Backcountry Pilot

A return to Alaska births the realization that repeated experiences with the same old friends and their same old airplanes is a tradition worth repeating, again.

As one of the undisputed legends of bush flying, the Cessna 180 hauls a load and gets into/out of places most aircraft won't. So why is it certified only in the Normal category and not Utility? Those two terms mean something very specific—and neither one is about what the airplane can actually do.