Yesterday coming back from SLC to Elko, I spotted something off in the distance I couldn't make it out so decided to turn and have a look. Needless to say, the airplane community gained 12 new friends as they were really glad to have a plane land to help



I'd taken the back seat out so could only take one person out to Wendover where he was able to to get a mud cat to provide a tow.



All turned out well. They were about 6 miles north of I-80 so were a ways out there...

Looks like fun.

Good job !!
How did you decide if the mud. would hold you up ??
Dan

It's holding up the front of an E350 its a pretty safe bet it will support a bearhawk on bushwheels.

That was very generous of you. I'm glad there's people like that still around

That's some super hero stuff right there, Mike! Nice work!

Cool stuff! That mud cat looks like a snow cat... Same company?

Whew doggies, those are some lucky folks! I can't imagine what possessed them to drive out to the middle of nowhere in a big ol' van like that with standard sized tires. I imagine there was no cell phone coverage out there either. If not for you, some other explorer would have found a bunch of skeletons and a rusted heap in another century. Actually, they might have found mummies instead of skeletons. I doubt that vultures fly out to the middle of nowhere, so there wouldn't have been anything to clean the corpses.

Good job Mike! Way to keep an eye out!

sure makes ya feel good to be able to help someone. That's where real pleasure in life comes from. Which is why mission pilots really love what they do, getting Dr's and nurses and supplies into remote places and taking injured and ill people out to hospital care.

Does seem kind of crazy to get out there in such a van. I've driven vans just like that and I found they get stuck quite easy. I like my 4x4 trucks for that job, wouldn't be out there without one, or on a horse, or drop in from above. But then, only 6 miles to a hiway? If i did get stuck there I'd be out to the road in no more than 2 hours. Or with a cell ph handy head for the top of the closest hill to hit a tower.
But then; lot of people don't have much common sense nowdays.

I was driving a retired Dr around a few years ago, it was late June and we were crossing the mountains in Utah on backroads, got into some snow drifts and got suck in one, (4x4 explorer) while digging out just for fun I called a national tow service dispatcher. (it was remote but on top a mountain so cell service was reliable) The lady I talked to had a hard time believing I was stuck in a snow drift. Of course getting a tow that far out was unrealistic, we had it dug out in a short time.

I'm sure they would have made it out just fine without me. My participation only sped up the process. They had cell phones and a signal. However, how do you give your location without a GPS for coordinates? They had contacted AAA who said they could get a tow truck to them.

Who knows, but I can envision a driver coming from SLC and getting to the end of the pavement and stopping for fear of getting stuck himself. Anyway, the local tow company in Wendover had the right rig for the job, got to the van quickly, and got them back on the road with only about 2 hours total down time. So a pretty good outcome all things considered.

Nice folks just out for a drive and experiencing the salt flats for the first time. I only wish someone had come along to get me out the last time I did something similar. I was only about 10 miles from my home but it took 9 hours and quite a bit of vehicle damage before we got it out. Walked 4 miles to the highway, got a ride to town. Took the 2nd truck out to get the 1st one out and got it stuck, too. Walked 4 miles to the highway, got a ride to town...

I've been stuck out like that before on a not-so-dry lake bed. It's not hard. You drive on the edge - think it's dry then venture further out -and hit moisture that gums your tires. Fortuntately for me - I had 600 feet of climbing rope and I walked out to convince a local to get close enough to give me a partial tow. Even 4wd toyotas are not immune to that crap. Big lesson for me.

Nice job! I flew through Elko and on to Provo three days ago in a Skycrane but we did not stop and save anyone.

That's good karma right there. I like your style!

Reminds me of the time Bumper found the nearly dead guy laying in the middle of the Black Rock desert.

Waterboy wrote:Nice job! I flew through Elko and on to Provo three days ago in a Skycrane but we did not stop and save anyone.

What a waste of capability!

I can vouch for the area being served by cell signals, last time I landed out there, it was by some old office desks complete with chairs that had been set up as part of a shooting range. I had a few crane business calls to return so once landed the area immediately became my latest mobile office. It was pretty strange landing out there and then walking up and sitting down at a desk

I have heard the "dry" lake horror stories, first hand recounts..... and I always keep them in mind when messing around out there or anywhere similar, good job Blackrock!