Hey flyguys. Check this video out. It shows some of the contestants in the 2011 Valdez, Alaska, May Day Fly-In Competition. The winning pilot in the wide open alternate bush plane category was Ed Doyle from Kansas in Mike Olson's heavily modified Super Cub called Cuzoom. Doyle's TOTAL take off and landing distance was only 78 feet. That's right, 78 feet total distance involved in taking off and landing. Amazing. Since I'm most fearful during takeoffs and landings, this sounds like my kind of plane.
The Cuzoom has a 238 hp Aero Sport Power engine with a little Nitrous Oxide booster and a 3 blade, 80 inch prop with a 37 degree pitch. It also has extended gear legs and an 80 degree flap system for ultimate control at slow speeds.
Unfortunately, the plane had to make a crash landing the next day on the trip back to the states. The apparent cause of the crash was "carb icing." The pilot and his passenger weren't injured and the plane, at least in pictures, appeared to be okay except for the landing gear.
Hat tip to friend Bob Bell for sending this along.
The Cumberland Post
My Backyard, Six Miles from the Cumberland River
Didn't know there was a competition like this. Could use a 40' Bayliner as an aircraft carrier!
ReplyDeleteI saw this over at Lex's place a while back. Those ol' fighter pilots went nuts over it.
ReplyDeleteI'd think the landing requires a LOT of skill to keep from doin' a ground loop. Some o' those guys seemed right on the edge.
Inno, you're right. A 40' Bayliner would look like the flight deck of the USS Stennis these pilots.
ReplyDeleteBuck, I'm not up on pilot terms; what exactly is a ground loop? Would the tail just flip over and cause the plane to land upside down?
ReplyDelete