back country

[marc]

howdy all,has any one taken there t-craft in the idaho back county or what is the most remote back country you have taken your t-caft.marc n43643

[tim]

Re: back country

well i know of some that fly up in alaska

[dedrekon]

Re: back country

marc,
They're fine for semi-rough/semi-short strips. If you have no obstacles, you can get them into almost anything. I don't hesitate to pop into fields, pastures or mountain strips with mine. They ARE underpowered with the 65 and they don't make a very good steep approach unless you're in a hard slip and then you can't see where you're going, but it's do-able if you know your numbers.

Is there an airport in Jacksonville? I can't think of one. Is there a strip somewhere around there you're thinking of going into?

V

[astjp2]

Re: back country

I dont recommend Smiley Creek in the afternoon, Galena pass almost ate my lunch and I was light on fuel and no baggage. I was about 400' above the pass and caught a downdraft that blew me right into the tree tops! Thank god I didnt have to bank the airplane. It was soooo bumpy that I was wondering how I was going to fly if I had to puke!!!! Instead I just turned green and felt worse than dead. That was with the 65, that trip made me decide to get a little more power. Well Good luck! Tim

[Pearson]

Re: back country

There are plenty of strips in Idaho that are long enough that you don't need to take risks to get in and out of with a Taylorcraft. The thing to watch out for is the density altitude. Also most, if not all, of the shorter strips are not maintained and can be dangerous due to windfall, erosion, etc. The state publishes a book on these strips, but I don't remember where I used to get it. I think I just picked it up at one of the FBOs at the regular airports.

[dedrekon]

Re: back country

"Fly Idaho" is a good book for back country stuff. Also, you should buy the DVD "Idaho Exposed". It's got some great stuff amd shows the gamut of Idaho strips, many of which are cake for a TCraft and a few which you can't even see until you practically flaring for landing.

V