[imgwrap=left]https://www.backcountrypilot.org/images/legacy/griffin/ie_cover.jpg[/imgwrap] DVD Review:
Idaho Exposed
(2005 Griffin Studios)

Running time: 89 minutes
Price: $29.95

It seems like all my life, the things that I have been interested in have been just outside the mainstream...rock climbing, motocross, paragliding...and bush flying. It's always rare to see some sort of tv coverage of bush flying or even light aviation in general. I used to sit through hours of Chuck Yeager biographies on Discovery Wings* just to see a glimpse of a Super Cub or something that was relevant to me as a weekend warrior. Well, thank God for the innovations in portable video technology that make it possible for guys like Kevin Griffin to single handedly produce DVD's like Idaho Exposed, a video tour of 12 of the Idaho backcountry's premier airstrips. By premier, I mean the strips that any self-respecting pilot wants to see somebody land on, because these strips eat incompetent pilots for lunch. Enter Herb Millhorn.

[imgwrap=right]https://www.backcountrypilot.org/images/legacy/griffin/herb1.jpg[/imgwrap]
Herb is an interesting fellow who has been flying and exploring the Idaho backcountry for many years, specifically, the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness Area. How many years, I couldn't tell you, because Herb's age is rather elusive from his appearance. He is a trim fellow falling into the age range of 45-65, with a strong woodsman's mustache, and a pleasant narration voice that accompanies each landing, takeoff, and summary of the various locations he and Kevin visit on their tour. I don't think his heart rate ever goes above 65 during the whole video. He's just a cool dude, and you want to hear him tell stories.

Herb is the star of the show as he gives the introduction to the movie, followed by a strong word of caution about the advanced nature of flying the Idaho backcountry, especially in the summertime when density altitude can make operations to these strips nearly impossible. That being said, he and Kevin climb into Herb's Cessna 185 Skywagon at Johnson Creek to begin the tour...very early in the morning.

[imgwrap=left]https://www.backcountrypilot.org/images/legacy/griffin/ie_inset.jpg[/imgwrap]I'd like to say that I am really impressed with what Kevin has put together. The first thing that tickled me was the DVD inset, which is actually a scan of the Great Falls sectional that includes each of the airstrip locations marked in their order of appearance. The few that don't appear on a sectional have their approximate locations marked too. The production quality of the video is first rate too. Like I said earlier, technology is making it easier and easier to shoot quality footage and edit it. All of the video is crisp, the edits smooth, and the few still photographs that make it in look good on the comparatively low resolution of television.

[imgwrap=right]https://www.backcountrypilot.org/images/legacy/griffin/cockpit.jpg[/imgwrap]Most footage is shot from the right seat of the 185, and is actually quite intimate. You can hear all the sounds, from Herb cranking out the flaps, to rpm changes, to stall horn chirps, to the gear squeak noise and tires rolling as the 185 touches down and completes the short landing roll. If you are a pilot, you'll really appreciate the precision with which Herb executes his approaches and landings. You can hear the medium rpm of a level attitude approach, stall horn mumbling...it actually kind gave me the willies knowing the edge of the flight envelope these guys were riding. The takeoffs are fun too. I've never flown a 185, and Herb's takeoff from Johnson Creek seems sluggish...until later in the video when he takes off from Dewey Moore, which appears to be a very short strip, and sails off the end of a cliff into a miraculous climb from deep within the river valley.

Herb possesses a great deal of knowledge and local folklore about the Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness Area, and lends his commentary about the various items of interest at each airstrip, from apocalyptic forest fires of years past to an explanation of a horse drawn "fresno" grading implement.

[imgwrap=left]https://www.backcountrypilot.org/images/legacy/griffin/ie_back.jpg[/imgwrap]As a pilot who loves to watch DVD's like Idaho Exposed, and also as one who is in a relationship with a fairly normal woman, I must offer a fair warning to you guys hoping to entertain your wife or girlfriend with this video. Don't try it. Or at least don't expect her to stay awake. If she says she wants to watch a movie, don't sneak this into the DVD player, you'll be cut off. That is, unless she too is a pilot, but that's your only chance. For all of Kevin's slick video production, this video mainly appeals to pilots, because pilots can appreciate Herb's skills and remain in awe of the shortness and wackiness of these airstrips. My girlfriend responded slightly more favorably to it than she does to John and Martha King, but she did enjoy the scenery, I think anyone can appreciate that.

