Pilot project: David West launches new seaplane service to Skye

As founder of Loch Lomond Seaplanes (LLS), and one of only three pilots overseeing operations, he has to cover a lot of ground and appears to be in several places at once. "In terms of passenger numbers we are one of Britain's biggest carriers," he says.

"We operate 200 flights a month and take about 10,000 passengers a year. It is basically running an airline as far as the Civil Aviation Authority is concerned. We have the same safety manuals and

legislation as British Airways. Everything is the same. The only difference is that Loch Lomond Seaplanes is run from the wild landscape of the west coast of Scotland instead of from Heathrow.

"The thing we suffer from is that people think we are a very big company … but we are not, in terms of infrastructure."

It has not been a bump-free ride to reach this point. After years as a long-haul flight captain with Cathay Pacific, among others, the Scots pilot fell for seaplane flying and vowed to get a tourist aircraft onto Loch Lomond close to his home. In 2003 he self-financed the purchase of an American six-seater Cessna 206, for around £430,000, to make that dream a reality.

All start-ups are risky of course, but it was the red tape - or rather lack of it - that posed the greatest problem. Although Britain had a great heritage of seaplanes and flying boats - Oban was once a centre of operations - the rule books had not been updated for half a century.

"I had a look through the CAA and European aviation standards at the time and they were an utter nightmare. We knew that this type of aircraft had been flying in the US for 20 years but the authorities here must carry out their own flying tests. It was an absolute minefield ... if you get it wrong you have just spent 600,000 dollars for nothing."

There was also the small matter of the newly established Loch Lomond and the Trossachs National Park. The plane had to be tested for its environmental impact and in so doing LLS has defined seaplanes as one of the few forms of transport suitable for use in a Site of Special Scientific Interest.

The first flights were in 2004 but soon the downturn started to have an impact - it was almost the worst time to launch a high-end product such a £100-plus seaplane flight. An investment in docks at SECC made scheduled flights from Glasgow to Oban possible but despite full planeloads the numbers couldn't be made to work.

However, responses from customers became the wind beneath their wings. Every awe-struck passenger dolled out five-star reviews. One wrote: "Amazing, breathtaking, emotional. I rate the experience almost as highly as the birth of my children."

In terms of promotion, West understood the appeal to the media both in assisting camera crews and wowing personalities. "Better known guests", as the website puts it, have always been keen to come aboard - Jackie Stewart is a fan and just last month Gary Barlow tweeted his delight in the flight. Partnering with, and being docked beside, Cameron House Hotel has certainly helped the brand and West has enough marketing savvy to understand the how to make the business fly.

"I found out that three to four million people in Britain celebrate 40th, 50th or 60th birthdays each year," he explains. "There are so many markets we can target. There are the mountaineers and adventurers, tourists and sightseers, then the experience market, wedding and anniversary couples and bucket listers.

"Geologists want to come to see the great cuts through the landscape. I even took up a bunch of Susan Boyle fans who turned up with their SuBo badges on, wanting to follow in her footsteps. There really are a lot of markets out there for us."

In 2007 West decided to increase the scale of operations with a handful of private investors. He upped to a £1million plus nine-seater, invested in more specialised IT reservation systems and increased staffing to 15 to cover seven days.

But recruitment has always proved a challenge. Pilots have come from well-established commercial seaplane operations in Canada which has put West up against immigration laws.

"Those who regulate have no idea about the real world," he says. "In Europe a pilot can be licensed after six hours' training but I wouldn't let them wash my plane never mind fly it. And we have what I call shiny new jet syndrome. Every young guy or girl wants to fly big jets. We pay the same kind of money, there are no early or late shifts and you get home every night. But these young guys and girls want the image."

The running costs are primarily to cover staff and aircraft maintenance - contracted out to a company based at Cranfield Airport in England. So recent drops in oil prices have given LLS very little in the way of extra margins. As director of Europe's best-established seaplane operation, West has exported his expertise and has been involved in advising start-ups all over the world.

He was asked by the Indian government to look at water landing locations near Goa and he carried out a consultation in Croatia, creating the legislative framework for a new industry. With financial backing, LLS could have been running ventures in both countries by now.

"It would have been us ... it's very frustrating especially when you enable it all to happen," he says. "It's all about the finances. Sometimes I even think about crowdfunding."

But he does have new projects on the go. The first offshoot, Skye Seaplanes, will be taking passengers to the island in 45 minutes as opposed to four hours, and offering a new perspective on those magnificent coasts and Cuillins. At least Scotland's bonnie banks have not let the firm down - even if the financial ones may have. And West is still genuinely more excited by Scotland than any place on Earth.

He admits: "I have flown all over the world, in and out of old Kai Tak Airport at Hong Kong. But Scotland is the most exciting landscape.

"It changes every half mile and literally assaults the senses. There is always total silence in the back of the plane as people are so awe-struck.

"People tell me it is better than flying in the Maldives and many customers have flown into the Grand Canyon and say Scotland is better. It is not that the Grand Canyon is not good. It is just that it is amazing for the first five minutes … then it is the same for the next 45. In Scotland there are mountains, castles and history, beaches and sea lochs - everything."

When, at the end of a 12-flight day, things quieten down and West takes a moment to sit down in front of the TV, he occasionally catches a glimpse of his little plane in that VisitBritain ad.

"I have to admit," he says. "It is very satisfying to think - yes, we did that."

Highland hazards

Many businesses are dependent on the weather - from farming to offshore wind generation. And anyone launching a tourist business dependent on good visibility must surely be taking a risk in these misty isles.

Loch Lomond Seaplanes tries to avoid problems and lets customers know the night before their flight if weather is threatening so they don't have to travel. Then a rebooking can be made.

"In fact we only lose about 8 per cent of our business each year because of weather," says West. "We maybe add an extra flight at the end of the day. We can usually manage.

"And we don't say dreich. We say mean and moody. Sometimes I describe the wind and rain as the sculptor and painter of landscape. Our land is awe-inspiring but it would not be so without the wind and rain.

"It doesn't matter if it is overcast or a bit misty. You are seeing different facets of Scotland. In any case we just apply the rule of five - just wait five minutes or fly five miles and things will improve."

But there is one thing about the Highland environment that frustrates West daily in running his business.

"If we could get a good phone signal across the Highlands and Islands it would transform business, all sorts of businesses, overnight. It is hopeless."