As Bud Helmericks quoted in "Last of the Bush Pilots," about a poor unfortunate who landed in some mushy tundra...

"It looked like a field of clover to me..."

Gump

Yikes,

I would not have expected that outcome from a casual observation of that surface. Damn that is some nasty looking stuff.

Good luck on the retrival, I wouldn't know where to begin...

The tracks about 30 feet back actually don't look that deep, so maybe it's like skiing powder snow...you just need a little speed to float.

You need a come-along and some "deadman" anchors to reef that baby around and onto a makeshift runway of 20 sheets of 1/2" plywood oriented into the wind to allow you to get moving...then go soft field flappy takeoff.

I've helped rig a complete / intact aircraft for helicopter sling-load
extraction, but it wasn't cheap (you need at least a UH-1 to
sling a load the weight of a fully assembled Maule, or similar-sized
aircraft).

Figure around $2K/hour for a UH-1.

Unless you're slinging a fully assembled airplane a relatively short
distance, it's a good idea to rig up some kind of spoilers on the
wings to keep them from making lift (thin plywood + duct tape is
what we used).

Hopefully you can borrow some Bushwheels and fly it out of there.
Dis-assembling an airplane and packing it out from the bush piece
by piece sucks... (been there, done that numerous times, and it
ain't any fun!).

FWIW, if it's insured, I'm fairly certain the insurance company gets
to decide method / mode of recovery...

Glad nobody got hurt. The airplane will fly again!

1SeventyZ wrote:The tracks about 30 feet back actually don't look that deep, so maybe it's like skiing powder snow...you just need a little speed to float.

Zane, are you suggesting putting it on skis instead of BWs? That might even work.

CAVU

I like the idea of 31" bushwheels, and about three 4x8 sheets of plywood to set the tires on. Take all the extra weight out, then giver her hell and keep the power full.

patrol guy wrote:I like the idea of 31" bushwheels, and about three 4x8 sheets of plywood to set the tires on. Take all the extra weight out, then giver her hell and keep the power full.

Hey! That's worked for me, however it was a cat or skidder, or some other hunk of dirt moving iron. However I sunk a Jet boat that way Power wasn't the right thing that time

C ya, Bub

hello

Jr.CubBuilder wrote:What's the access situation to that site, can you get a truck in there or is it off limits? What about legal landings?

No access by truck. In a river canyon in a very remote area. Maybe by boat but that would only get you within a couple of miles.

He'll likely be authorized to either fly it out if possible or retrieve it by helicopter.

Maybe he'll need to review the Alaska Bush Pilot video a few times and take notes on how Bob Reeve used to fly off that muddy lake bed in the spring...

Worst comes to worst you can dissasemble it and pack it out on the backs of 50 mules Probably still cheaper than a helicopter

My recomendation woud be a set of 35's and go like mad!!!

The only problem with 31's will be the brake issue but I think that can be adjusted for.

1SeventyZ wrote:You never know though, maybe someday if someone goes missing, clues to their intended destination may be found here, so tell your loved ones your username...haha.

There's an advantage in using your real name & home base.

Looking at the photo

Hey hold my beer and watch this, comes to mind

Looks like an easy rescue to me

Buy a set of 31s add a wheel spacer couple sheets 1/4 plywood and your off

I like the 36C idea Bub had

N6EA wrote:

iceman wrote:.

Butch,

I like the way you think !

Comes from being married over 30 years...Ya gotta appeal to their sense of values...Cheaper is always better in the female brain.... No offense CAVU and Mrs Hammer..

Did I miss a picture of MCM's plane where he landed it?

It's on Page 6

OK I found it.... Geez this thread flies!!!! I would absolutely get the bush wheels. And 35's sound even better than 31's...

Around here, the big A-Star is the retrieval machine. It'll pick up a C180 without any disassembly, don't ask how I know. Of course, we're at sea level.

I'd venture to bet that a Llama would sling that Maule out of there. There used to be a couple of them in Telluride, not sure if they're still there.

Like the man said, it's the insurance company's problem now...hopefully.

gb

I wonder if good old chain link fencing would provide enough floatation for an improvised runway...maybe with ash 1X2's every three or four inches? It would be easier to pack in/out on a burrow than plywood.

This seems like a pretty good opportunity to stir the pot...anyone think a nose-dragger would have stayed belly-down? All in all I'd say it's pretty impressive that he managed to keep a taildragger from nosing over in those conditions.