Bearhawk in the backcountry

[Battson]

Thanks Mike,
We already have the larger tailwheel on order with Eric. Couldn't agree more on that one!
The 26" mains are perfect for our operations, the right mix of airspeed, light weight, and durability. The only problem has been the tail sinking in sand or soft gravel.

[Blackrock]

Nice flying Jon! Not to beat a dead horse here, ok I will, you do great with those tires, but a set of 31-inch ABW's and tailwheel would be a night/day difference and would take a lot of stress off your plane. Well worth the cost for the kind of flying we do. I resisted for a long time (sound familiar?). Can't go back now! PM me or email about re-capping. They will last a very long time. They have saved me from wrecking my plane at least once. Paid for themselves many times over in the instant I mis-judged one landing.

[Battson]

Here's a little video I posted in the tailwheel thread. The next long edited compilation video is in the works:

[Battson]

I have certainly thought about skis this winter - I wonder how many mods would be required to make a Maule set fit.

[Blackrock]

Beautiful photo's. Looks like a very fun place to fly. When are putting ski's on that bird? I've wanted to visit NZ for a long time, definitely a bucket list location for me!

[Sid]

Nice..... one day!

[Battson]

Here's a fairly rough spot we nipped into for a hunting trip, with 50% fuel and a whole lot of gear. The spot was less than 400ft in length, closer to 300ft. The Bearhawk doesn't have second thoughts about it... the large rocks make for a bumpier landing, no matter what, but it's over fast.
IMG_4101_zpstcl2y7zp.jpg

I hope nobody is offended by the realities of life here - hunting is an important part of backcountry aviation culture and history in NZ, and we have no natural way of controlling the deer which man introduced to an unprepared environment. So this is a success, of course we eat them:
IMG_4081_zpsjbx7e8ts.jpg

We stopped in to see another friend of mine who was out hunting, although he was away fly camping at the time.
IMG_4114_zpsnt4r5n8v.jpg

This is another tight little spot we stopped at, about 300ft and slippery grass with little braking action. There was no possibility of overrunning the length without causing damage, so the landing had to be precise and without a bounce. Again no worries for the Bearhawk, kept light this time, for the lower braking compared to the river stones. With two people with light gear and no extra fuel, we needed 150ft of the available length. At least the take-off is never a problem with the IO-540!
IMG_4148_zpso8voihkm.jpg

Landing at the beach / river mouth, camped overnight ready for some freezing cold diving at first light. Flippers strewn everywhere!
There isn't always a flat place to park....
IMG_4084_zpsuor7mas6.jpg

[Battson]

Here's a pretty cool place to land. One way and uphill, although with the Bear there was an option of going around. DA around 5000ft, which is high for NZ.
IMG_4049_zpsugb9drbv.jpg

It took a few passes to be sure of the place, before running the wheels along it. Turned out to be no problem at all.
IMG_4057_zps89ogzw3m.jpg

IMG_4052_zpsrogjzkgh.jpg

[Battson]

That is Lake Alabaster, under the shadow of Mt Tutoko; in the Pyke river valley, Fiordland (Ata Whenua!).

[Sid]

Whats the lake Battson? I don't recognise it..

[Battson]

^ Can you spot the airstrip on the very left-edge of the above picture?

[Battson]

IMG_4003_zps2yabughv.jpg
IMG_4018_zpswwvnr31l.jpg

[Battson]

I have been meaning to post this for a while, but life has been full of distractions..

Here are some still images from my last trip, it will have to come in two parts with the 4 photo limit:
IMG_3917_zps4g4alljj.jpg

IMG_3929_zpsqizk090s.jpg

IMG_3991_zpslgiuqsg2.jpg

IMG_4001_zpslchda0as.jpg



​

​

[Battson]

Here's some video from the other weekend, we just went and did a few short spots in the riverbed for practice.
There's no substitute for currency, and it's a great excuse for a fun time.

[LukeS]

My new favorite Bearhawk video. Thanks for the motivation!