Ok, OK, I know its's not backcountry. In fact its about as busy as you can get. But they let me land, I could have done it in a couple of hundred feet, but kept the speed up to get off as fast as I could. Still a hoot to do it in an old and slow bi-plane!

gunny

It may be old and it may be slow but it is darn good looking!

I went into San Antonio once, and was cleared to land on the left runway....don't recall the number. Tower asked me to clear the runway at the "first taxiway if able" for traffic, a jet behind me. I was in a Husky, so I landed right on the end, literally, and exited. I told tower I was clear, and requested frequency change. Slight pause and he asked me where I was.....to which I responded "I'm on the first taxiway". Another pause, and he came back on laughing...."No, the first taxiway is 1500 feet down the runway....you're on the end taxiway. Pretty impressive, though. Contact Ground and thanks for the expedite.".

It's what happens when you let an Alaska hillbilly in the big city.

MTV

Love it!

mtv wrote:I went into San Antonio once, and was cleared to land on the left runway....don't recall the number. Tower asked me to clear the runway at the "first taxiway if able" for traffic, a jet behind me. I was in a Husky, so I landed right on the end, literally, and exited. I told tower I was clear, and requested frequency change. Slight pause and he asked me where I was.....to which I responded "I'm on the first taxiway". Another pause, and he came back on laughing...."No, the first taxiway is 1500 feet down the runway....you're on the end taxiway. Pretty impressive, though. Contact Ground and thanks for the expedite.".

It's what happens when you let an Alaska hillbilly in the big city.

MTV

I grew up in SA... 12R/30L is the runway, 8500'. When I was a kid my Dad and I would go to the 12R end and watch TO/Ldgs at the fence. A 747 came in one time. They don't do that anymore. I'll tell you it seems short in a 737 though (73's have a high approach speed and good brakes that you use a lot).

Mostly I don't like towered airports... but it was fun this time!

gunny

Great vid! I relate--we used to take the old Cessna 140 down to KRFD... 10002' runway. It's funny when the centerline is twice your wingspan. The tower never thought much of us.
I'm based at a towered airport but it's a hillbilly towered airport compared to KRFD. There are several other "back country" aircraft based there, and a couple RVs.

mtv wrote:"No, the first taxiway is 1500 feet down the runway....you're on the end taxiway. Pretty impressive, though. Contact Ground and thanks for the expedite.".

lol!

I am sure you made a couple of those jet pilots' day when you crossed the threshold in that Stearman. Its always a treat to see a vintage airplane still being flown. Any true aviator will appreciate seeing that site.

Gunny wrote:Ok, OK, I know its's not backcountry. In fact its about as busy as you can get. But they let me land, I could have done it in a couple of hundred feet, but kept the speed up to get off as fast as I could. Still a hoot to do it in an old and slow bi-plane!

gunny

The worst thing you could have done was do it "in a couple of hundred feet" and flop it over on its back, like a Stearman at OSH a few years back. I saw it happen, and it looked to me as if he just held the brakes too hard too long. Whenever I've flown into a large, busy airport (which hasn't happened very often), I've worried about fouling the airport if I screw up my landing.

Cary

mtv wrote:I went into San Antonio once, and was cleared to land on the left runway....don't recall the number. Tower asked me to clear the runway at the "first taxiway if able" for traffic, a jet behind me. I was in a Husky, so I landed right on the end, literally, and exited. I told tower I was clear, and requested frequency change. Slight pause and he asked me where I was.....to which I responded "I'm on the first taxiway". Another pause, and he came back on laughing...."No, the first taxiway is 1500 feet down the runway....you're on the end taxiway. Pretty impressive, though. Contact Ground and thanks for the expedite.".

It's what happens when you let an Alaska hillbilly in the big city.

MTV

Had a similar event in Boise, Idaho. After a long trip south from Anchorage I was landing at Boise airport. After landing and switching over to ground tower asked " is that u Don" Kind of shocked I said yes it is. Tower guy said thought I recognized A/C #. When u landed on the #'s and taxied 2 miles to FBO I figured it was you. Turned out he was a Lake Hood controller that had moved to Boise.

DonC wrote:

mtv wrote:I went into San Antonio once, and was cleared to land on the left runway....don't recall the number. Tower asked me to clear the runway at the "first taxiway if able" for traffic, a jet behind me. I was in a Husky, so I landed right on the end, literally, and exited. I told tower I was clear, and requested frequency change. Slight pause and he asked me where I was.....to which I responded "I'm on the first taxiway". Another pause, and he came back on laughing...."No, the first taxiway is 1500 feet down the runway....you're on the end taxiway. Pretty impressive, though. Contact Ground and thanks for the expedite.".

It's what happens when you let an Alaska hillbilly in the big city.

MTV

Had a similar event in Boise, Idaho. After a long trip south from Anchorage I was landing at Boise airport. After landing and switching over to ground tower asked " is that u Don" Kind of shocked I said yes it is. Tower guy said thought I recognized A/C #. When u landed on the #'s and taxied 2 miles to FBO I figured it was you. Turned out he was a Lake Hood controller that had moved to Boise.

Yeah, that taxi at SAT took forever as well....

MTV

Pre 9-11I was dropping off a friend back at KSEA who had flown commercial to Spokane from KSEA.

Called ahead to get a good time window and when I arrived tower instructed to enter downwind midfield and turn base at the numbers and "land long". beyond the terminal.

I am sure people in the terminal were wondering what a little Maule was doing pedaling as fast as it could above the runway to get out of the way of the big boys.

TD

"The worst thing you could have done was do it "in a couple of hundred feet" and flop it over on its back, like a Stearman at OSH a few years back. I saw it happen, and it looked to me as if he just held the brakes too hard too long. Whenever I've flown into a large, busy airport (which hasn't happened very often), I've worried about fouling the airport if I screw up my landing.

Cary"

Cary-

To be honest, that was one of my biggest concerns as well;)

gunny

Back in 2014 our Maule was selected for display at the Smithsonian's Udvar-Hazy Museum out by Dulles International Airport in northern Virginia. The Smithsonian paid our landing fees to get into KIAD and airport security opened the perimeter fence between Dulles International and the museum. They are connected by a taxiway that passes through the perimeter fence, but is normally kept locked. I landed and stopped in about 300' and I'm betting that is the shortest landing ever made at Dulles International! Here's the video to prove it:

Flyhound wrote:Back in 2014 our Maule was selected for display at the Smithsonian's Udvar-Hazy Museum out by Dulles International Airport in northern Virginia. The Smithsonian paid our landing fees to get into KIAD and airport security opened the perimeter fence between Dulles International and the museum. They are connected by a taxiway that passes through the perimeter fence, but is normally kept locked. I landed and stopped in about 300' and I'm betting that is the shortest landing ever made at Dulles International!

LOL Not even close... I've watched those "back country" Harriers land there with zero ground roll. (I know - cheap shot, and most of us can fly for a month on what it costs to hover a Harrier for 5 minutes!)