what is a bush pilot?

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Posted (edited)

I have been trying very hard to hold my tongue but I can't do it any longer.

My feeds are getting blown up with internet sensations with an almost cult like following.  WTF.  

What makes a STOL / Bush pilot ???  It seems that by todays definitions its the guy with the most money that can build the lightest plane and put the most power into it and fly it for the camera to be posted online.  Oh yeah, these guys are also flying empty 99% of the time for the camera.  Is that a true "bush pilot"  Maybe in some twisted alternate reality perhaps, but not in the real world.  

I say we take those exact same folks, strip away the glass cockpits, iphones and most importantly the effen video cameras and put them in a beat up old straight wing cub, load them up to uhh.. gross weight, throw in some shitty weather, tight mountain passes and actual rocky nasty strips on the side of a mountain and see how they do.  How many of these heros have balled up a great airplane strictly for your pleasure and the camera.  

How about we let them deal with -50 temps, trying to get the engine warm enough to start.  Try flying from village to village delivering food and supplies during a north slope ground storm.  Hand them a sketch on a sack and let them go try to find stranded hunters or hikers to try and rescue in the middle of absolutely nowhere.  

Can this new breed of internet "bush pilot" land and take off short with a purpose built, cost is not a factor, empty plane?? Yep.  Guess what, with a few hours in the same planes you can do the exact same thing.  If you want to be a "bush pilot" just go start rubbing shoulders with a great cinematographer and next thing ya know, your the next greatest pilot who ever lived flying the baddest ass bush plane ever built... that has never carried a load of hunters at gross weight into a strip that would make you shit your pants if you saw it.  

News flash, was draco cool?? yep. was it the most baddest ass bush plane ever??? not by the worlds longest shot.  

I know some of ya'll enjoy the notoriety and internet fame but call it what it is.. your just a pilot and a show off, your NOT the worlds greatest bush pilot.. hell your not even a pimple on a bush pilots ass.

I am not directing this at one particular person, more at a group of people that seem to be plastered all over the internet.  Do they have a passion for flying, yes, it appears so.  Might they be cool to hang around the fire with and swap lies?  I am sure they are.. but they are not hard core down and dirty day in and day out keep people alive in very adverse conditions "bush pilots"

Edited by akflyer
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Posted

What exactly you trying to say …. lol

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Posted (edited)

I second that Leni, and im a new pilot, dont fly solo yet but in training with a real seasoned bush pilot that has a hunting guide service for sheep/ moose/caribo up in the mountains. Loaded best u can in a plane with lots of power180hp, no electronics, hand prop, good acme shocks, superduty gear, 35" bushwheels, what an awesome bird, now ive grownup in the cargo area of a supercub most my life with my father when i was a kid, im 48now almost 49.  and done some cool flying, stories so cool u cant make then up, dad been flying in alaska since 1957. but nothing i mean nothing like im learning from the instuctor, no BS straight out safe mountain and river landings. Most awesome time of my life, but im way far away from being one myself.

But Dreams Do Come True one day. 

Edited by Buckchop
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Posted

Damn! Somebody understands and knows the bush pilot's life.

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Posted

Feel free to bring on the hate mail.. I got my Nomex suit on :lmao: 

:BC:

Allen, I grew up getting flown around by some true legends.  The shit I see on youtube these days is getting nauseating.  You want to read about bush pilots get a copy of "wager with the wind" or "king of the ice".  Or any of the old timers that pioneered flying in AK.  Open cockpits flying through white outs and mind numbing temps with nothing more than a compass that hardly worked and very crude maps.  Those who pioneered landing on glaciers and remote unimproved.  Guys who have survived inflight structural failures then walked out 50+ miles only to get in another bird and fly again the next day to keep the services alive and keep customers happy.  Real old time true men with guts that were not in it just for the glory.

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Posted

I won't debate any of that with you Leni, but you're living in a different world up there. A few years ago I moved up to Anchorage and drove through Canada in the middle of December and it was sobering to drive for hours without seeing another car, without cell service and knowing that if I went over the edge I might never be found. One thing I loved about Alaska was that airplanes were seen as a necessary part of life. Definitely not the case down here. General aviation is on life support down here, and if those namby pamby pretty boys get people interested in flying, buying airplanes, and keeping aviation alive then I think we might do well to encourage it. I can see the flip side that inexperienced pilots with no concept of what Bush flying actually is will be pouring in,  and may get themselves killed doing it and that will do damage to the cause,  but if aviation is dying anyway down here I'm willing to entertain  the options that might save it. 

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Posted

I as shaking my head "yes" the entire time I was reading that, Leni!!!

All I know about true bush flying I learned from TV shows, fishing, hunting shows and the few movies. Landing on gravel bars to fish, hunt, etc. Those are the bush pilots.

Not going to get too far on on a limb, but those YouTube stars and their gang aren't bush pilots.

