5/4/2023 0 Comments Become a brush pilot![]() A notable exception is Freshwater Adventures, out of Dillingham. Though the Goose was flown commercially for many years in Alaska, few operators still operate them for paying passengers. Grumman also constructed variants of the Goose, including the smaller Widgeon, the larger Mallard and the enormous Albatross with its 96-foot wingspan and 37,000 takeoff weight. The Goose saw use for a number of years by Alaska Airlines, particularly in Southeast Alaska where the aircraft’s amphibious attributes lent itself well to landing in the bays and inlets of Juneau, Ketchikan and many other towns along the Inside Passage. It has since been modified in various ways, including upgrades to the twin, wing-mounted engines, installation of a radar system, modifications to the airframe itself, the addition of retractable wing floats (the original has fixed-position wing floats), and the installation of larger windows. Originally built in 1936 as a high-end commuter aircraft, however it later saw service as a transport during WWII. The Grumman Goose is the granddaddy of Bush aircraft. In other words, not all 206's haul the same load.īecause aircraft are rated differently depending on how they're configured, you must always check with your pilot to verify how much weight the aircraft can carry. This is because of minor variations in weight from equipment on the aircraft, and various performance enhancements the air service may have added to the aircraft. Individual aircraft may be rated differently from other aircraft in a similar configuration. This list contains all the most popular aircraft if you're chartering out, check with your air service to verify what equipment they're flying, and your anticipated payload availability. Most can be rigged with either skis, wheels or floats, as well as special configurations and upgrades to enable Short Take-Off and Landing (STOL) capabilities. This page features some typical Bush aircraft, together with the approximate load capacity for various configurations. Here in the north country, the term "airstrip" is a loose appellation for a flat place where someone tossed the larger rocks off into the weeds. In technical terms, those are known as "off-airport" landings, but in Alaska they are the norm. For many people, that's not a bad deal considering the sheer exhilaration it is to fly over remote wilderness where there are no shopping malls, no roads and no signs of human habitation.Įquipped with wheels, skis, or floats, Bush aircraft are capable of landing on lakes, rivers, riparian gravel bars, beaches, and even in small clearings. According to sources, there is one airplane for every sixty people who live in Alaska. Owing to the limited road system, one of the most common methods of getting around Alaska is by light aircraft.
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