What do you guys think is the best bush plane out there? (and why) Off the top of my head I can think of a few that I know are good bush planes: Maule, Aviat Husky, Cessna 185, Piper SuperCub, Zenith 801, DeHavilland Beaver / Otter. (I'm sure there is a number I'm missing that I can't think of right now). What are you guys' thoughts on this one?

Any comments on the Helio?

I've flown, C185's, Beavers and Helio Stallions and owned Helio Couriers, C-180's, PA-18's and PA-22 Producers.
Planes are like rifles in that there is no perfect one for every purpose.
If really short field performance with heavy loads are necessary it is awfully hard to beat a PA-18 supercub.
the Wilga is another capable performer although I have no experience with it.
the Helios are great planes but take a hunderd hours or so to really get used to flying them the way they need to be flown. They will give a Supercub a run for it's money, and carry a heavy load, but I was never good enough with them to feel I could beat a good Cub driver.

I've flown 180's, 185's, PA-18's, Huskies, C-206's, 207's, C-305's, CA-212's to name a few.

I guess I'd have to say it all depends on what you are doing with it as to which is the best.

If you are crawling in and out of tight little holes in some deep dark river bottom with only a few hundred feet to work with then the Cubs and husky type light aircraft is pretty darn hard to beat. The Maule when done up right is a pretty good bird too.

If you are hauling major tonnage and need range and speed combined with short rough field/off field capability a Casa 212 is an under rated work horse. As far as twin engine bush planes the Twin Otter is the uncrowned king of the short and nasty.

I used to fly a CA-212 out of Deadhorse on a contract flying supplies out to several ice camps that were located between 150 and 180 NM north of Deadhorse.

ERA was flying twin Otters on the same contract. they could get in and out shorter. But we could carry twice as much and haul large bulky cargo because of our rear door.

CA-212 ready for loading in Deadhorse March 1993.

the Shorts Skyvan is another short field hauler.
I helped load a slightly bent C-180, with the wings removed and placed alongside, into the rear of a Skyvan and then held firmly onto the co-pilot seat while we took off with no wind from a measured 780 foot gravel strip !

There was a really neat bird built several years ago called a Sherpa. It looked like a gymoungus PA-12.

I wonder what ever happen to that thing. It looked like the cats ass for an outfitter/hunters mobile sky RV.

I wonder how the Gippsland Airvan is going to fare as a bush plane.

my vote is for a clipwing piper pacer, 150hp.... glides like a set of car keys, but is tall enough to get thru the ranch driveway's cattelguards....

The gliding like a set of car keys can be solved as the Producer is basically the Pacer with longer Pa-14 wings and Pa-18 tail fethers. I fly mine a couple hundred hours a year - all bush flying - but, as I said at the beginning of this thread, there ain't no single best bush plane for all purposes. But they are all fun to fly.

Hey Phil,

When you mod a PA-22 with the longer wings and the PA-18 tail is it STC'd or do you get a 337 or is it an experimental certificate?

Also what engine are you running. I'd think an O-360 180 HP would be the deal on that one.

The "Producer" is an officially produced aircraft with all mods STC'd. Steve Bryant in Anchorage owns all the STC's.
It is a Pacer with a two foot extension on the fusalage, Pa-18 tail and Pa-14 wings.
Mine has a 160 Lyc with Borer 82-41 prop. It won't beat my non-electric, stripped down 160 hp Pa-18 for short field stuff but will comfortably haul four adults in and out of 600 foot strips.

My vote is for a no electric
pa-18. I've had the same one for 22 years and I think I'm starting to get the hang of it.
If you have a lot of gear to haul over a long distance then it's really helpfull to have a beaver or 185 meet you out somewhere close to where your going.
I guess what I'm saying is that the best bush plane is a good team of them.

Surestrike, The SHerpa is still out there. I see it every year at Oshkosh. They have several different models now.

There are several other little planes that haven't mentioned and used in the north country. These included, Champs, Taylorcraft, and Luscombes. They might not haul alot but for a lone guy they are very useable.

I have a 7AC with an 0-235 and it is quite a preformer. Not a Super Cub but it serves my purpose. One day I will have the ultimate....A Super Cub.

Keith

Phil / 458Win
Good to hear that you fly a Producer. They are often called Bushmasters here in Canada. Mine also has an O-320/160hp, 82-41 Borer, and I've got wheels, skiis, and floats for it. It is hard to beat a PA-18 - I used to have one - but I like the versitility of the Bushmaster/Producer.
BTW, I like your writings about heavy calibers and big bears.

Vasa

Vasa, The Producer and the Bushmasters are a bit different as the Producer has PA-14 (or Pa-12 with flaps) wings while I think the bushmaster has extended Pa-22 wings. Also the gear Steve Bryant builds for the Producer is unique to the producer and hell for stout. both are great all around bush planes.
Glad you enjoy my scribblings.

Well I use to fly PA-32-300's out in Bethel for a few years, my employer liked them, because they could carry a good load, they were cheap to buy at the time and run and he made a pile of money with them. As I recall at the time he could but three sixes for the price of one 185. I also make a decent living flying them when I did there too. And that is the bottom line.

quote:

Originally posted by George Semel:
Well I use to fly PA-32-300's out in Bethel for a few years, my employer liked them, because they could carry a good load,

Don't know the weight but we used to fill one of these with big sacks of buffel grass seed .(might have been about 8 bags.) A "volunteer" squeezed in near the baggage door which had a shute on the outside, and a small hopper inside.

He had to stuff the fluffy seed in the hopper and open the shute when a green light was on.

Sometimes I'd pull a high G turn and look back to see the loader trying to move a suddenly very heavy bag around.

Quite often we would commandeer a narrow high camber country dirt road as the strip.

I even took a turn in the back once when we had more drivers than volunteers. (Most got airsick).

Only thing I didn't like was managing the fuel system at low level. Wished it had an "all on" position like a Cessna.