. Babis added airport weather spotter, chief flight instructor and a second career at the National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency to her lengthy resume. In her "retirement," she is a sought-after instructor at local St. Louis area STEM programs and continues to seek additional pilot ratings and flying experiences.  

We thank Cathy Babis for sharing her adventure with us and providing some of the photos used in this story. She will be telling the story of her 2024 flight around mainland Australia at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh 2024 on July 27th, 2:30-3:45, at the WomenVenture location.