As a kid becoming a pilot wasn't really my thing. Nope, I had higher goals. Goals that would literally take me beyond the stratosphere and into space. Space wasn't just the final frontier, it was my frontier because for as long as I can recall and I wanted to be an astronaut.
Looking into the job postings for astronaut applicants on NASA's website made me realize that my desire to fly in space would not come to fruition. Not because I wasn't capable, but honestly because I wasn't interested. A core part of the job is to have a doctorate degree in science or mathematics and quite frankly I had no desire in those fields. Dream shattered. Or maybe not...
While I never did become an astronaut the wonder of flight didn't escape me all together. I opted for a more earthly endeavor, still flying related, when deciding to take fight lessons after experiencing my first small pane ride. It happens to be strange fortune that my family and I would be visiting the local airport one afternoon when the Experimental Aircraft Association was hosting a Young Eagles day.
Young Eagles is a program that shares the joy of aviation with children between the ages of 8 and 17 all provided by volunteer pilots in their personal aircraft. On this fateful airport visit, I would experience that; a ride in an experimental Lancair 320. With its sleek, clean lines, and Ferrari like speed, I was in love.
Following that day I began to find ways to start accumulating flight hours and taking lessons when I was 15 years old, enjoying flying so much, a career in aviation seemed natural. While I wasn't old enough to drive a car, I was flying airplanes and would end up being the only high school graduate who was an FAA certificated pilot. I had been bit by "the bug" and began pursuing all the necessary flight training requirements to become a Commercial Pilot and eventually an airline pilot.
Now most people might think that my favorite airplane to fly is the jet at work simply for the fact that it's a jet. More power, more speed, better capabilities, who couldn't love that? While I enjoy the jet, my real passion is flying general aviation aircraft. And it wasn't until recent that I could even say I had a favorite flying machine and only a trip to Alaska could show me this other world of possibilities.
My old flight student that I taught how to fly had moved onto a career in aviation as well. His dream was always to buy an airplane and live in Alaska. He succeeded! His aircraft of choice, and common fixture of the Alaskan landscape, is the Piper Super Cub; the Alaskan SUV, or super utility vehicle.
Like many Super Cubs in Alaska, this one is tricked out with a special climb propeller to produce more thrust for taking off allowing you to operate into smaller than usual landing spots. Nope, not airports, landing spots. Be it a gravel bar, mountain top, or glacier. But in order to use these off-airport locations, no stock tire would suffice. Enter the bush wheel; a large, treadless, balloon like tire that not only gives the aircraft clearance from ground objects in the bush, but also acts as a soft cushion absorbing the rough imperfections of a land-anywhere location; rocks, brush, rough terrain, just about anything.
So there I was, my first time in Alaska and excited for what flying adventures were ahead of us. Everything from landing on river gravel bars, to glaciers for camping, and even the summit of Mt Susitna where the only way in was by bush plane. You've haven't lived until you see a place you want to explore and then land, airports not required. And Alaska would be just that, the land-anywhere, do (almost) anything, aviation heaven. The place most pilots dream of.
So how does one land on a mountain top with sloping hills and no runway? Carefully. You make a few low passes first to inspect the landing area looking for debris, obstacles, whether the surface is hard enough if recent rains have passed through, in addition to determining which direction the wind is blowing to plan as normal a traffic pattern and approach to landing as one can.
And that's exactly what we did on the northeast face of Mt Susitna. Our purpose? To pick wild blueberries from the mountain top brush. No joke! So tell me, who couldn't love flying let alone in a Piper Super Cub, my favorite, highly capable, play date.
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