Hey guys, I’m at the Argentinian Soaring Championship right now, on a huge grass field in the northeast, the hot and humid pampa.
Huge cattle ranches and soybean, corn and wheat fields everywhere you look. Lots of Ag-plane operations, too.
And most of the tow pilots here usually fly Pawnees etc to spray the fields.
I talked to these pilots and they tell me their flying stories and many of these would make interesting bcp posts.

We are building my 170B right now and I can’t wait to go on a big adventure next year.
So I started chewing on what does ‘backcountry’ mean.
Will I be doing a backcountry trip when I fly from one grass strip to the next and camp under the wing, is my bird going to be a backcountry machine, am I a backcountry pilot?

What does backcountry mean to you ?

1) Ability to land on grass/gravel and smallish rock

2) Ability to land and takeoff comfortably on a 1000’ strip

3) Ability to safely fly slow, to me that is 60mph tops

4) Ability to make a 180° turn in a tight canyon, to me this is imperative, and to me the maximum turn width/diameter is 600’

I am sure many will have different criteria.

IMO it’s about the destination, not the airplane. The unimproved remote spots often require more capable landing gear so people set their aircraft up to meet whatever the challenge is. More often than not it’s 31” bushwheels landing on golf course grass.

Backcountry to me is getting out there away from crowds or finding spots other don’t know about. It’s getting harder to pull that off so you have to go farther.

I guess a real backcountry airplane has stuff in it to support surviving away from civilization, or contacting civilization in the worst case scenario.

great question...

I've always felt that "backcountry" is not to be thought of as a merit badge, nor a bit of kit that one purchases. In other words, backcountry is not earned nor bought, which can be exclusive barriers to entry.

To me, "backcountry" is a state of mind. I like this approach because from a fundamental level, this philosophy is more inclusive than exclusive.

I've been involved with wilderness medicine for almost two decades. Those of you who took an early WFR course will remember... We used to define "wilderness" as being 2 or more hours away from definitive care. These days, we've realized (and changed curriculums to reflect) that the "wilderness" can be an urban college campus after a mass shooting, or a post hurricane strip of beach front property. The wilderness context is now anytime resources are overwhelmed.

I feel the same about the "backcountry" and backcountry flying.

You dont have to have 35' tyres floating a killer PA18 over the Wrangles to fly the backcountry... Might just be out in your back field.

The bigger question is: Is it "Backcountry" or "Back Country" LOL

A very good definition, I think.

I think in some ways it’s easier to define what’s NOT backcountry.

So, If the landing surface is asphalt, with markings, it’s probably not what I would call “backcountry”.

I tell people that “backcountry airstrips” often provide a lot less “information” to the pilot. That typically means no tower control to tell you what the wind/weather is, no markings or lights to give you length information, no centerline markings, no guarantee there’s not a badger hole smack in the touchdown zone, maybe non standard approaches/departures, etc, etc.

In other words, the pilot has to figure things out for him/herself.

And, that ranges from long, very nicely groomed turf runways to steep, short uphill ridge tops.

MTV

Also a good way to look at it. Irregular.

Personally more a fan of slack country. It involves thicker mats, pillows , cold beer, wine and good food.

When I hear or say the word, I'm not primarily thinking in terms of flying, though often my airplane is how I access the backcountry.

If I can drive there, it's not backcountry. I don't have a set definition, but if I picture the locations that I refer to as the backcountry, I'm usually at least ~25 miles (often much further) from the nearest road in lonely, beautiful places. Whether I get there by airplane, by foot, or by boat, that's the backcountry.

The "back country" for me is a place or location that's inaccessible to the masses, regardless of the undercarriage fitted to the airframe. I run a seasonal combination of floats and/or wheel-skis that get me to my definition of back country. If you can access "your" back country with your airplane "as configured"; go forth, enjoy, post pictures they are worth a thousand words.

Some people search and unfortunately never find it. But, you will definitely known it when you arrive… a sense of peace and harmony…a presence more than a physical definition. You have to be there to define. Never stop searching however! Opinion — Not de facto in other’s definition.

Wolf, what kind of aircraft are those swept tail taildraggers?

I’ll take this opportunity to say I’ve had more fun at farm strips and the sidecountry spots than I ever had in the “real” backcountry. The stress is lower as long as there aren’t too many people.

For me, it's not about a word, it's about a vibe. As Zane points out, I've had a blast flying into the Swingle farm in Ohio. His strips are absolutely irregular and short and scarcely improved, but they aren't backcountry by most any sense of the word. The vibe, though, is awesome.

I've flown into more traditional backcountry strips in Utah, Idaho and Montana. All of which were a blast.

I'm editing a video right now about flying into the Ranger Texas Antique Fly-In. Couldn't be less backcountry. Hell, it was a very short walk to a college that had a cafeteria with a very affordable and tasty breakfast for crying out loud. But the vibe and the planes and the history (walking on the same brick floor in the hangar as Amelia Earhart!) made it amazing.

Even vibe comes in different flavors. I'm editing another video right now from Utah where I was alone at Nokai Dome for five nights and made an amazing ribeye. It was every bit as amazing as places like Moose Creek or Ranger, despite it being amazing in part because of the solitude instead of the camaraderie.

Zzz wrote:.... I’ve had more fun at farm strips and the sidecountry spots than I ever had in the “real” backcountry. ......

I call this back forty flying, vs back country flying.
And I agree, these kind of places can be a lot of fun.

“I bet no one has landed here today” comes to mind when I think I’m backcountry.
Whatever makes you feel “alive” for the moment.

I used to have a firm grasp of the definition.



But that's a different hobby I have

Zane:

Aero Boero 115 (there is also a 95)

For myself it's more about solitude and inaccessibility to others than a defined distance. Flying floats it's kind of all off airport so it's not really about equipment of difficulty of the landing/takeoff either. You don't have to go that far in a plane to have a spot to yourself here owing to the ruggedness of the terrain, but if I climbed down a couple thousand feet from one of the lakes we go to I'd be in a large and busy summer recreation lake. That said with a little more flying time you can get yourself to some very remote spots that feel a lot more backcountry.

Zzz wrote:Wolf, what kind of aircraft are those swept tail taildraggers?

Zane,
Argentina built Aero Boero, as BRD pointed out.
However, the ones used here are the 180hp (O360) variant (1300-1400lbs empty weight).
Can't tow a 1900lbs glider with less horses to 2000ft in reasonable time.

sierrasplitter wrote:I used to have a firm grasp of the definition.



But that's a different hobby I have

Please tell me that’s you, Ray.