Backcountry Pilot

OSH26 was huge and overwhelming as usual, but in my foot travels around the field, one thing is clear: backcountry and STOL flying continue to be rising stars in new products coming to market.

The summer flying season seems almost synonymous with dodging wildfire smoke. The key to negotiating this challenging condition is having a solid strategy in place before you depart.

As one of the undisputed legends of bush flying, the Cessna 180 hauls a load and gets into/out of places most aircraft won't. So why is it certified only in the Normal category and not Utility? Those two terms mean something very specific—and neither one is about what the airplane…

9 modification mistakes aircraft owners make when trying to "bush out" their birds—why some cool ideas aren't worth the effort or cost.

A Minnesota pilot is surprised to learn that the sudden asymmetric drag of an out-of-rig ski can nearly bring an aircraft down.

Working in some of the Yukon's most beautiful and remote environments, photographer Simon Blakesley captures aircraft in their element, set against the mountains, seasons, and light that define the North.

Upgrading to big tires can make a huge difference in backcountry performance, but with those gains come some trade-offs. What should an aircraft owner know going into it?

Conservationist, pilot, and NGO founder Jaime Dias uses his Cessna to protect and document wildlife in the challenging environment of the African bush.

Canadian pilot Matt Wall was tired of fighting for a spot on crowded road-access B.C. lakes. Today he's fully realized the utility of the float plane and the magic of family adventures to places few others can go.

In the northern reaches of Minnesota, where bush flying is as tough as Alaska minus the mountains, the long-heralded de Havilland DHC-2 Beaver has the full confidence of the US Forest Service for the task of working the Superior National Forest and Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in a variety of missions.

A bush pilot's memoir of his adventures in the late 1960's and early 70's detail a career full of wild escapades, near misses, and mishaps in the vast tundra and waterways of the Canadian Arctic, complemented by magically rich film photography of aircraft, landscapes, and native culture.

An opportunity seized to try what many would call the ultimate 2-seat bushplane: the Aviat Husky A-1C on amphibs. This specimen bears the 500th anniversary set of Wipline 2100As to complement the impressive host of features on an aircraft that's come a long way from being considered a descendant of…