Back Country..how many of you go there?

Back Country..how many of you go there?

  • often

    Votes: 10 25.6%

  • did it once

    Votes: 2 5.1%

  • hope to some day

    Votes: 9 23.1%

  • never have, not likely ever will

    Votes: 5 12.8%

  • does rough asphalt or an improved grass strip count?

    Votes: 13 33.3%
  • Total voters
    39
B

Brad W

Pattern Altitude
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Just saw AOPA's announcement for next year's sweepstakes plane
a sweet looking C-170B
It seems they're gonna put big tires on it. I wonder why. What's the big push for "back country"?

I'd love to win it more original. Perhaps modern avionics, an autopilot if that's even possible for that type, upgraded lighting, etc.......or even just cleaned up/restored as original, properly rigged, etc.... It'll land on grass just fine as it is!

I love the outdoors, used to love to tent camp, used to daydream about hiking a long trail such as the AT or PCT. I grew up hunting and fishing although I haven't done either in many years...
and I'd love the idea of landing on a sandbar someplace...setting up a tent, and casting a line
but I would not know where to even begin considering where to go.
I guess there's a lot of public land out west, but not so much in these parts...certainly not places open to aircraft operations anyway....

how many folks actually do that sort of thing on a regular basis?
 
I had a period of tome when I regularly landed in a bean field andafew other places, but 7.00x6 tires were plenty.
 
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Used to do it for a living, as did several others here, does that count.??
 
I think youtube is the reason for the big push for back country flying. Younger or new pilots see those videos and look at folks getting the maximum performance out of aircraft and that can be displayed in the STOL/drag competitions that are everywhere now. It's a unique experience flying into a high DA one way strip in a canyon...
 
Keep in mind that a lot of the AOPA sweepstakes airplanes aren’t the airplane that the winner would otherwise choose. Some get sold fairly quickly for various reasons.
 
What exactly is meant by the term 'back country'? Some remote strips are short, rocky, etc. while others are just remote but paved or well maintained short grass, etc. Some aren't strips at all, just places that a plane can happen to land. I won't take the Columbia into any place that's too rough, but I'm putting big tires on the AR1 with the intent of doing some 'easy' back country flying and camping.
 
MonkeyClaw said:
What exactly is meant by the term 'back country'? Some remote strips are short, rocky, etc. while others are just remote but paved or well maintained short grass, etc. Some aren't strips at all, just places that a plane can happen to land. I won't take the Columbia into any place that's too rough, but I'm putting big tires on the AR1 with the intent of doing some 'easy' back country flying and camping.
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That's just it. People want to build bush planes to go "back country" flying, and then go to places that I'd take my Lance.
 
MauleSkinner said:
Keep in mind that a lot of the AOPA sweepstakes airplanes aren’t the airplane that the winner would otherwise choose. Some get sold fairly quickly for various reasons.
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I was thinking along the same lines...even considered started a thread on that topic.... how many are sold right away... Seems like many times they are won by folks with seemingly much better aircraft...or their stories make it clear that the prize does not fit their mission...

MonkeyClaw said:
What exactly is meant by the term 'back country'? Some remote strips are short, rocky, etc. while others are just remote but paved or well maintained short grass, etc. Some aren't strips at all, just places that a plane can happen to land. I won't take the Columbia into any place that's too rough, but I'm putting big tires on the AR1 with the intent of doing some 'easy' back country flying and camping.
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yeah, that question is part of it for sure....
In my mind it seems like the definition should be anything wild... untouched by man....
anything meant to be a runway...grass or otherwise...even if it's in rough shape...isn't what I'd call "back country"

my side question would be.... at what point are those oversized tires really needed?
 
Brad W said:
but I would not know where to even begin considering where to go.
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Start with the Recreational Aviation Foundation! There are RAF airstrips in nearly every state, and there's a nifty guide for it here:
https://airfield.guide/filter_airports.asp?

