Ok ~ should be little reticence to answer this one because rumor has it a pilot likes nothing better than to talk in a positive light about him/herself?

Backcountry flying specific please ... what's your proudest personal moment/accomplishment? What did you do; handle well; finally achieve; get yourself through ... that stands out as a positive personal milestone in your piloting career?

And why ~ do you feel that way about it?

Again ... my thanks.

Flywriter wrote:Backcountry flying specific please ... what's your proudest personal moment/accomplishment?

HA! That's easy! It was my VERY FIRST backcountry landing, Cabin Creek Idaho, 1979!

WE LIVED! Actually, it was a perfect landing.

http://www.backcountrypilot.org/gallery/displayimage.php?album=lastup&cat=10891&pos=0


Rocky

Flywriter wrote:What's your proudest personal accomplishment?

Raising sheep in cattle country....

My co-pilot was an Australian Cattle Dog, a red heeler, so I had help.

Gump

RockyTFS wrote:

Flywriter wrote:Backcountry flying specific please ... what's your proudest personal moment/accomplishment?

HA! That's easy! It was my VERY FIRST backcountry landing, Cabin Creek Idaho, 1979!

WE LIVED! Actually, it was a perfect landing.

http://www.backcountrypilot.org/gallery/displayimage.php?album=lastup&cat=10891&pos=0


Rocky

So...it's the "little things" that mean the most (and yes, yes, yes ... that's said tongue in cheek cuz I for sure know what an accomplishment a FIRST backcountry landing is!)

Great photos on this site ~ really enjoying looks at your photo gallery's.....

GumpAir wrote:

Flywriter wrote:What's your proudest personal accomplishment?

Raising sheep in cattle country....

My co-pilot was an Australian Cattle Dog, a red heeler, so I had help.

Gump

"Backcountry flying specific please ...."

So I know from my own experiences what great dogs those are on the ground ... just didn't know they can fly too! And brave or stupid ~ the raising sheep in cattle country thing? And to stay on-topic, how would you compare aerial round-up's to horseback? (Course ... my QH laughs at sheep, so I'm obviously biased!)

Yeah I would have to say I got a real rush at my first backcountry landing. It was at smugglers cove in SD back country. I think there's a pix of it in my gallery. Just the thought of going where no one else could get to easily was a thrill. After that I was hooked!!! now it's lake beds and old dirt roads and most of the Idaho strips for me. screw pavement.. Just gets me in trouble anyway...

1. Assembling all these interesting personalities into a discussion forum.
2. Passing my checkride, learning to fly tailwheel, etc

Haven't had many flying "accomplishments" in the last few years besides keeping myself and those who've chosen to fly with me alive.

1. Giving an airplane ride to a nursing home resident.

2. Flying Gail S. Halvorson into the back country of ID. We first landed at Sulphur Creek for breakfast, and then flew on to Chamberlain Basin, I had never landed there or had I ever been there. It was a thrill to fly the Candy bomber, and then to go to a new place, deep in the Frank Church wilderness area, it was a great accomplishment for me. I had a lot of responsibility for this man and his wife's safety. I felt good when we got back safely. Bob

see my story "Quest for white majic" in the archives

iceman wrote:Yeah I would have to say I got a real rush at my first backcountry landing. It was at smugglers cove in SD back country. I think there's a pix of it in my gallery. Just the thought of going where no one else could get to easily was a thrill. After that I was hooked!!! now it's lake beds and old dirt roads and most of the Idaho strips for me. screw pavement.. Just gets me in trouble anyway...

Last part of this was the telling bit for me "thought of going where no one else could get to easily was a thrill" ... and ummm....yeah, from the looks of your van, you ARE better off in the dirt (glad just the van took a beating)

And I think; you just gave me the idea for my next annoying question for you all ~ I'll pace myself though and give you a break for a little while Hoping too you'll just keep adding good stuff to the ones I've already got on here...

shorton wrote:see my story "Quest for white majic" in the archives

Will do ~ thanks!

1SeventyZ wrote:1. Assembling all these interesting personalities into a discussion forum.
2. Passing my checkride, learning to fly tailwheel, etc

Haven't had many flying "accomplishments" in the last few years besides keeping myself and those who've chosen to fly with me alive.

#2 ~ totally agree with and can understand...

#1 ~ well yes; I agree ~ you have indeed done an excellent job of doing just that and absolutely no snark or sarcasm in that statement; nice group of pilots here who have been kind to me and I appreciate it thoroughly. Had heard good things about the site; which is why I came here in the first place...

That said? I'm thinkin' maybe too there might possibly be a story or two from your accomplishment of #1 ~ that might be appropriate for you to share ... in my Pilot Mind Question #2 re: fear???

And don't think anybody here would argue with the accomplishment implied in that last statement of yours ... obviously admirable one for any pilot doing the kind of flying you guys do.

skybobb wrote:1. Giving an airplane ride to a nursing home resident.

