HAYDEN LAKE - Glenn Smith said his newly restored seaplane will take off and land about 3,000 times this year.

But the first takeoff is the scariest for the 62-year-old instructor.

On Thursday at the Coeur d'Alene Airport, Smith loaded the 1946 Piper Cub Super Cruiser onto a trailer. While the seaplane's newly restored engine was running, a truck towed the trailer down the runway and reached speeds of 60 mph before Smith took off.

"You don't have any control and are just at the mercy of the driver," Smith said of the experience. "The airplane is just resting on a platform, so if you get a cross-wind it will spin it right around on that platform. You have to have ideal conditions and you've got to have a good driver."

Thursday morning's flight "went off real well," Smith added, and he was happy to see his new plane resting above Hayden Lake. Smith purchased the seaplane in Superior, Wis., two years ago and worked to restore the aircraft during the last two winters.

He added that the classic seaplane is perfect for training new pilots, something he has been doing since 1989.

"It's ideal because it has some features that make it perform really well," Smith said. "It's got flaps, which is kind of unusual, and tail-feathers that give it a little more control-ability."

When asked by The Press what drew him to piloting seaplanes, Smith paused and turned to look at the crystal waters of Hayden Lake prior to responding.

"Everywhere you go is beautiful," Smith said. "There's a certain freedom with a seaplane - you don't have the prescribed take off patterns that you do at an airport - and if you ever have any problems, the whole lake is a runway."