Cub Special Driver
Registered User
Anchorage, Alaska
One of the most unique and rewarding experiences of living in Alaska is 'bush flying'. Pilots of a special breed regularly land tail-equipped aircraft (tail draggers) in remote, road inaccessible or so called 'bush' areas in every part of the state. The landing gear on the small fixed-wing aircraft consist of wheels, skis, and floats (also amphibians) to serve every season of the year. There is no place where bush flying is more important and no place where it performs such a vital role in providing the transportation link as it does in Alaska. There is no place where the conventional landing gear aircraft, i.e., the tail dragger, is revered more than by pilots flying in the Alaskan Bush. And there is no place where the camaraderie of tail dragger flying is more alive and well than in Alaska.
The type of aircraft, the terrain that is flown over and the skill level of the pilots characterize the uniqueness of bush flying in Alaska. The tail dragger is of historic importance as it was the originally manufactured aircraft in this country. The modern tricycle aircraft is now universally used throughout the world both in commercial and recreational aviation. The bush pilot is a 'throw back' and flies a tail dragger because it is the type of aircraft that is the most versatile in being able to perform under the widest range of conditions for accessing the backcountry. Bush pilots take off from airports such as Merrill Field in Anchorage but the next landings will be on remote lakes, rivers, gravel bars, beaches, mud flats, grass-covered sod, tundra, glaciers, ice fields and the winter snow pack. Many landings are first time events- no visually marked landing strips!
The terrain flown over is remote wilderness without man made development or infrastructure such as road networks. Often the terrain is mountainous and capped with large glaciers and ice fields. Many of the river valleys are intensively forested. Coastal plains are often covered with vast areas of wetlands and lowland tundra. The Alaska Bush Pilot not only flies over undeveloped country but also much of the flying is over unpopulated lands. There is no one out there to rely on for help or for anything else. Bush pilots in Alaska are not deterred by this handicap but are energized by this rare type of freedom, independence, and challenge that is almost impossible to find elsewhere in the modern world.
The skills and training necessary for a proficient bush pilot are substantial. It requires hundreds of hours of practicing to hone the many skills that are required for competent bush pilots. Bush pilots must fly frequently and engage themselves in challenging flight operations to gain the necessary skills and to maintain the needed proficiency. The pilots that go through these exhaustive drills are richly rewarded. Bush pilots are more often than not the most skilled pilots in knowing the finer nuances of their aircraft and being able to obtain the maximum flying performance under the most difficult conditions. They become Masters of 'edge-of-performance' flying skills that are required for safe backcountry flying.
Taylor and Piper built nearly 40,000 production airplanes that qualify for the name 'Cub'. Of these, approximately 10,000 are still on the U.S. Civil Register and Alaska has more than 3,000 of these Cub tail draggers up here. Other tail draggers, e.g., Cessna, Citabria, Champion, Aeronca, Bellanca, Taylorcraft, Luscombe, Stinson, Maule, Husky, DeHavilland, Grumman, Helio, Arctic Tern and a few others are also popular and are regularly flown into the Alaskan bush. Merrill Field in downtown Anchorage has over 900 individually owned airplanes (that's right, Merrill Field is not a commercial airport) with slightly over 50% of these being tail draggers. Anchorage International and Lake Hood Airports including the seaplane base have similar numbers of individually owned tail draggers as Merrill Field. The large number of tail draggers found in Anchorage and elsewhere in the state are the basis for Alaska being at the pinnacle of tail dragger and bush flying in the entire world.
Northern Canada, like Alaska, has its own bush pilots who routinely fly the Canadian backcountry. However, the number of bush pilots in Canada is relatively small and is only a fraction of the number in Alaska. Most bush flying in Canada is by pilots involved in commercial ventures such as hauling cargo or flying passengers in guiding operations for fishing, hunting, and other recreational activities. Unlike Alaska, few individual or private pilots in Canada fly the backcountry. The small number of individual bush pilots is due to the much smaller human population in northern Canada, higher costs associated with owning and maintaining aircraft, and the difficulty of affordability with the less robust economy in Canada.
Although Bush Pilot Certificates are no longer issued, adequate numbers of highly skilled locally based and certificated Air Taxi Pilots provide access to every part of remote Alaska. This should not be unexpected with the widely scattered villages without road connection to the state highway system and the large number of tourists coming to Alaska. What is truly remarkable and amazing is the very large number of individual or private pilots in Alaska that take up bush flying more as an avocation than as a vocation. They purchase a tail dragger, routinely fly out to local gravel bars and hone their skills, and join the ranks of the Alaskan Bush Pilot. This speaks volumes as to how attractive, challenging, and enjoyable bush flying is in Alaska. Another unexpected and revealing feature is that many Alaskans that do not own aircraft are our greatest allies due to their familiarity and keen interest in aviation and in bush flying in Alaska.