2. Flying Gail S. Halvorson into the back country of ID. We first landed at Sulphur Creek for breakfast, and then flew on to Chamberlain Basin, I had never landed there or had I ever been there. It was a thrill to fly the Candy bomber, and then to go to a new place, deep in the Frank Church wilderness area, it was a great accomplishment for me. I had a lot of responsibility for this man and his wife's safety. I felt good when we got back safely. Bob

Rightly so on both of these Bob ~ rightly so.

And I'm going to assume that all here are aware of the wonderful full story .. that is behind your simple statement of "giving an airplane ride to a nursing home resident" ?

Qoute - "what's your proudest personal moment/accomplishment? What did you do; handle well; finally achieve; get yourself through ... that stands out as a positive personal milestone in your piloting career?"

It would have to be when my dear old mum seen me fly over for the first time - that be a good day.

Can't say this one was a proud moment but it turned out to be a wise decision. My friend Don and I had flown into Chamberlain one morning after a stop for breakfast at Big Creek. We fished all day and returned to the planes to fly back to JC but the wind was howling. It was so bad we sat in the planes to ride it out. About dusk it suddenly stopped and we flew back uneventfully. That was the same day we lost a very well respected mtn flying instructor and her student at Root ranch a short distance from Chamberlain Turned out to be a sad day but we made a good decision thinking about it in hindsite...

Aussiedog wrote:Qoute - "what's your proudest personal moment/accomplishment? What did you do; handle well; finally achieve; get yourself through ... that stands out as a positive personal milestone in your piloting career?"

It would have to be when my dear old mum seen me fly over for the first time - that be a good day.

Digger for stories here would love more background if/when you're so inclined ~ was your "dear old mum" an avid supporter of your desire to fly? Many I've talked to had a mix of parents who were either supportive ... ambivalent ... or absolutely against it. Interesting to see how the passion to want to fly against all odds ... ultimately won out. Good stories in all cases though.

iceman wrote:Can't say this one was a proud moment but it turned out to be a wise decision. My friend Don and I had flown into Chamberlain one morning after a stop for breakfast at Big Creek. We fished all day and returned to the planes to fly back to JC but the wind was howling. It was so bad we sat in the planes to ride it out. About dusk it suddenly stopped and we flew back uneventfully. That was the same day we lost a very well respected mtn flying instructor and her student at Root ranch a short distance from Chamberlain Turned out to be a sad day but we made a good decision thinking about it in hindsite...

One of the aerobatic pilots I interviewed, when asked what traits she felt contributed to being a good pilot, said absolutely hands-down number one in her opinion was the ability to make good decisions.

Sounds like you made one.

That's one of the themes I keep running into. And I had an interesting discussion with a CFI not too long ago about why that's one of the reasons it's really too bad in this day and age that it's so hard to get teenagers interested/involved in flying; the way achieving the goal of being an effective, safe and GOOD pilot ~ requires good decision making, dedication, discipline ... among other things. Seems like great traits to foster in youth no? He does career days often at High Schools. Barbara Cesar of Syncro Interiors in Van Nuys - who sadly passed away not long ago; multi-rated pilot, great lady who was passionate about flying - would put on huge events with aviation career themes at VNY and bring in H.S. kids from all over the Valley.

Sadly ~ everyone agrees that the financial aspects are a huge obstacle to overcome. As is - as the CFI pointed out - competing with all the distractions these days that technology offers kids ... i.e. the whole gaming thing.

Sorry......I wandered a bit off topic here didn't I?

Flywriter wrote:Digger for stories here would love more background if/when you're so inclined ~ was your "dear old mum" an avid supporter of your desire to fly? Many I've talked to had a mix of parents who were either supportive ... ambivalent ... or absolutely against it. Interesting to see how the passion to want to fly against all odds ... ultimately won out. Good stories in all cases though.

Although it's not backcountry related, my absolute proudest moment in aviation was when I finally convinced my father to go flying with me, fifteen years after I started. He was absolutely adamantly against my learning to fly, which I had wanted to do since a little kid building model airplanes, and I had to wait until I was 21 to start my flying career. (well, I fudged that by a few months)

On a trip back East in our almost new Warrior in 1983, I landed at Republic, 20 miles from our old LI home, and convinced him to go out to the end of Long Island for a picnic at Montauk Point. All went well, that's a pretty comfortable and unintimidating aircraft, and he actually enjoyed it. We got to see where we used to hunt on Shelter Island, had our picnic, and flew the 30 minutes back to Republic.

It was the only time I ever got him in a small plane, and it took years of lobbying to achieve, but it was worth it..he actually congratulated me on it. The timing was lucky, too, since I didn't like going back East much, and a couple of years later he was too far gone with Alzhiemer's to do that sort of thing.


Rocky

After reading some of the responces it is hard to pick out any single accomplishment...but some are:
Any beautiful day of flying...especially with others in their planes just for the fun of it or to some flyin somewhere where we meet more friends doing the same thing we are doing. The kind of day that you wish would never end.
Practicing short field landings and takeoffs and then actually going into a site where you really need these skills and really nailing it!
Landing at Cavanaugh Bay, then on to Magee. Liked it so well at Magee, did three more landings just for the fun of it.
Having the time, money, the equipment, and the ability to do this sort of adventure.

Yep




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