Bush flying basics: To land or not to land

by joey  |   

Flying the Alaska Bush--a UAA aviation elective--provides the resources and skills necessary for pilots to make the most of the 49th state (Photo courtesy of Mark Madden).

Flying the Alaska Bush-a UAA aviation elective-provides the resources and skills necessary for pilots to make the most of the 49th state. (Photo courtesy of Mark Madden)

Alaska is epic in every regard: size, landscape, lack of accessibility. With so much to see-and so few roads to get you there-the state has also built an equally epic aviation industry. In Alaska, aviation is more than just a hobby. With so many communities off the road system, and so many tourists interested in seeing the state in all seasons, it's both socially and economically necessary.

For all the interested aviators hoping to make the most of state, there's Flying the Alaska Bush-an aviation elective at UAA. The course educates students on how to land safely on everything from lakes to glaciers to gravel bars in the middle of raging rivers (and, equally important, how to take off again once you land). With the right amount of technique and know-how, small two-seater planes can get you nearly anywhere in the Last Frontier.

Bush flying syndrome

Anchorage is home to the largest float plane base in the world. With settings like this across the state, it's easy to understand why (Photo courtesy of Mark Madden).

Anchorage is home to the largest float plane base in the world. With settings like this across the state, it's easy to understand why. (Photo courtesy of Mark Madden)

Bush flying isn't a uniquely Alaska concept, but the variety of bush landscapes is hard to match anywhere else. Glaciers, grassy fields and river bars can all become handy runways for the right pilot. Likewise, the variety of passengers is fairly unique-wildlife biologists, mountain climbers, recreational fishermen and village teachers (and all of their extensive gear) are just a few of the people who rely on bush planes in Alaska.

Flying the Alaska Bush covers a wide variety of vital topics, focusing on skills and techniques, basic principles of aerodynamics, unique traits of Alaska weather and even how to complete quick fixes on your plane in the middle of nowhere. The timeline of the course rolls along with the weather, hitting on ski planes and glacier landings during the dark start of the semester, and shifting to floatplanes and lake landings as the summer sunshine returns.

The first week of the class addresses a hot topic-bush flying syndrome. Pilots (and especially bush pilots) are often associated with the job's brash machismo-think Top Gun and aviator sunglasses. However, attempting to land small two-seaters on gravel bars and remote riverside beaches is incredibly dangerous, and the first week of the class is all about deflating that macho culture and focusing on safety.

"This is a remarkable state in which to fly in and our whole emphasis is to do it safely," noted aviation technology professor Mark Madden. "That's the emphasis behind the course."

To land or not to land

Mark's bush flying has taken him to temporary runways across the state, from gravel bars to frozen lakes to glaciers. Here he is with Denali in the background (Photo courtesy of Mark Madden).

Mark's bush flying has taken him to temporary runways across the state, from gravel bars to frozen lakes to glaciers. Here he is with Denali in the background. (Photo courtesy of Mark Madden)

Each spring, Mark teaches his course for Alaska's interested aviators. He's been at UAA for 17 years, having previously taught and flown in big cities and small towns from coast to coast. Although he has family in Alaska, he was first drawn to the North by its flight industry. "There's a tremendous amount of aviation going on here," he said.

Most of that flying, though, takes place far from standard airports. Out in the bush, there's no ground control to rely on and no runway to land on-the safety of the pilot, the passengers and the plane are hinged on the pilot's best judgment on where-and whether-to land the plane.

The course is strictly classroom-based-what aviators call 'ground school'-but Mark has years of experience to share. In 2012, he renewed his accreditation as a Master Certified Flight Instructor, making him one of only 700 educators nationwide to reach that level (and one of only three in Alaska).

Although Mark never takes his ground school students to fly the bush, his elective covers the gap between what students experience in flight training and what they'll need to know should they pursue bush flying after graduation. UAA's program trains professional pilots, and the curriculum is equally professional. Students earn their flight hours at paved runways, communicating with aviation professionals and following federal protocols-none of which exist in the bush. The class prepares students to read the weather and assess the environment, since they'll need to focus on the terrain as much as their gauges when landing.

Mark landed a plane on a glacier in the Talkeetna mountains for this shot (Photo courtesy of Mark Madden).

Ski and floatplanes are not equipped with brakes, adding another element to the landing process. Here's a photo from a glacier landing in the Talkeetna Mountains. (Photo courtesy of Mark Madden)

Back to (ground) school

The class is available to everyone from high school students to retired folks, and the community is encouraged to attend. "That's one of the reasons it's offered at 5:30 at night," Mark explained.

Paul Larson-who drives in from Wasilla twice a week for the class-is one of those students. Recently retired from the FAA after a long career in air traffic control, he decided to go back to school for one last class. This time, though, he wanted to pursue his retirement hobby.

UAA's 8GCBC Scout airplane is used for tail-wheel trainings. Designed for short takeoffs and landings, tail-wheel planes are  the standard for bush flying (Photo courtesy of Mark Madden).

UAA's 8GCBC Scout airplane is used for tail-wheel trainings. Designed for short takeoffs and landings, tail-wheel planes are the standard for bush flying. (Photo courtesy of Mark Madden)

"I've had my eye on this class for a couple years," he said. For the past 10 years, Paul has flown around Alaska in a rented Cessna 172-a stable tricycle gear plane geared for standard airports (two wheels in the back, one in the front). Mark's class, though, has provided the knowledge he needs to track down his big goal-purchasing his own tail wheel plane for bush flying (with two wheels in the front and one in the back, tail wheelers are better suited to handle the rougher ride). "There are a lot of places you want to go where there are no airports, so I want to learn the basics of all that," he said. "I'm really pleased that I signed up for this class. It was well worth it."

Second-year aviation student Chase Looney enrolled for a completely different reason-he's a manager at McDougall Lodge, a summertime fishing lodge only accessible by floatplane.

"[The class] goes into pretty good detail about scenarios as far as ski plane flying, glacier flying, float flying, tail wheel operations, just a lot of stuff that's unique to backcountry flying around Alaska," he said. All those are key subjects to know when he's shuttling guests on the 45-minute flight northwest out of Anchorage to McDougall this summer.

With the right outlook, the world is your oyster and the state is your landing strip. Whether you're a current student or an interested Alaskan, Flying the Alaska Bush will teach you what to know, where to look and how to land safely in the vast wilds of the 49th state.

Written by J. Besl, UAA Office of University Advancement

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