It should also be noted that this is not a Super Cub bushwheel 50 foot landing on head-size rocks circus sideshow. The 185 is a good sized bird, and Herb mainly just does some good smooth landings and takeoffs on dirt, gravel, and grass.

Herb and the producer remind the viewer that this video is for entertainment purposes only, and therefore they don't really provide any hard information about the airstrips, or about technique, beyond Herb's running commentary which goes something along the lines of: "We'll fly up the canyon here at 1.1 Vso and pull our turn and follow the river low around these blind corners, never mind that squealing horn sound, aaaannnd if everything works out right, the airstrip should pop out from behind that rock outcropping with trees poking out of it." Well, that's not really what he says. He sounds a lot cooler, like he's guiding a horseback riding tour. Herb's heart rate = 65 beats per minute.

Griffin Studios' Idaho Exposed can be purchased at Amazon.com or Ebay for $29.95. It's a great deal considering you could waste years of your life waiting to catch something like this on cable.

*Discovery Wings has become the Military Channel, and has morphed into something even farther away from what I think is cool in aviation.

Zane,

Good review. I agree with your assessment of the video. It certainly makes you aware of how important handling a plane in slow flight can be. For most pilots slow flight training or practice is something that goes along with a rating or BFR and is pretty well ignored afterwards. Part of a good Mountain Flying course really drills the pilot on this aspect. We have a river canyon here that I have flown a few times in a float plane and you cannot stay in the canyon and still make the turns over 80mph.

Mark

JUST REMEMBER STICK&RUDDER &GET LOT OF MOUNTTAIN TRAINING GREAT FLICK MY HAT OFF TOO KEVIN&HERBERT.
BEAGEL.

This sounds like a great video. Has anyone seen "Flying Idaho" by Pete White? It was mentioned in the July/August 2005 issue of Pilot Getaways. Also, it is available on Galen Hanselman's website, www.flyidaho.com I was wondering how these two videos compare with each other. Would one be recommended over the other?

Thanks,

Mike

Starts slow for me but gets good at the end. I saw a few nice gravel bars to land on while he was on final for a couple of those strips too! The old guy flies that 185 real well.
I can't wait for the 185 bushwheel ,250 foot gravel bar, head-sized rock circus sideshow though. It'll be really kick ass! Mostly because the 185 is my favorite airplane and I love head-sized circus side shows!

Birddogger wrote:This sounds like a great video...

For us cave-dwellers here in the sticks, can anyone tell me why another video I bought mail-order from some other folks on this site, wouldn't play in the DVD tray of my computer? Regular production DVD's play fine. I'd love to view these videos, but the previous company refunded my dough, when I sent back the DVD to 'em. Is there something I'm missing about these "home-done" DVD's & my computer's compatability?(Windows XP)

Thanks, Berk

Maybe it was recorded on a -R disk and your player only accepts +R disks or vice - versa

Berk wrote:

Birddogger wrote:This sounds like a great video...

For us cave-dwellers here in the sticks, can anyone tell me why another video I bought mail-order from some other folks on this site, wouldn't play in the DVD tray of my computer? Regular production DVD's play fine. I'd love to view these videos, but the previous company refunded my dough, when I sent back the DVD to 'em. Is there something I'm missing about these "home-done" DVD's & my computer's compatability?(Windows XP)

Thanks, Berk

I had a similar problem. It works on some player and not on others. It would play, then get all skippy-skippy and freeze. I think it's how they're manufactured. The Idaho Exposed discs look like they're manufactured (as opposed to home-burned) but they have some problems. I have a few copies, and some work fine, some don't. Hopefully Kevin will get to the bottom of it.

Please let me know if you have any problems with the Idaho Exposed DVD (I couldn't tell from the other post if it was Idaho, or another DVD).

The masters were sent to a manufacturing firm that created glass masters (expensive, high quality production), from which quality duplicates were replicated. Any issue at or after Chapter 6 is a layer break (dual layer DVD, the laser switches from layer 0 to layer 1) issue and fixed with a new disc.

Thanks,
Kevin

bush pilot wrote:Please let me know if you have any problems with the Idaho Exposed DVD (I couldn't tell from the other post if it was Idaho, or another DVD).

The masters were sent to a manufacturing firm that created glass masters (expensive, high quality production), from which quality duplicates were replicated. Any issue at or after Chapter 6 is a layer break (dual layer DVD, the laser switches from layer 0 to layer 1) issue and fixed with a new disc.

Thanks,
Kevin

Thanks Kevin, that's good customer service.