Bearhawk in the backcountry

[Battson]

Last weekend we had one morning of flyable weather, so a fellow member of the Recreational Backcountry Pilot's Association, Tony, went for a familiarisation flight. I was helping provide an introduction to landing at a challenging local airstrip, before Tony venture up there on their own. It was a really nice day for flying, and we had good fun walking the airstrip and talking aviation.

When we departed, I did the take-off at 60% power to simulate the performance of Tony's aircraft. It was no problem getting airborne with 150hp, but I prefer the extra power of the Bearhawk for added safety margin!

Here's Tony and the Bearhawk.
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We also stopped at an 80m (250ft) gravel bar on the way home, but I forgot to take a photo on the ground. The wind was not favourable, so the landing was harsh!

[Battson]

Here's a few more photos from the annual backcountry pilot's meeting in Blenheim, NZ. After the STOL flying event, the big tire guys teamed up to go and batter the riverbed stones with rubber.

We started our with a mixed group of different aircraft. The river is braided and fairly rocky. Some spots were only big enough for the Super Cubs / Bearhawk.
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Other places we were able to land with the 185 too, although there was some waterskiing involved! I've got some videos I should post later.
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We flew up into the mountains after the riverbed, before the afternoon winds blew up.
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We stopped for morning tea at a good friend's place, they put on an amazing outdoor spread under a big shady tree. Lovely! We basically have to land across his driveway, its quite a neat little spot.
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For the early part of the afternoon we went back to the riverbed, some guys had to return home because of low fuel. The heat of the day had lifted the DA up to about 3,500ft (at sea level), so performance was dropping sharply and decision making became important. I didn't think to take any photos from that session.

[Bdflies]

Wow! Such amazing scenery. So, when the wife and I show up, you could take us to some of those spots?

Bill

[Battson]

Wow! Such amazing scenery. So, when the wife and I show up, you could take us to some of those spots?

Bill

Bill - if you're around NZ and I'm around, then it seems the only logical solution is to go flying!

[patrickh99]

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

Patrick

[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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[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!

[JimParker256]

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

[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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[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!

[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.

[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.

[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]

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