World record for the shortest takeoff and shortest landing.
16 Comments on Pilot Doesn’t Need a Runway Any Longer Than 24 feet
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I would so like to be a stow-a-way so I could go along for the ride!
The ability to t/o and land at such low air speed is the trick. The pilot was talented in the ability to avoid stalling the plane. The only flaw I spotted was when landing, tail draggers should be landed on the main gear and then letting the tail touch down gently. They can be delicate.
Only if you can add lightness dear!
LOL! I never thought about that. I guess a good pilot would know I was hiding in the back maybe?
That’s a Piper Cub. That is how they fly. One of the earliest ultralights before they called em that.
In 1974 a pilot brought us supplies to the village of Golovin, AK. Landed and took off the same way. I asked him if that was his usual procedure. He said yes because it was practice for when he’d land on a remote beach to harvest ivory from dead walruses that wash ashore. Sumner Putnam, hippie bush pilot.
Yes, it is. My brother owned one a few years ago. They are fun to fly.
STOL aircraft are cool, and tricks keep people tuned up but take that to the Himalayas with snow, expedition gear, 26,000 foot mountains, and grass runways at 16,000 feet with children darting out in front of the aircraft as the pilot picks up speed to clear the fence at the end of the runway and I’ll show you a dedicated person who is giving a nose picker a white knuckle ride. Rare air, rare people.
Wow-if I could fly like that…
When I twas young, I had a PA22-108. I used to love flying but I wasn’t as good as these guys.
Damn it. I had forgotten what the emotion of jealousy was like and there you guys go talking about flying.
The ultimate STOL aircraft was the Fiesler Storch. Commando Otto Skorzeny said that when they flew Mussolini out of Gran Sasso, the take-off was about 20-25 meters.
The Pilatus PC-6 Porter is a modern day STOL athlete. It’s the Michael Jordan of STOL aircraft. Fairchild built them under license in the US for use in Vietnam. The guys in Laos did things with them even their Swiss designers couldn’t imagine. It’s like flying a slow rocket with a propeller. In fact, transitioning back to other light aircraft can be problematic, especially if you’re flying in mountains or in the heat… or both!
With any aircraft, if you get enough power, lower your take-off weight to the minimum and get a nice headwind, you can take-off in almost no distance. Many years ago, we’d take an old Taylor-Craft with an oversize Continental engine, aloft in high winds and fly it into the wind, just about the stall speed and actually go backward. Minus ground speed. Then, I told my father, and I was literally and metaphorically grounded.
Here is another Alaska bush plane – ‘nuther Super Cub – nearly doing a helicopter impression!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f7u1jzjFL8s
A winning combination, flaps, slats and a ton of power. Works every time.
Now I’ve got the urge to go drag the ol’ B1rd out of the barn again.
There are many great piloting stories.
In Chuck Yeager’s book Yeager he tells about flying from Wright Paterson with Bob Hover to his home town in in Hamlin, WV to pick up his wife and car, and drive back to Dayton.
They landed as they say “up a holler”. After Yeager walked to his parent’s house he could hear Bob taxing back and forth for over an hour trying to mash down the weeds and scrub enough to get sufficient ground speed to take off.
In the book, Bush Pilots, is a story about the Alaskan bush pilot flying in a severe blizzard radioing the airport tower to turn on the runway lights. Which they refuse to do, saying, it’s to dangerous to attempt to land. The pilot replied, ” I’ve already landed I’m just trying to find the terminal.”
Nervy guys with amazing skills.
With a strong enough head wind, you can take off straight up.