Brad W said:
my side question would be.... at what point are those oversized tires really needed?
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It's a looks/status thing for sure. 8.50's will get most of those folks everywhere they're going. I keep 8.00's on my Skywagon and haven't had an issue with tire size yet.

MauleSkinner said:
Keep in mind that a lot of the AOPA sweepstakes airplanes aren’t the airplane that the winner would otherwise choose. Some get sold fairly quickly for various reasons.
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I was just thinking "Finally an AOPA plane that I finally want!". I think they've been crap boring planes up to this point.
 
Lol
I am a wannabe bush pilot in my 172 here in the city! I don't think we have many back country strips around here?
For a couple years now I have hanging out at turf strips around here dreaming I am a bush pilot. lol
I regularly go to turf strips, lost all interest in paved strips except when I have to land on one when I go home to my home airport.
Recently mounted up some "monster" retreads from Dresser which has 11/16" deep tread making them a little taller.
When I did that I left off my wheel fairings for a while until I replace the brake pads. I have done hundreds of rough turf landings at all turf airports around here with wheel fairings on including muddy ones.
This was last night, you could land a 737 at this airport. Before here I did 3 landings at 8I1 which is a rough grass 1700' long. I fly 4-5 days a week and am always landing on turf just for fun.
I have been drooling over the freshly cut hay fields around here lately and scoped out some corn fields for in the fall along the river.
IMG_1945.JPG
 
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We've taken the 172 (or the 150-that-came-before) to gravel strips and done the under-the-wing camping thing.

The gravel "chicken strip" in Death Valley is not on charts and is described as remote and challenging; I've landed there, does that count?

I once landed a 207 at a remote mining camp in the middle of nowhere, under the guidance of a CFI. (That guy was creepy, and I never flew with him again, nor have I flown a 207 since.)

Our tricycle gear is limiting, but my skill level is probably more limiting. I'd love to be better at it. The Alaskan backcountry is not something to be casually experimented with, so I stick with things I know I (and the plane) can handle.
 
kath said:
We've taken the 172 (or the 150-that-came-before) to gravel strips and done the under-the-wing camping thing.

The gravel "chicken strip" in Death Valley is not on charts and is described as remote and challenging; I've landed there, does that count?

I once landed a 207 at a remote mining camp in the middle of nowhere, under the guidance of a CFI. (That guy was creepy, and I never flew with him again, nor have I flown a 207 since.)

Our tricycle gear is limiting, but my skill level is probably more limiting. I'd love to be better at it. The Alaskan backcountry is not something to be casually experimented with, so I stick with things I know I (and the plane) can handle.
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Yes I would count the chicken strip as back country! From what I understand one way in and one way out. That would be bucket list item for most!!
 
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STOL doesn’t have to be for back-country. I bought mine for safety. If you have to make an off-airport unplanned landing, you smash into stuff slower (trees, buildings, granite, etc). STOL with stock 6.00x6s & a 5.00x5. I can put my wheel pants back on. Not sure how many other people that bought STOL mods think like me, but it’s an advantage.

Add the canard engine mount structure and BAS 4 point restraints for more safety.

Unfortunately, it allows one to be a little more sloppy when flying slow. I plan to keep getting advanced certs and endorsements to keep slop at bay.

C345F013-4E06-4A96-95AF-994CE366DFE4.jpeg
 
Mtns2Skies said:
It's a looks/status thing for sure. 8.50's will get most of those folks everywhere they're going. I keep 8.00's on my Skywagon and haven't had an issue with tire size yet.
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Apparently you haven't gone any place where you needed more. That's your choice. My 180 has had 29" Bushwheels for over 20 years because the surfaces I operate from are often soft. Using full power to taxi on a gravel surface eats props. Big tires are cheaper. The bumps these tires soak up isn't wearing on my airframe. The added AOA is worthwhile, too. My Cub has 6" extended gear and 35" Bushwheels. Incredible flotation over rough and soft ground, really good AOA, and in combination with exp gas shocks? I can drop the plane on hard and the gear soaks up the impact. It's like jumping into a pile of pillows. Equip for what you do but don't criticize what you don't know. This kind of flying is fun.