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Posted

I won't debate any of that with you Leni, but you're living in a different world up there. A few years ago I moved up to Anchorage and drove through Canada in the middle of December and it was sobering to drive for hours without seeing another car, without cell service and knowing that if I went over the edge I might never be found. One thing I loved about Alaska was that airplanes were seen as a necessary part of life. Definitely not the case down here. General aviation is on life support down here, and if those namby pamby pretty boys get people interested in flying, buying airplanes, and keeping aviation alive then I think we might do well to encourage it. I can see the flip side that inexperienced pilots with no concept of what Bush flying actually is will be pouring in,  and may get themselves killed doing it and that will do damage to the cause,  but if aviation is dying anyway down here I'm willing to entertain  the options that might save it. 

For the record, I am not calling them namby pamby pretty boys... I just think they are grossly misrepresented.  Are they good for invigorating general aviation?  yes.  They have probably single handedly put more $$ into the pockets of the bushwheels business than any other advertisement campaign in history.  Thanks to youtube, it seems that its impossible for a cub to fly on anything less than 35" bushwheels, even if your only flying from manicured grass strips.  or otherwise improved strips :lol:  

I guess we can thank them for also driving up the prices for our little planes a bit as well as helping old retired guys split with 300k for a carbon cub they will never come close to flying to its full potential :snack:  

I get that its probably good for general aviation overall.  Probably not so good for those who are trying to insure their planes as the insurance company can take one look at youtube and say oh hell no.. if that's the type of flying we are going to insure, rates are going WAY up.  Its a double edge sword...

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Posted

Sorry to say, whatever we think of those youtube stars, isn't going to matter a hill of beans. They have a large following and gaining more everyday. Most of us out there pounding the sandbars, riverbeds and hayfields do it only because we love it, it test our ability and challenges us to do better, nothing else. Fame and Fortune isn't in our wheelhouse. Who doesn't smile when you nail a 200' run on a sandbar or riverbed when no one is around?  Of course, a couple times, I about crapped my pants, too.

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Posted

Yeah I think I've watched maybe 4 TP videos and for sure exactly only 2 Draco videos (1 being the crash).  Every Steve Henry vid but he never has claimed to be a bush pilot so I'll consider him exempt from the debate. ;) 

As a matter of fact I don't remember any of these guys that we are refering to here ever claiming themselves as bush pilots?  Maybe a mislabel by some followers but I'm pretty sure they themselves know the difference and would not argue themselves as being such.

I too love the true bush pilot books (especially the pioneers) and could share some good ones

But honestly this is a little funny to me becuse so you know who the first YouTube hero of mine was??

Some dude on Lotus floats bouncing around on sea ice and in a 6" deep puddle!

Those videos ALONE drove me to seek out and buy my KF2 and mount up 1260's and get into this crazy hobby.

So FWIW some of those YouTube heros aren't all so bad...  even some of the ones that have never loaded a moose on a wing :BC:

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Posted

Maybe if we make the distinction between backcountry  and true Bush pilots we can lower Leni's blood pressure. 

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Posted

Blood pressure is just fine here :lol:

Yes I have posted up some vids as well, but just showing me beating the shit out of an airplane showing what can be done and abuse that can be given.  Pretty sure I never labeled my vids as the baddest ass bush plane ever built nor gave long commentaries on them.  I can see where lines get blurred between posting up vids or pics of us out just having fun, and dudes that gloat about 150k vids with million dollar heli shoots.  If that's what yanks their crank and they need their ego stroked that much to be able to sleep at night so be it.. Now back to our regularly scheduled programming :lmao:

:BC: 

 

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Posted

Well put ^^^.   No room for any big "glam" aviation rockstars in my playlist either!(Unless they are mine I mean...  :lmao:)

Guess I've avoided clicking on that kind out there or I'd be on the bandwagon all wound up too.  ;)

But hey I'll always be glad for the ones like Leni's and that Yellow Highlander doin cool crap like slope gliding off a steep hill...  or maybe a SuperStol "greasing it on" at 700fpm 

Those ones are cool.

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Posted

I shamelessly admit to watching most of those videos. But apparently unlike you guys i don't have a flying airplane(in a year hopefully). So I use them for motivation. Ive always loved airplanes and flying and didn't need those guys to light that fire, but they are fanning the flames. 

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Posted

Fake branding?

I'm not sure if I'm reading this right... is the problem that those YouTube pilots are calling them selves "bush pilots" and that is offending those who are real bush pilots? 

 

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Posted

I shamelessly admit to watching most of those videos. But apparently unlike you guys i don't have a flying airplane(in a year hopefully). So I use them for motivation. Ive always loved airplanes and flying and didn't need those guys to light that fire, but they are fanning the flames. 

