It will probably be seen as a toy by many of you, but is anyone using a Skyranger for backcountry flying? I’m just going camping and hiking in and around California, not hauling 55 gallon drums in the Yukon.

Any constructive and useful comments greatly appreciated! Thanks in advance.

Edit: Looks like this should be in the LSA section. Could a mod please move it? Thanks!

Hambone wrote:It will probably be seen as a toy by many...

I've always said that "backcountry" is more of a state of mind rather than a place. If that machine gives you the fiz, is within your budget, and gets you to where you want to go, then more power to you... as long as you understand that the deeper you want the hole, the bigger the shovel you'll need. Thats a pretty small shovel, so just know your limits.

I don’t know anything about this plane, but as a casual observation, that nose gear looks like it may not stand up to rougher terrain very well. It also looks like it would be difficult to load towards the rearward end of the loading envelope, which is the key to operating a tricycle gear plane on rough and soft fields in order to bias more of the aircraft’s mass on to the mains.

I’m supposed to be picking it up this week and ferrying it from Kentucky to California, but it doesn’t look like the weather is cooperating.

I was a little concerned that the fully-loaded CG is right at the aft limit, and gets slightly better with fuel burn. It sounds like that may be an advantage by reducing weight on the nose gear. I didn’t think about that. Thanks for the tip!

I don’t plan on landing on any boulder-strewn creek beds, so hopefully the weedy nose gear will be OK!

I think it would do fine with power pitch approach to touchdown so as to insure landing on the mains only with no bounce or banging of the nose gear. I also found the 65 hp Corben Baby Ace did well on grass. Power to weight ratio can be good in a light one without a big engine. Drop by 2H2, Aurora, in SW Missouri on your way if you get the chance. I will buy you a meal.

Thanks for the offer!

It’s got a 100 hp 912UL, cockpit adjustable prop, and VGs, and the stall speed is apparently in the low 30s. So I anticipate relatively short takeoff and landing rolls.

Once comfortable with it, angle across in the stronger winds we have been having works well with light airplanes. Just pick a target and walk the rudder to bracket it and keep the bank angle stabilized in crosswind and gusts. Use the throttle to control gusty ups and downs rather than add airspeed (which doesn't work anyway.) Seems you have to slow down to get down.

Just a note....if you're flying this under Light Sport, that cockpit adjustable prop is a dis-qualifier if I remember correctly. At least until we find out what is entailed in the MOSAIC rules supposedly coming out in the future.

The gear is definitely wider than the Baby Ace. Still need to walk the rudders on takeoff, short final, and roll out. Nose gear airplanes fly the same. They just don't try to go backwards as much. No reason to lose good rudder skills.

WWhunter wrote:Just a note....if you're flying this under Light Sport, that cockpit adjustable prop is a dis-qualifier if I remember correctly. At least until we find out what is entailed in the MOSAIC rules supposedly coming out in the future.

Yep. It’s being converted to ground-adjustable.

contactflying wrote:The gear is definitely wider than the Baby Ace. Still need to walk the rudders on takeoff, short final, and roll out. Nose gear airplanes fly the same. They just don't try to go backwards as much. No reason to lose good rudder skills.

Good advice. Thanks!