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Thread: Not the Best Decision I Ever Made

  1. #1
    Administrator Steve Pierce's Avatar
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    Default Not the Best Decision I Ever Made

    I was flying the Brazos River in Cathy's Tri-Pacer 10 years ago and after an inspection decided I could land on this gravel bar. Took a trench lined with fence boards I found in the long jam on the bar to get it out. I didn't do that again.
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    Will K's Avatar
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    Default Re: Not the Best Decision I Ever Made

    And here I was looking forward to some off airport landings after I pick up my Colt. I'm starting to rethink that idea.

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    akflyer's Avatar
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    Default Re: Not the Best Decision I Ever Made

    Did that on a cinder blow south of Illiamna. Small nose wheels and soft surfaces are not for the faint of heart. Didn't think I was going to get us out of that one. Did a little tundra hopping as I finally staggered into the air. Makes one appreciate a trailing link nose wheel and indirect steering. Once that wheel turns a little you can't push hard enough to bring it back straight and things get interesting quickly.

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    mmoyle's Avatar
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    Default Not the Best Decision I Ever Made

    Back when I was in band camp…… I had this underpowered 19’ alumaweld flat boat jet boat with a 90hp out board jet. With just me in it, to get on step I had to point it where I wanted to go, set the throttle to maximum…then run forward and hang off the end of the bow to get it on step…. Seeing the nose wheel plow in on these tri-pacers made me think of that…rocks against the rear bulkhead to move the CG back and lighten the weight on the nose wheel. Don’t imagine there are many rocks along the river banks down there in the flat lands…so maybe…umm…use your jeans.. take’m off, tie the legs in a knot, fill’m with sand, tie closed with the belt loops with a tie down rope…dunk it in the water for extra water weight……throw against the rear bulkhead. By the time when you find a hard surface to land on, the water has probably all drained out….taxi to the loneliest corner to get redressed…. ;~)


    P.S. turn the pants inside out before filling them with sand…especially if you go commando!

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    59pacer's Avatar
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    Default Re: Not the Best Decision I Ever Made

    As a very new commercial pilot, my first job was flying around inland North Queensland. The pub owner in Burketown had got his hands on a small island out in the gulf and wanted to put a strip on it to attract fly-in sport fisherman. One of our senior pilots was the first one to land there and said it was ok, but the grass was too long and needed to be cut. The owner sent 2 men out by boat to do that, and when I arrived in Burketown on another charter some time later, the owner chartered me to fly him out, with some food and water supplies. I asked about the grass and was assured that it had been cut.After about 10 miles of salt water crocodile infested swamps, and 10 miles of shark infested water, we arrived in the circuit, and I did a low run to have a look--no sign of grass along the centreline, with some form of marker boards visible in the grass at the sides.The landing was a surprise as the poor C205 stopped like on a carrier arrival. The wheels were in deep fine dry white sand. The men had pulled the grass out, not cut it, and the 'marker boards' were lengths of 2 x 4 hardwood driven into the sand with white painted corrugated iron nailed on. They were just at about where the wingtips were, so there was no room for error there.With three men rocking and pushing, and up to full power at times, we got the 205 turned around, back to the threshold, and turned around again. I dug out the sand in front of the wheels and with full power applied nothing happened. With some rocking of the elevators back and forth it started to roll slowly, but getting faster. Getting near the end of the strip, the 205 lurched into the air, and with the wheels just clearing the grass for a 100 yards or so, got some flying speed. The stall warning was silent fortunately (it had a match jamming it as it beeped too much in the heat turbulence and scared the passengers). I think it was one of the few times I appreciated a Cessna.Talk about lessons learned and luck expended. The things you do when young and stupid!We'll be heading off in the Pacer in July for 5-6 weeks flying around up there, but I will not be going anywhere near that bloody island.
    Last edited by 59pacer; 05-25-2023 at 06:36 PM.

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    smcnutt's Avatar
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    Default Re: Not the Best Decision I Ever Made

    Maybe a new item in your 'off airport kit' should be skis you can strap on your wheels. I guess that's part of the allure and excitement of off airport operations: never really knowing exactly what you're getting into.
    “Seek advice but use your own common sense.”
    ― Yiddish Proverb

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    Subsonic's Avatar
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    Default Re: Not the Best Decision I Ever Made

    Quote Originally Posted by smcnutt View Post
    Maybe a new item in your 'off airport kit' should be skis you can strap on your wheels. I guess that's part of the allure and excitement of off airport operations: never really knowing exactly what you're getting into.
    Interesting idea! Would skis have worked on Steve's (Cathy's TP) gravel bar landing 10 years ago? Maybe skis with just the bottom of the tire poking through so you can still land on grass strips or even pavement? Hmmm....How would you mount them? Steering on gravel might be weird.

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    Administrator Steve Pierce's Avatar
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    Default Re: Not the Best Decision I Ever Made

    Wheel penetrating skis for the soft stuff. Incidents like this are why I fly a tailwheel airplane with Bushwheels and a Baby Bushwheel tailwheel. It isn't for everyone but it yanks my chain.
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  9. #9
    smcnutt's Avatar
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    Default Re: Not the Best Decision I Ever Made

    We had a kitmade dirt bike with a briggs & stratton when I was a kid. It had big fat tires (12" wide on the rear and probably 8" on the front) and it could go anywhere. It had a strap on ski for the front tire for the winter. Lots of fun and I don't think we ever got it stuck anywhere.
    “Seek advice but use your own common sense.”
    ― Yiddish Proverb

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    Administrator Steve Pierce's Avatar
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    Default Re: Not the Best Decision I Ever Made

    A concept I never thought about.

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