One more thing. With respect to STOL. One key to taking off shorter is to minimize rolling resistance. If you watch the contests held on hard surfaces the participants usually pump the tires up hard to roll easier. On soft or rough ground the opposite is true. To reduce rolling resistance we want larger diameter tires with softer inflation. How soft depends on the surface. Bushwheels are radials so they roll pretty well when soft. And while they maintain a round sectional profile in the air the contact patch is much wider. The transition from flat at the ground back to round spits rocks off, too, so fewer rocks get thrown over the top and into the prop. Real world advantages if your world includes rough surfaces.
 
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455 Bravo Uniform said:
STOL doesn’t have to be for back-country. I bought mine for safety. If you have to make an off-airport unplanned landing, you smash into stuff slower (trees, buildings, granite, etc). STOL with stock 6.00x6s & a 5.00x5. I can put my wheel pants back on. Not sure how many other people that bought STOL mods think like me, but it’s an advantage.

Add the canard engine mount structure and BAS 4 point restraints for more safety.

Unfortunately, it allows one to be a little more sloppy when flying slow. I plan to keep getting advanced certs and endorsements to keep slop at bay.

View attachment 108773
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Wow awesome plane you have!! Love it!
 
455 Bravo Uniform said:
Not sure how many other people that bought STOL mods think like me, but it’s an advantage.
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The one thing that pushed me over the edge to buy my exp Cub was a comment a good friend made. He told me about another guy with a similar Cub who had an engine failure over a very thick forest of very tall spruce trees. That gentleman intentionally stalled the plane at the treetops and survived the fall with barely a scratch. The point being that crashing a plane that stalls at 20 mph is safer than stalling a Cessna at 2 1/2 times that speed. Plus, the ability to land at 20 mph opens up emergency landing places that aren't available to my Cessna.
 
Stewartb said:
Apparently you haven't gone any place where you needed more.
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I'm not saying you don't need them!! I'm talking about folks in Wisconsin :). Alaska has special rules.

I'm not criticizing those that have the big tires (and use them)... but you gotta admit, some folks only take their $300k Cubcrafters Cub on 33's to breakfast once a month and that's all that they do. That's their choice and good for them, but they'd get by just fine on 8.00's.
 
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I run 29’s on my 180. Most of the places I land I don’t need them, but some places I do. Soft sand, clumps of grass, rodent holes, rocks, and just plain rough ground don’t NEED big tires but it takes a lot of abuse off the airframe. big tires give better prop clearance, keeping to rocks out of the prop they also increase the ability to land with a high aoa for short field work. They also open up the number of options for places to land in an emergency.
I go to Idaho every year for a few days to a week, I go to Utah 4 or 5 times a year, I also land on unimproved hayfields now and then and sometimes dirt roads.
I have two sets of tires and wheels, I’ve never put tye 8.50’s back on.
 
Mtns2Skies said:
Start with the Recreational Aviation Foundation! There are RAF airstrips in nearly every state, and there's a nifty guide for it here:
https://airfield.guide/filter_airports.asp?
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Thanks for that link. I had seen that a long time back but had forgotten what it was called.
Very interesting to look through....Not many around here though, and they are all what I would call improved grass strips. I've landed a stock C-172 and a C-152 on a few places like those. Only one of the ones in a "day tip" distance form me is maybe back country...an uninhabited island but the strip looks to be improved and it's only open for organized fly ins anyway....
 
I wouldn't call myself a "back country" pilot, but I do find myself and my 182 on grass strips with regular frequency. I just recently added a Sportsman STOL cuff for additional low speed handling. Landing on short and sometimes not completely smooth non-pavement runways opens up quite a few more potential fly-in destinations.
 
You left out "occasionally" from your poll...