Cub Special Driver
Anchorage, Alaska
Tail Dragger Heaven
The type of aircraft, the terrain that is flown over and the skill level of the pilots characterize the uniqueness of bush flying in Alaska. The tail dragger is of historic importance as it was the originally manufactured aircraft in this country. The modern tricycle aircraft is now universally used throughout the world both in commercial and recreational aviation. The bush pilot is a 'throw back' and flies a tail dragger because it is the type of aircraft that is the most versatile in being able to perform under the widest range of conditions for accessing the backcountry. Bush pilots take off from airports such as Merrill Field in Anchorage but the next landings will be on remote lakes, rivers, gravel bars, beaches, mud flats, grass-covered sod, tundra, glaciers, ice fields and the winter snow pack. Many landings are first time events- no visually marked landing strips!
The terrain flown over is remote wilderness without man made development or infrastructure such as road networks. Often the terrain is mountainous and capped with large glaciers and ice fields. Many of the river valleys are intensively forested. Coastal plains are often covered with vast areas of wetlands and lowland tundra. The Alaska Bush Pilot not only flies over undeveloped country but also much of the flying is over unpopulated lands. There is no one out there to rely on for help or for anything else. Bush pilots in Alaska are not deterred by this handicap but are energized by this rare type of freedom, independence, and challenge that is almost impossible to find elsewhere in the modern world.
The skills and training necessary for a proficient bush pilot are substantial. It requires hundreds of hours of practicing to hone the many skills that are required for competent bush pilots. Bush pilots must fly frequently and engage themselves in challenging flight operations to gain the necessary skills and to maintain the needed proficiency. The pilots that go through these exhaustive drills are richly rewarded. Bush pilots are more often than not the most skilled pilots in knowing the finer nuances of their aircraft and being able to obtain the maximum flying performance under the most difficult conditions. They become Masters of 'edge-of-performance' flying skills that are required for safe backcountry flying.
Taylor and Piper built nearly 40,000 production airplanes that qualify for the name 'Cub'. Of these, approximately 10,000 are still on the U.S. Civil Register and Alaska has more than 3,000 of these Cub tail draggers up here. Other tail draggers, e.g., Cessna, Citabria, Champion, Aeronca, Bellanca, Taylorcraft, Luscombe, Stinson, Maule, Husky, DeHavilland, Grumman, Helio, Arctic Tern and a few others are also popular and are regularly flown into the Alaskan bush. Merrill Field in downtown Anchorage has over 900 individually owned airplanes (that's right, Merrill Field is not a commercial airport) with slightly over 50% of these being tail draggers. Anchorage International and Lake Hood Airports including the seaplane base have similar numbers of individually owned tail draggers as Merrill Field. The large number of tail draggers found in Anchorage and elsewhere in the state are the basis for Alaska being at the pinnacle of tail dragger and bush flying in the entire world.
Northern Canada, like Alaska, has its own bush pilots who routinely fly the Canadian backcountry. However, the number of bush pilots in Canada is relatively small and is only a fraction of the number in Alaska. Most bush flying in Canada is by pilots involved in commercial ventures such as hauling cargo or flying passengers in guiding operations for fishing, hunting, and other recreational activities. Unlike Alaska, few individual or private pilots in Canada fly the backcountry. The small number of individual bush pilots is due to the much smaller human population in northern Canada, higher costs associated with owning and maintaining aircraft, and the difficulty of affordability with the less robust economy in Canada.
Although Bush Pilot Certificates are no longer issued, adequate numbers of highly skilled locally based and certificated Air Taxi Pilots provide access to every part of remote Alaska. This should not be unexpected with the widely scattered villages without road connection to the state highway system and the large number of tourists coming to Alaska. What is truly remarkable and amazing is the very large number of individual or private pilots in Alaska that take up bush flying more as an avocation than as a vocation. They purchase a tail dragger, routinely fly out to local gravel bars and hone their skills, and join the ranks of the Alaskan Bush Pilot. This speaks volumes as to how attractive, challenging, and enjoyable bush flying is in Alaska. Another unexpected and revealing feature is that many Alaskans that do not own aircraft are our greatest allies due to their familiarity and keen interest in aviation and in bush flying in Alaska.
Cub Special Driver
Anchorage, Alaska
Tail Dragger Heaven
