Buying a bush plane? Is it worth it? (how much, living in)

[onthefly]

If one bought a bush plane in alaska say living in anchorage, would it be possible/ practical to fly to places that have no road access so one could see more of their great state?

[stiffnecked]

If you want to see them your probably gonna have to fly.

[onthefly]

Is it possible/ practical to fly to remote rivers to go fishing?

[warptman]

Bushplane...Bank in the sky, always making deposits you can never use! It's not like it used to be many years ago. Everything is spendy now!

[Marty Van Diest]

To own a bush plane and fly to remote spots to fish is practical if you have a LOT of money. Planes are expensive to maintain. In addition, bush flying is a skill that needs to be honed and kept sharp or you will die...plain and simple.

I used to own a plane and did fly it in Alaska but I was never a good bush pilot and didn't intend to be. I personally know many people who have died in bush planes. Some of them were very good friends. A real good bush pilot is worth paying to fly you where you want to go. In the long run, it's cheaper and safer to hire a good pilot.

That said, if you are single with no dependents, there is nothing like flying in Alaska. But learning to be a good bush pilot takes time and money.

[onthefly]

thanks guys for the advice, I guess thats what i expected.

But it seems like such a pity for so much of the state have to go unseen by its residents

[starlite9]

Depends on what kind of plane you want to buy. If it says "Super Cub" on it, you are going to pay twice as much as other brands that will do what you want to do because of the name. You can find a good plane for the cost of a newer used Pickup Truck that will safely take you where ever you want to fly.

You do have to contend with annuals and such that run between six hundred dollars on up a year.

Now the bright side is that the new Sport Aircraft class is very affordable and if you build your own plane from a kit, you are concidered by the FAA the manufacture and can do all the annuals and repairs yourself saving some big bucks.

Most have the short takeoff ablilty of the bigger more known names, but at a fraction of the price and are real airplanes, not toys. To fly one, you have to have a current driver's license, have 20 hours of instruction and fly 100 hours before you can take a passenger with you (they are one or two seat aircraft)

For more info, here is a link, but there are many

Light Sport Aircraft Headquarters | LSA & Sport Pilot Directory

[starlite9]

Originally Posted by onthefly

thanks guys for the advice, I guess thats what i expected.

But it seems like such a pity for so much of the state have to go unseen by its residents

Been flying since the 1970's and that is the only way to see most of Alaska and I love it.

Good luck in your travels!

[BudinAk]

Owning your own plane is "doable", if you can afford it, and really is a great way to see Alaska. However...as others have pointed out...it's not only expensive, but can be very dangerous. Here's a link to a guy that toured all over Alaska in his Super Cub, and not only that, but he documented it extremely well via his expertise with photography. His photos are simply breath-taking. I have lived in Alaska nearly all my life, and have never seen most of what he has.

Due Up

It will take several minutes to download the photos (because there are HUNDREDS), but it is well worth it. Just do it! Be sure to click on each of the different archives.

Sad epilogue: this man DIED...flying his plane. In a moment of distraction, looking at something on the ground, his plane suddenly stalled, and he "nosed in" straight to the ground.
Why did his plane stall? Well...anytime you are turning in a tight circle (like he was) to take a "gander" at something on the ground, you take a big risk losing too much air speed. Here's what happens, unless you are paying close attention, you often don't know how much wind there is. One minute you could be flying upwind, and everything is fine and dandy...no problem. The next few seconds later you are flying DOWNWIND (because you just turned sharply in a tight circle) , and the lift that you had enjoyed flying upwind is suddenly not there. The wind is now blowing in the same direction you are, and almost as fast too...
Suddenly there's not enough lift. You stall with little or no warning. Because you are so close to the ground, there isn't any time to recover. You might be the best pilot in the world, but you aren't going to get out of this one...for about a second you feel the plane "wallow"...then the ground plunges upwards to you at frightening speed...
If you want to learn how wind affects lift during a tight turn, do it at several thousand feet altitude, and not close to the ground. If you want to see something up close on the ground, might better be content with "fly-bys" and forget about those tight circles, IMO. Mother nature doesn't often grant second chances...

Bud

[starlite9]

Originally Posted by BudinAk

Owning your own plane is "doable", if you can afford it, and really is a great way to see Alaska. However...as others have pointed out...it's not only expensive, but can be very dangerous. Here's a link to a guy that toured all over Alaska in his Super Cub, and not only that, but he documented it extremely well via his expertise with photography. His photos are simply breath-taking. I have lived in Alaska nearly all my life, and have never seen most of what he has.

Due Up

It will take several minutes to download the photos (because there are HUNDREDS), but it is well worth it. Just do it! Be sure to click on each of the different archives.

Sad epilogue: this man DIED...flying his plane. In a moment of distraction, looking at something on the ground, his plane suddenly stalled, and he "nosed in" straight to the ground.
Why did his plane stall? Well...anytime you are turning in a tight circle (like he was) to take a "gander" at something on the ground, you take a big risk losing too much air speed. Here's what happens, unless you are paying close attention, you often don't know how much wind there is. One minute you could be flying upwind, and everything is fine and dandy...no problem. The next few seconds later you are flying DOWNWIND (because you just turned sharply in a tight circle) , and the lift that you had enjoyed flying upwind is suddenly not there. The wind is now blowing in the same direction you are, and almost as fast too...
Suddenly there's not enough lift. You stall with little or no warning. Because you are so close to the ground, there isn't any time to recover. You might be the best pilot in the world, but you aren't going to get out of this one...for about a second you feel the plane "wallow"...then the ground plunges upwards to you at frightening speed...
If you want to learn how wind affects lift during a tight turn, do it at several thousand feet altitude, and not close to the ground. If you want to see something up close on the ground, might better be content with "fly-bys" and forget about those tight circles, IMO. Mother nature doesn't often grant second chances...

Bud

Yes the wingover stalls in a cub are dangerous and have killed many that weren't paying attention to the job at hand which is flying, not moose counts.

But flying itself is not dangerous to those that pay attention...

The old saying still applies...

"There is old pilots and bold pilots, but there isn't any old bold pilots"