Today, coming back from an all day breakfast flight, I was landing in this snow field near a group of falling down buildings (more additions to my growing collection of pictures of my ski plane next to shacks, sheds, and old homesites, it beats collecting matchbooks). The sloped undulating terrain was studded with just the tops of weeds and brush, and I thought this was more of the same after eyeballing it a few times I set up and landed.

The little hop skip and jump I did due to touching down on the high spot luckily got me back up so the right ski just grazed this thing, I heard and felt it and knew it was something solid. I felt it out on my final landing (I went around after grazing it) and everything felt alright so I landed uphill and snowshoed back to take a look. Note in the first pic how I skimmed right over it, like I planned it that way! Stomped down I got a better view, wow, and it was SOLID!

Son of a ...., I'm not complaining though, as I am real glad I was not fully on the snow, but airborne when I hit it, as it is I just scratched the bottom of the ski (as opposed to ripping it clear off). This old time type control handle for a piece of farm equipment has probably been there for 50 years, just waiting for me to fly by and decide to land there. I especially like the way it was canted in my direction, for maximum damage potential...one for Courierguy this time. I may go back this spring, and with the very high price of scrap metal now, make an offer to scrap the place out and get some payback on the damn thing. Comes with the territory, fun flight regardless.

Lucky you! Glad you cheated fate! Nice to see someone getting some air time. It seems like I'm working when the good weather hits lately. JW

Looks like a handle connected to a old harrow. I just bought an old one for $10 from my neighbor to tow around my pastures and knock down the cow turds....Seems like a a lot of that was just left behind in the fields when done. Makes good yard art

Apparently, the odds are pretty good. On more than one occasion, I've landed on skis and snowshoed back over my track, only to find that I barely missed something ugly that I hadn't seen from the air.

One of the very real risks of off airport operations is that it's pretty easy to miss something that's just big enough to hurt if you hit it. And, ski flying is indeed off airport flying.

Fun, though, eh??

MTV

Another landing yesterday I ended up sloughing sideways a bit while getting turned around. The side slope and a cross wind combined screwed up my hoped for turn around radius. Then, after getting out and snowshoeing over the ridge I realized the wind would be a bit much (tailwind) to takeoff where I had planned and rather then cut it close I decided to take off into the wind (uphill) but that meant getting turned around again.

Anyway, I ended up pointed up hill, one wing low due to the side slope, and stuck. So, back out and back on the snowshoes, put the shovel together, and still no go. After 4 attempts I got a little concerned, each time I'd slide ahead a foot or so, and then back when throttled down, but that was it, but the fifth time I got more aggresive with digging out underneath them. I had hesitated earlier because I didn't want to make a bigger hole to slide into (12 to 14" of fresh powder over a 4' deep base) and really stomped out a short path just in case I did get moving. And then.... I remembered the plastic garbage bag trick, and that I had some! Whether or not it was the bags or the more aggresive digging I don't know or care, all I know I woke up this morning in my own bed, rather then in a snow cave, didn't have to take a crap outside in now 20+ mph winds etc etc! I had enough gear to survive safely enough overnite, but nothing like home sweet home.

The takeoff was further up the hill to the top and down into a gulley and up and outa there, I felt bad leaving one of the plastic bags there that blew off, but not bad enough to go back and get it! This was about 20 miles west of Alpine, west of China Peak.

Courierguy you should go back with a hacksaw and get that handle to hang on your wall as a reminder that one more pass is never a bad idea!

When we are farming fields in the spring and see more rocks than we can take the time to pick up during planting a hand held gps can mark them as waypoints to come back to later and find them. Maybe that would be something to mark obstacles with for future reference. Of course its no substitute for removing it.
Glad you and your bird are ok. It's not asking much to wake up in your own bed.

Glad someone listens to some of those old tricks to keep in the bag!
GT

It looks like the handle of an old harrow to me too, it controls the pitch of the teeth. If it was turned over it would be tough on tires in the summer. Steve