mt flying article
Cub Special and all,
Can't resist my 2 cents at this point, I guess.
Starting backwards, I certainly agree with Cub Special on the variance of places in Alaska, although I have little off-field experience up there. However, my old chief pilot at Salmon Air Taxi in 1979, Carl Branham, had over 9000 hours on floats in Alaska in Beavers, not to mention a bunch of off field time in cubs up there. He also had good experience in Idaho, and his comment was that strip for strip, Idaho was tougher. However, with all the off field opportunities, Alaska more than made up for that, and with the weather and wilderness considerations it could be a handful. However, for designated airstrips, he considered Idaho the most challenging.
The next point, on which mt. flying seminar is better, Challis or McCall, I guess that is really a moot point since Bob died.
However, I feel a little background information is in order.
Bob's school, the River of No Return Mountain Flying Seminar, was started in 1987 or so by Frank Giles and a host of professional air taxi backcountry pilots, such as Bill Dorris, Frank, Bob, Ken Jones, Gridley Rowles, just to mention a few. It was blessed by John Goostrey of the FAA (one of the good guys) and continued under Bob's purview since about 1989. A more experienced group of instructors would have been hard to find. As the years went on, Bob continued to get some of the best pilots around, Tim Keogh and Steve Cope for two. An important point is that these instructors were air taxi pilots, used to flying in all kinds of weather back there, with 206's, 185's, etc. with heavy loads. A far cry from a lighter trainer or Super Cub, although they had experience there too.
The experience they could impart was invaluable.
I had known Bob Plummer for over 25 years, and he was one of the most capable and professional guys around. His was the only backcountry air taxi that had never had a major accident that I can think of. The accident investigation is still under way, of course, but there are some possible medical issues pending.
Lori, at least until recently, had Jim Larkin as one of her instructors. I feature him and his mentor, Warren Ellison, on my Mt. Flying DVD. They were 2 of the first pilots to land at Mile Hi, in Travelair 6000's (Ford Trimotors, as Lori has mentioned, were never landed there). They don't get any better than Jim Larkin, either.
You will certainly find local opinions as to which school was better. I will not go there in this email. The key is finding a method and instructor that you can relate to, as long as the methodology is safe. I am a firm believer that there is more than one way to skin a cat--some IPs insist on numbers, some on feel, some combine the two....
As to the last point discussed on this forum, Mile Hi definitely has a psychological factor (staring at nothing but a mountain above you on short final), and I have never considered it the most difficult strip in the backcountry, but there are some definite techniques to deal with there also. I would suggest starting at Deadwood Reservoir for practice and talking or flying with a competent instructor before tackling it. And do keep in mind, as someone mentioned, that these have been saved as emergency strips, not places to put a notch in your gun. I did shoot an elk there once, but there is not much other reason to go there except for the view and a hike, maybe. It is a dry camp unless you head down a ways to the spring.
I apologize for being so wordy, but thought the comment on Bob's passing needed more.
Dick Williams