Feel no shame... Regardless of what "they", maybe incorrectly, call themselves I think they are doing more to raise interest and awareness for a niche of aviation than anyone else. Our niche with relatively low cost, easy access, slow taildragger aircraft that looks like the planes in our childhood dreams.
I am personally amazed by how many pilots, and wannabee pilots, have contacted me for information and advice on the Avid Flyer after having seen my not very spectacular films - and I only have 430 subscribers so my films don't easily pop up in the suggested film list... 

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Posted

The real STOL pilot most likely flys a helicopter!

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Fred your airplane is something we can relate to because it is in our price range and it is what most of us on this forum fly. Your videos are enjoyable to watch because it is the type of flying most of us do. Also you do not ramble on and do not ask everybody to subscribe to your channel. Keep the realistic videos coming Fred!

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I shamelessly admit to watching most of those videos. But apparently unlike you guys i don't have a flying airplane(in a year hopefully). So I use them for motivation. Ive always loved airplanes and flying and didn't need those guys to light that fire, but they are fanning the flames. 

Feel no shame... Regardless of what "they", maybe incorrectly, call themselves I think they are doing more to raise interest and awareness for a niche of aviation than anyone else. Our niche with relatively low cost, easy access, slow taildragger aircraft that looks like the planes in our childhood dreams.
I am personally amazed by how many pilots, and wannabee pilots, have contacted me for information and advice on the Avid Flyer after having seen my not very spectacular films - and I only have 430 subscribers so my films don't easily pop up in the suggested film list... 

I like your videos, have subscribed and watched several of them multiple times.

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Posted

Fred your airplane is something we can relate to because it is in our price range and it is what most of us on this forum fly. Your videos are enjoyable to watch because it is the type of flying most of us do. Also you do not ramble on and do not ask everybody to subscribe to your channel. Keep the realistic videos coming Fred!

X2. 

Your vids are awesome Fred.  A man and his machine enjoying the air and outdoor activities.  As if should be in my book.  Your not out there beating your chest or making false claims.

Maybe I am bit sensitive with all the bogus "reality" shows that are on TV now about AK.  They portray us to be a bunch of inbred back woods hicks and it pisses me off.  The drama if fake and the shows are obviously scripted.  I see a lot of that in the other groups videos over sensationalizing what they are doing.

Do I think some of the stuff they are doing is cool?  of course I do.  I am a man with a passion for flying, I get it.  I am also entitled to my opinion and to voice that opinion :lol:  Bottom line, anything that is over dramatized sucks.  When false claims are made expect to get called out on them.  When you choose to put yourself in the limelight, be ready to take some shots from others who don't have to agree with every thing you do, I am not a cult follower.

 

I am off the soap box and done with the "rant"  Ya'll get out there and burn some air or work on your birds :lol:

 

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Posted

I think most people know the difference between city bush pilots and the real deal. Texas and almost every other state in the union is full of self proclaimed cowboys with their pickup trucks and cowboy hats and boots. Most people are also aware that these cowboys are not real cowboys too. It's not worth getting your underwear in a bundle over the difference between a concrete cowboy or pilot and the dyed in dirt real deal.

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I think most people know the difference between city bush pilots and the real deal. Texas and almost every other state in the union is full of self proclaimed cowboys with their pickup trucks and cowboy hats and boots. Most people are also aware that these cowboys are not real cowboys too. It's not worth getting your underwear in a bundle over the difference between a concrete cowboy or pilot and the dyed in dirt real deal.

That's why a real cowboy wears tennis shoes these days... they don't want to be confused with a California truck driver.....

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Posted

Hey! I am proud to be a backwoods Hillbilly. Not a bush pilot, but have had my share of cow poop all over the plane. Kinda gives it character! And poop in the plane a few times. Not good for the ego, either.

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In the UK ‘cowboy’ is used as a derogatory term usually applied to a tradesman who does a poor job or rips you off!

I enjoy some of the videos but Cory Robin preaching about his amazing life style gets my goat. 

Ken

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Posted

I agree with the premise that these guys aren't real bush pilots.  I don't share the rest of the viewpoint though.
 - The YouTube vids have been building a positive message for GA.  It's not plane crashes nor drones, so I support them.
 - It's getting younger people into aviation
 - It shows people how to have some aviation fun that isn't just $200 hamburgers
 - It's making good business for the manufacturers and fabricators
 - These guys are still down to earth and approachable, some ego involved to be a YouTuber, but what's the harm?
 - What's wrong with them making some YouTube money and getting sponsor giveaways?
 - Though Draco was clearly over the top and a waste of money in a practical sense, Mike Patey is a really talented builder and exposes some of what's possible in experimental aviation.  I respect the guy, though I can only take so much of his manic personality.
 - Due to your section of the country being so remote, I wouldn't worry about getting crowded out on your favorite strips.
 - Most of us on the forum wouldn't spend $300K for a plane that doesn't do any more than ones we can build/ buy for a third of that, but it still supports the industry which is good.

So take a breath, ignore your feed, live and let live.  There's plenty of sky to share (at least for now).

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