How fast do bush planes fly

Patey upgraded the brakes and added inch main gear tires. He opted for a new digital cockpit with autopilot, infrared night vision, and a backup camera, totally new wiring, heating and electrical systems, and HID landing lights from a airliner. The changes were so extensive that the FAA had to approve the conversion as an experimental exhibition aircraft. Whatever you call it, the result is astounding.

DRACO is twice its size—a 2, pound 1,kg four-seater that can take off in 97 feet, land in feet, and stall at about 36mph. Like most bush planes, it wasn't optimized for high-altitude flying.

In fact, Patey designed and installed a four-passenger oxygen system that allows him to take advantage of PT6's performance at altitude. DRACO achieves performance and flexibility unheard of in other similarly designed bush planes.

To really understand what went into it, watching Patey's series of build videos on YouTube is worthwhile—and not just for the technical detail. For even the most sophisticated DIY-ers, the project Patey undertook should have taken years.

It was the excitement of finishing a job. We grew up that way, and, despite being poor, we were unbelievably happy," he said. Patey says people are most delighted by how squat the bush plane looks on its articulated suspension when he throttles up for takeoff. Patey points out that he can find jet fuel at most airports in the US and that, in other parts of the world, it is far easier to find than aviation gasoline.

Some fans say the Helio is the ultimate Bush plane, offering long range, plenty of speed and enough capacity to rival the Cessna The Helio is a versatile taildragger that can be rigged with wheels, skis and floats. There have been numerous variations of the Helio Courier, including lengthened fuselages, turboprop configurations, tricycle landing gear and more.

The Helio Courier is used all over the Alaska Interior for Bush flying to remote gravel bars and off-airport strips, along with water landings on rivers and lakes. Empty Weight: 2, lbs. Loaded Weight: 3, lbs. Cruising Speed: mph Range: 1, miles. The Cessna is the workhorse of the Alaska Bush. Equipped with tundra tires, the can land anywhere from improved runways to riverside gravel bars.

It was introduced in the early s and is still in production. If the Beaver is a pickup truck, the is an SUV; big enough to haul the load, but modern with plenty of eye appeal. Though in most cases, the is rigged for off-airport landings on wheels, they can also be set up for floats. The is commonly found across the state, mostly north of the Panhandle.

It is possible to haul a rafting party of two in one trip. Operators with multiple aircraft in their fleet often have a for trips where the space of a Beaver is not needed, but the load is too large for a Super Cub. It fits nicely between the two. A common practice with larger loads is to use the to fly passengers and gear to a remote staging area, then shuttle into a smaller strip with a Maule or a Super Cub.

The Cessna can be rigged with wheels, skis or floats, and all three configurations are common in Alaska. Check with your operator to determine your limits. The is a relatively common Bush aircraft, and many multi-aircraft operators have one or two of them available. Empty Weight: 1, lbs. Though not as common as the Super Cub, it hauls similar loads and can land on short unimproved strips. Maules can be equipped with wheels, skis, or floats, but the usual configuration is wheels or skis; floats will dramatically reduce the capacity of the aircraft.

Loaded Weight: 2, lbs. Often used to access short off-airport landing areas such as mountainsides, flat tundra benches and gravel bars, the Super Cub will get you and a light load of gear into some very remote locations. Where the Beaver is the 4x4 truck of Alaska Bush flying, the Super Cub is the dirt bike; light, responsive and very nimble. Of course this has a direct relationship to performance and fuel consumption, so ask your operator about the range of their particular aircraft.

The Super Cub is common from Southcentral Alaska all the way to the Arctic, and is most commonly used to shuttle outdoorsmen into small lakes or rivers, remote dirt strips and gravel bars along rivers. The aircraft really comes into its own in the mountains, though, and some pilots have perfected their ability to land a Cub on a glacier or on a sloping mountainside.

It is therefore quite impressive for a bush plane. In , while the newer versions were being tested, the GA company announced that the first customer for the Airvan was Major Blue Air, an airline based out of Botswana.

This airplane was designed by the manufacturers of the de Havilland DHC-2 Beaver and it is a taildragger monoplane that is sold in kit form by a Canadian company by the name of Murphy Aircraft. The company recommends certain engines for this plane including the Lycoming O, a hp engine; the Lycoming O, a hp engine; and the Rotax , an 80 hp engine. Although the plane only holds two to three people, it is 21 feet long and has a gross weight of pounds.

Its cruise speed is mph and it can fly for roughly six hours at a time. The Rebel also has fixed conventional landing gear and a single engine in tractor configuration as well as a wingspan of 30 feet. The aircraft itself is made out of sheet aluminum and it was specifically designed to be a bush plane for personal use. The PAC P airplane is a utility plane made in a monoplane design and containing a fixed tricycle undercarriage.

It can accommodate either 17 parachutists or one pilot and up to nine passengers and it is over 36 feet in length. There are currently plans underway to increase payload for this plane, including replacing aluminum flight-control surfaces with composite and installing lighter seating, which is planned for The PAC P is available in numerous configurations including agriculture, cargo, surveillance, skydiving, and aerial surveying. Built by Quest Aircraft, the Kodiak is an American utility plane that has a single turboprop engine and a fixed tricycle landing gear.

Because it is deemed suitable for STOL operations from unimproved airfields, it makes for a very effective bush plane. It is also a relatively new plane, having made its maiden flight in the year , and as over of them have been delivered of The Kodiak can accommodate up to nine passengers and one pilot and it is more than 34 feet in length.

It has a height of more than 15 feet, a wing area of square feet , and a cruising speed of KTAS and 12, feet. It can fly for roughly 10 hours and has a maximum speed of KTAS. Its maximum takeoff weight is pounds and its reversible propeller is a constant-speed feathering type of propeller. This is a light, two-place aircraft that comes in a kit as many bush flyers do and it was designed in Canada. Having made its maiden flight in , the CH is currently manufactured in the United States and it can accommodate a crew of two people.

The plane has an empty weight of pounds and a fuel capacity of 20 U. However, it is an efficient plane and has a maximum speed of 85 mph at sea level. The CH can fly for nearly five hours and has a climb rate of feet per minute.