Aviation sub-category? Bush flying, helicopters, etc?

[COAKXterra]

How do you know if a pilot walks into a room?

Don’t worry. They’ll tell you.




I know I’m not alone on here in working in aviation and/or using aircraft to access other types of outdoor adventures. Any interest in a light sub category or just thread for us that like to play in thinner air?

 

[chet6.7]

Those STOL planes are cool, unfortunately way out of my price range.

 

[COAKXterra]

Those STOL planes are cool, unfortunately way out of my price range.

If you ever get the chance to go to the Valdez STOL/Fly-in up here in AK…. It is insane. A really cool event.

But yeah, there’s folks that have a two-seat plane on 35s that cost more than many rigs here and can land/take off in the length of an earthroamer. Watching them play out on glacial gravel bars is even more fun.

 

[SimplyAnAdventure]

I dream about having a Just Aircraft SuperSTOL. My front yard is 900ft long and smooth grass and I have a garage and pole barn that would hold a plane (folded wings) very easily. I can’t imagine how cool it would be to fly in and out of my front yard…. Alas it’s not in the budget. At least for a while.

 

[COAKXterra]

I feel you on that. Very much wish I had enough property to manage that as well. I do have several friends that own properties I’ve threatened to land at though. Hope the opportunity comes around for each.

But my neighbors wouldn’t be very excited about me doing a slow vertical descent into my yard to avoid the trees, and my boss probably wouldn’t be excited about the calls. Haha.

Thanks for the replies everyone. Just was trying to test the waters to see…. Thought it would be a fun thread/subcategory.

On that note…. Guess I’ll throw my background in for context.

Been working in aviation (primarily helicopters) since 2011, mostly up here in AK. Got into it working for heli-ski as a ground/office/ tail guide and then a heli-hiking guide in Denali that following summer.

Fast forward 14 years and I now fly for one of the utility helicopter companies up here, including heli-ski in the winter and currently on a north slope contract. I’ve flown all over the US doing everything from pipeline patrol in ND to cherry drying in WA to tours in Denali. I worked aviation support for commercial operations and state entities here and fueled aircraft in Antarctica while I was getting ducks in a row for flight school.

I also have been fortunate to get out a bunch in fixed wing over the years, but haven’t pursued my certificate there yet.

I always love to hear other folks’s journeys or adventures in the sky, so looking forward to seeing more replies.

 

[Tex68w]

I've got a buddy I do some of my motorcycle riding with who flies SAR for Bristow. He pulled 21 years in Cobras and Apaches in the Army, retired CW4. I am a fixed-wing pilot myself. I was rated, then promptly walked away from it for well over a decade, and just recently got back into it. I am currently in the process of purchasing a Mooney, it's at the avionics shop as we speak, hemorrhaging money lol, but I am excited to get it back and fly with some new glass. I am using what's left of my GI to go back and get my Commercial ticket in the spring.

I want a tail dragger more than anything. I plan to eventually add either a Carbon Cub/Husky/Maule, alongside the M20, or possibly replace the Mooney down the road with a C185 Skywagon. I went with the fast travel plane first to get the wife to come along and benefit from the hordes of money being set on fire, and hopefully, in time, she'll get more on board with the entire thing, and that will make it much easier to convince her of getting a second one lol.

I support an aviation sub-chapter, and given the interest in flying by the owners here, I am surprised that it doesn't already exist.

 

[crazysccrmd]

I feel you on that. Very much wish I had enough property to manage that as well. I do have several friends that own properties I’ve threatened to land at though. Hope the opportunity comes around for each.

But my neighbors wouldn’t be very excited about me doing a slow vertical descent into my yard to avoid the trees, and my boss probably wouldn’t be excited about the calls. Haha.

Thanks for the replies everyone. Just was trying to test the waters to see…. Thought it would be a fun thread/subcategory.

On that note…. Guess I’ll throw my background in for context.

Been working in aviation (primarily helicopters) since 2011, mostly up here in AK. Got into it working for heli-ski as a ground/office/ tail guide and then a heli-hiking guide in Denali that following summer.

Fast forward 14 years and I now fly for one of the utility helicopter companies up here, including heli-ski in the winter and currently on a north slope contract. I’ve flown all over the US doing everything from pipeline patrol in ND to cherry drying in WA to tours in Denali. I worked aviation support for commercial operations and state entities here and fueled aircraft in Antarctica while I was getting ducks in a row for flight school.

I also have been fortunate to get out a bunch in fixed wing over the years, but haven’t pursued my certificate there yet.

I always love to hear other folks’s journeys or adventures in the sky, so looking forward to seeing more replies.

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How was the Denali tour flying? I’ve been considering it as a post retirement part time gig.

 

[jkam]

Electra has a very cool STOL plane.

 

[Tex68w]

Tail wheel endorsement completed! This endorsement has been a long time coming. I've wanted to fly tailwheel since 2008, super stoked to have this endorsement in the logbook. This backcountry tailwheel stuff is addictive. Now I am sitting over here looking at Super Cubs and Huskies lol. I might need to set up a GoFundMe lol.

 

[COAKXterra]

How was the Denali tour flying? I’ve been considering it as a post retirement part time gig.

Loved it. Tours are tours, same questions 7 times a day on the same route. But getting to show people the beauty of interior Alaska on what could be their only trip up here was so fun.

 

[COAKXterra]

Tail wheel endorsement completed! This endorsement has been a long time coming. I've wanted to fly tailwheel since 2008, super stoked to have this endorsement in the logbook. This backcountry tailwheel stuff is addictive. Now I am sitting over here looking at Super Cubs and Huskies lol. I might need to set up a GoFundMe lol.

CONGRATS!
Solid work. If I ever get around to finishing my fixed wing rating, it’ll certainly be aimed at doing tail wheel too.

 

[Ninelitetrip]

Tailwheel is fun, try and add floats, great fun.

 

[DirtWhiskey]

I know nothing about such things. AND I feel like remote air is such an integral part of remote travel, even stateside. Allbmy small craft experiences is with ************ bush pilots on the Colorado Plateau and the Rockies for raft shuttles. Big country out there, much of it only reasonably accessible by plane!

 

[crazysccrmd]

Loved it. Tours are tours, same questions 7 times a day on the same route. But getting to show people the beauty of interior Alaska on what could be their only trip up here was so fun.

Doesn’t sound so bad. I just flew there a few days ago and will be back up through again today if weather in the pass holds out. Looks like fun flying those little birds around.

I need to get off my ass and buy a bush plane so I can get out to some of the remote cabins in Wrangell-St Elias.

 

[COAKXterra]

It really isn’t. I had a lot of fun doing it, and Temsco was a great company to work for. Ultimately I just wanted a schedule that allowed me to have dedicated time off to spend time with the family during the summer, and the tour pilot life really isn’t that schedule. This summer I was able to do a two week trip to CO and another two week off hitch for a camping trip to the wrangells/valdez, not to mention work through longer parts of the year with heli ski. A far cry from sporadic mid-week days off last summer and huge stretches of funemployment. But landing out on the glaciers and tundra of the central AK range every day was pretty magic.

I used to work for the Trooper aviation program up here and got to fly in/out of several of those strips including May Creek and Chisana in a 185 and Caravan. I love Denali and the AK range, but nothing beats the Wrangells. Totally the motivation to finish my fixed wing rating.

Who are you flying for?