littlewheelinback wrote:But the most badass award has to go to the Pilatus Porter PC-6.

Touché The PC-6 is indeed awesome, but I think one could get more ladies with one of these Beavers on bushwheels.

Wait a minute, isn't this the place where someone has to say "There are no ladies on this panel." To be accurate we need their input on this. Ms Bueller Ms Bueller?

In a side by side assessment, purely on looks, I have to side with the Beaver.



-- vs --

This one takes all comers....



AKT

My father flew a bunch of taildraggers while he was in the Air Force -- the B-47 and Gooney Birds among the more notables. Perhaps the most fun that he had flying in his long career in the Air Force was at Shilling AFB, Kansas where he flew Beavers (U6A Air Force Designation) to the missile silos across the Kansas landscape in 1963 toward the end of his career. I remember him talking about the short strips and the outstanding performance of the Beaver. Below is a picture of my Dad (top right) and his flight crew. He loved that airplane.


Nizina

For badass looks my vote is for the Beaver.

Comparing the Porter and Beaver is like comparing a Honda Goldwing to a Harley...Sure the Goldwing is smooth and powerful, but the Harley is just wins the "bad ass" competition with it's classic looks and the beastly growl....Same with the Beaver. The porters looks are downright fugly in my opinion.

Zane wrote:In a side by side assessment, purely on looks, I have to side with the Beaver.



-- vs --

For pure performance, my vote is the 840hp, Garret powered Sherpa, on 35" Bushwheels...now they just need to get her certified. The Sherpa has good looks much better than a porter in my opinion, like a monster cub with a turbine. 1500 lb payload off the ground in 100'. 3000 lbs in 340'...now that's a bush beast. I can't figure out how to post a photo, but here's the link:
http://www.sherpaaircraft.com/650specs.html

Too bad you guys can't see the beauty in the Porter.
I like 'em both.

lowflyin'G3 wrote:Too bad you guys can't see the beauty in the Porter.
I like 'em both.

I didn't say the Porter wasn't beautiful. I love the squarish lines of the tail. There's always going to be a juxtaposition though between the round radial cowling and the long nose of a turbine, and I'd I had to award a "more badass" award is would be the bulldog rounded looks of the Beav.

Funny thing to argue about

I didn't realize that "badass" was about aesthetics. I was talking badass as in the greatest performance. I would concede readily that the Beaver is a more pleasing aircraft to look at. I love Beavers in so many ways.

I love both. Though I have flown a Porter and worked on a couple of them...and have lots of jumps from them. I helped disassemble one so it could be trucked out after a nice nose over wreck. I've never had the opportunity with to fly the Beaver yet. I've also flown the -3 and -6 Otters....way too many jumps out of the twin as well as hours flying all over the country in them...worked on several of them as well. I love Twin Otters. Too bad my flying in the Porter and -3 were before I had my license...and as for the Twotters, I don't have an MEL, so none of this crap is logged, but sure was fun!

Zane wrote:

Per wiki--
Beaver: 3,000# empty, 5,100# gross, 450 hp, 250 sq ft wing area.
Porter: 2,800# empty, 6,173# gross, 550 shp, 324 sq ft of wing.
Beavers are cool but IMHO Porers are cooler. However, badass is as badass does-- checking the numbers, ya gotta give the nod to the Porter.
The next time I have an extra half mil or so laying around, I'm gonna get me one.

I'd still take the Beaver on 35" bushwheels. My wife says we can get one as soon as we win the lottery.

Yeah but the Beaver doesn't have that cool history of picking up James Bond spies off of Alpine mountainsides chased by AK wielding skiers, or hauling bags full of artificial sweetener out of the jungles in countries where we never were.

The Porter holds the record for the highest fixed wing landing and takeoff ever. That rescue operation on a Nepal glacier at over 19,000 feet elevation is higher than the Beaver's service ceiling...in its weight class there just isn't anything that comes close to a PC-6. On the other hand, the Beaver is still in service because nothing else has quite the combination of utility vs cost of operation that the Beaver does. If we're dreaming I'll take one of each. Porter on wheels, Beaver on floats.

Since we're talking about the most baddass bushplane ever, I have to give a nod to the TTC DHC-3. Best of all worlds, amazing STOL, utility, turbine, and round tail. I've always had a love affair with them, and if I had to choose one, this would be it.

OregonMaule wrote:
UH-60A UH-60L
Max. Gross Weight 20,250 lbs 22,000 lbs, 23,500 (external cargo)
Cruising Speed 139 kt 150kt
Endurance 2.3 hrs 2.1 hrs
Range 320 nm 306 nm
Max. Gross Weight 8000 lbs 9000 lbs
Internal Load 2640 lbs (or 11 combat-BCP party animals)

I have to add the HH-60M (Medevac). I have been flying one around the mountains of eastern Afghanistan for almost a year in one and think its a great all around bush aircraft, but as noted I am glad our uncle is paying for that machine.

littlewheelinback wrote:The Porter holds the record for the highest fixed wing landing and takeoff ever. The rescue operation on a Nepal glacier at over 19,000 feet elevation is higher than the Beaver's service ceiling...in its weight class there just isn't anything that comes close to a PC-6.

From the Sherpa Website:
http://sherpaaircraft.com/650specs.html
315 ft2 of Wing Area and 840 hp . Empty weight 3500lbs, GW 6500 and a steel tube aka roll cage of a fuselage.

IF it gains certification the Sherpa will win the performance competition for Baddest Bushplane. I hope they pull it off!

Althought the I still think the Beaver on 35's wins the style competition.

littlewheelinback wrote:I didn't realize that "badass" was about aesthetics.

Well, sometimes it is.

I'm confident you guys could argue about anything.

http://www.airport-data.com/aircraft/N253TA.html

Alan's Caravan is the baddest assed one on the planet with his new power plant. It kicks the crap out of his otters and beavers.... But the old round cowl beaver cant be beat for sexy!

Not sure what is what as the requirements, but Paul flys his turbine Otter to the top of MT. Logan at I think around 17,000' most every year quite a few times every year!
Ya He has a Beaver also!!
And a 185!
And a Super Cub! I have a picture of some of his Super Cub Ski tracks on a Cornice on St. Elias. They must be 40' long and real high. Must have been a helluva jump off of there looking straight down from about 10,000 when he came off of there!!
I guess his stable is pretty much full of AWESOME Bush Planes??
GT