Bearhawk in the backcountry

[Battson]

We recently took a friend's Maule on a hunting trip down into South Westland. It's winter over here, which means clear skies and smooth sailing one side of the country, and low cloud / rain on the other side.

We managed to find a small red deer and spend a very cold night in the Arawhata valley.
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Regrettably, on the way home we got stopped by weather. We weren't able to get back into the low lying plains on the far side of the country due to low cloud and rain.

We had to leave the plane at a high country station at Flockhill, and travel the rest of the way home by road.

Later in the week, we flew back in the Bearhawk to retrieve the parked Maule, ahead of a heavy snow forecast for the high country. Conditions were still not ideal, but there was enough of a clearance before the snow to get get the job done quickly.

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We left a thank you message for the local runholder, whom gave permission to leave the plane on their property.

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[Chris In Milwaukee]

You are certainly living the dream! 😁

[Battson]

A short clip of the Bearhawk cruising over Cook Strait, between New Zealand's two main islands.

[Battson]

At the head of the Landsborough valley, at Kea flat. We had a decent load aboard and it was challenging to get in and out.

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The airstrip's condition is basically an unimproved surface with clumpy tussock grass, slightly uphill to the north. The quality along it's length varies greatly.

There is a shallow swampy gully mid way along about 0.8m lower than the average height of the airstrip. A small creek drains through it. You'll see the big "bump" on camera as we roll through the creek. South of the gully the surface is extremely rough and only fit for tundra tires. North of the gully is smooth but very slippery in winter. Running off the strip is likely to lead to undercarriage failure almost immediately, the tussock is about 1m high and very clumpy. There are several large rock cairns hidden in the tussock, which originally marked the airstrip boundaries. Some cairns are just a a foot or two off the airstrip. Just north of the swampy gully, there is a cut away bank marking the edge of the strip, where the airstrip was dug out of the alluvial soils. Kea flat is practically unusable without prior ground-based inspection.

[Battson]

I should probably mention the reasons why we upgraded to 31" ABW tires, given I'm on record saying the 26"s were perfect for our mission.
So what happened? Our mission has changed.
The key change is we're moving to the South Island one day soon, which will bring us A LOT closer to our destinations. Not flying an 825NM round trip once a month means that fuel burn and cruise efficiency is less of a consideration. Truth be told, I also want to start accessing some rougher riverbeds around the South Island.

[Battson]

Hunting season rolls on, still out there amongst it.
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[JimParker256]

A friend of mine learned (the hard way) that the engine on a Grumman will run just fine with the inlet covers in place. The air intake for the carb is below the "chin" so that's not impacted at all. What IS impacted is cooling. (I accidentally typed "cooking" - definitely a freudian slip!) Fortunately, someone flagged him down before I had to make the "go / no-go" takeoff call with an engine that was building CHT a lot faster than normal, and he caught it before it got too hot... He now loops the leash over the prop, as well.

[Battson]

I see you are using cowling plugs. Consider running the leash in front of the prop instead of behind it. That way should you manage to forget it, the prop will pull them out and flop them around for you to see instead of leaving them to block cooling air.

Good suggestion. The leash isn't long enough, but at least I expect the engine would not run well with the plug blocking the air intake, so I would soon learn about my mistake.
I am paranoid about forgetting them, so I have a double check system.

[kestrel]

I see you are using cowling plugs. Consider running the leash in front of the prop instead of behind it. That way should you manage to forget it, the prop will pull them out and flop them around for you to see instead of leaving them to block cooling air.

[marcusofcotton]

The 31" tires look really exaggerated, I think they must inflate more at higher altitudes, that and not having the aircraft's weight upon them.
It's amazing that they don't slow us down more, I am toying with the idea of reinstalling some 8.00s to check the airspeed

I'd be interested in that recheck of the air speed change if you decide to do it. (Easy for me to say.)
Beautiful shots!

[Battson]

We took another flight across the water to go diving, a couple of weekend's ago. Here's a couple of shots of the machine in the air, taken on the way over.
The 31" tires look really exaggerated, I think they must inflate more at higher altitudes, that and not having the aircraft's weight upon them.
It's amazing that they don't slow us down more, I am toying with the idea of reinstalling some 8.00s to check the airspeed difference.

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[JimParker256]

That's absolutely beautiful! I am totally jealous, but more motivated to "Get 'er done!" Keep posting!

[Battson]

A few shots from another hunting trip - I will spare you the dead deer photo! We found four about 600m from where we shut the engine down..! Good hunting.

Tied down as always - the deer can wait!
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Loading the gear and venison back into the plane.
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Ahhh - summer holidays!

[Battson]

Ok I will!

Here's a mission where we dropped my brother and his friend off for a three day climb, crossing a notorious high mountain pass. We followed them up for the first day's walking, then returned to the plane before dark to get home.

I am always nervous about leaving the plane unattended! Tied down is always the go. Note the long summer grass is almost 30" tall, makes the runway hard to see at times.
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Scenery - this is Mt Pollux.
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Lake Crucible
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Back at the aeroplane.
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[patrickh99]

Keep posting the inspirational pictures! I'm jealous...

Patrick