Jim K said:
That's just it. People want to build bush planes to go "back country" flying, and then go to places that I'd take my Lance.
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Like the posers with 35" mud tires and brush guards on a Jeep that has never seen anything but pavement? Thankfully the poser phenomena seems to be less common in flying circles.
 
One of the things that causes confusion is that there is no definition of what "backcountry" is that I'm aware of. I hear many people use the term backcountry when referring to places that I'd consider normal and don't require any special aircraft or equipment. As far as the reason why these "backcountry" airplanes are popular, it's mostly the same reason lifted trucks with big tires are popular - the younger crowd likes the attention from having things like that and they like the idea of going camping or landing in places that might require big tires or a STOL kit even if they rarely or never do it.

By some people's standards I'd probably be considered a "backcountry" pilot although I don't consider myself one. I've done plenty of off airport work but I still live too far east to have access to a lot of the interesting places. 8.00s or 8.50s on my Super Cub will get me anywhere I'd probably take it but I do like my 26" Goodyears because they soak up a lot of the bumps. The 26s can be nice, even when landing on some of the gravel or dirt runways that are less than smooth.
 
Where I live there are lots of posers with big-tired taildraggers that vlog and boast about landing tiny turf strips. The ironic thing is that within a 10 minute flight of most of these there's a nice big asphalt runway.
 
steingar said:
Where I live there are lots of posers with big-tired taildraggers that vlog and boast about landing tiny turf strips. The ironic thing is that within a 10 minute flight of most of these there's a nice big asphalt runway.
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Where I live there are several back country strips within a 10 - 20 minute flight of a nice big asphalt runway. But those that are accessible by car are a 2 - 5 hour drive...

air.JPG
land.JPG
 
steingar said:
Where I live there are lots of posers with big-tired taildraggers that vlog and boast about landing tiny turf strips. The ironic thing is that within a 10 minute flight of most of these there's a nice big asphalt runway.
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You assume they land on the tiny strips for transportation. Much of back country flying is simply for recreation. STOL ops in STOL locations just for the fun of doing it. Some guys like jet skis, some like dirt bikes, some like airplanes. Some consider it a group activity and fly with other like-minded pilots. I use airplanes to get away from pavement, people, and cell phone reception.
 
Green grass runway.??

This certainly can't be called a back country strip... :lol:

In all my landing experiences I have never landed on grass. I gotta try it sometime.
 
Do your first one on a down slope after some rain. It'll make you miss Alaska gravel. :)
 
Zeldman said:
Green grass runway.??

This certainly can't be called a back country strip... :lol:

In all my landing experiences I have never landed on grass. I gotta try it sometime.
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Oh, it's back country all right. It's about as back country as you can get in Idaho.

OK, OK, I'll end the suspense. It's Taylor Ranch. With my connection to University of Idaho, I had no trouble getting permission to land there.
 
Crappy video with crap on the lenses that I took last night at dusk at 64I which I fly to often. First pass scares off the wildlife hopefully? There are 2 other short public turf strips that I visit in the area.
It was hot. I flew with my buddy yesterday morning in my plane at 6am to look at a new airport they are building near us in northern Ky.
Then went back to the airport at 7pm when it was cooling off and flew for another 2+hours last hour of day light when it started to cool, still 89°f last night at 9pm.
This video starts on the left base for 18 at lee bottom crossing over from Ky to Ind.
Turn your sound down, sorry. I will work on the sound in the future.
 
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My home field is as backcountry as I’ll ever land on, 4,000 feet long, 50 feet wide, newly paved. I don’t land on grass or anything shorter than 3,000 feet with rental cars and hotels nearby. But that’s just me. I live out in the country. Aviation is my way to explore cities that are 8+ hours away by car but only take 3 in my Cherokee.
 
Chrisgoesflying said:
My home field is as backcountry as I’ll ever land on, 4,000 feet long, 50 feet wide, newly paved. I don’t land on grass or anything shorter than 3,000 feet with rental cars and hotels nearby. But that’s just me.
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Wow, those are the kind of airports I avoid. But that’s just me.
 
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