Bush Flying in the PA-18 Super Cub with Tundra Tires

Bush Flying, or off-airport operations, is a non-conventional and dangerous type of flying due to the variability in terrain and weather. In some parts of the world, bush flying is the only means of transporting people and goods into and out of these areas due to geographical inaccessibility. As is typical with this special type of flying, airstrips, if they are even available, are typically undeveloped dirt strips and very short in length. Most are surrounded by inhospitable terrain and obstacles that demand utmost precision in take-off and landing techniques as margin for error is very thin and there is no possibility for a go-around.

Important Disclaimer

The flights depicted here are flight simulation for entertainment purposes only and are not to be construed as flight instruction for actual aircraft. Consult with an FAA Certified Flight Instructor (CFI) for proper flight instruction and your Pilot Operating Handbook (POH) for appropriate flight procedures for your particular aircraft.

The Aircraft

The Piper PA-18 Super Cub

This type of flying demands a high performance aircraft with Short Take-Off and Landing (STOL) capability to operate under these harsh conditions. The PA-18 Super Cub, with its Lycoming O-320, 150 HP piston engine is up to the task. Its combination of high-wing and conventional (taildragger) landing gear with tundra tires configuration allows it to operate on very rough terrain. The techniques shown in this video with this aircraft are referred to as "short-field" take-off and landing and take advantage of the Super Cub's high-lift wing to perform these flight maneuvers.

Settings

Realism

For the best experience of realistic flight this aircraft, and to match the settings that this guide was developed for, it is highly recommened to set the realism to HARD.

Controls

Control calibration settings will vary from hardware-to-hardware and you may have to adjust your settings accordingly to get the most comfortable configuration for your hardware set-up. For a 3-axis flight stick, the following control settings are recommended:

Control	Sensitivity	Null Zone
Aileron	1.43	1.51
Elevator	1.43	1.51
Rudder	0.87	1.51
Throttle	10.0	0.0

In general, if you notice a lot of flight oscillations or feel that you are chasing the needle to settle on a particular flight configuration, then you may need to decrease the sensitivies to stabilize your flight control hardware.

Unfortuantely, water-assisted landings with the tundra tires are not supported in the core flight game. To get water-assisted landings to work, you have to disable collision detection. However, with this work-around, there still appears to be some indication that the water-assist technique is being performed correctly. If done correctly, the tundra tires should skim nicely above the surface of the water as in real life. If you sink the landing gear too deep, the aircraft will instantaneously be displaced several feet above the surface of the water and keep flying. You can use this check to see if you are performing the water-assisted landing technique correctly or not.

Short-Field Take-Off & Landing Procedures

Short Field operation, in its simplest form, is a physically short field in relation to the aircraft and its performance capability to be able to safely operate on that field. For bush flying, the difficulty is compounded by the fact that these short fields are typically undeveloped airstrips surrounded by obstacles such as tall trees or mountains making operating on them all the more dangerous. Not only are high-performance aircraft necessary for short field operations, sharp piloting skills are critical due to the fact that there is typically no option for a go-around in this environment.

The following are some key points for basic flight operations. For a step-by-step procedure, along with real-time demonstration of the steps, see the corresponding videos.

Take-Off:

In bush flying, if you are fortunate enough to have a rather lengthy runway of 1000' or so, take advantage of using as much of it as possible to build up sufficient airspeed for take-off. This becomes especially important if you are at gross weight and / or you are at a density altitude at which you have to take an engine power knock-down due to the thinner air. However, in the bush it is more likely that you will not have the luxury of a long runway. In this case, you can perform a "jump" technique to quickly gain altitude after a very short take-off roll. Be warned that you have to be very vigilant on the controls when performing this technique. During the climb-out you will be on the ragged edge of your aircraft's performance envelope on the verge of stall. The video does not show it but in both of these take-offs (1 and 2 notches of flap), the aircraft was in stall buffet throughout the entire climb-out. You must do everything in your power to prevent a stall.

The jump technique procedure is as follows -

• Brakes on.
  
• Apply full throttle and allow the tachometer to stabilize.
  
• Brakes off.
  
• Push the stick forward to try to lower the nose as fast as possible to gain airspeed.
  
• Keep steering with the tail rudder.
  
• At around 50 knots, pull back on the stick to sharply raise the nose.
  
• Simultaneously drop 1 ot 2 notches of flap.
  
• Watch your airspeed! Do not stall!
  
• When clear of obstructions, clean-up the aircraft to gain airspeed.

2 notches of flap would appear to generate more lift at a lower stall speed but note that due to higher drag, you will most likely lower your angle of climb-out. Use 2 notches only if you have room to do so. Otherwise, it appears 1 notch of flap would be best for a very short-field take-off where you want to preserve as much of your forward airspeed momentum as possible in the climb-out.

Landing:

The key to landing in the bush is accuracy in the landing. The airstrip will most likely be lined with trees so landing short is not an option and you do not want to waste any of the landing strip in a float since you might not have the ability to go around. You must be able to plant your aircraft in your established landing spot. Every. Single. Time. Tantamount to this is establishing and maintaining your approach airspeed. A slow and controlled airspeed will help you in getting down and stopping your aircraft quickly and safely. You may be operating on the ragged edge of your aircraft's performance envelope so you must do everything in your power to prevent a stall.

For taildraggers, the preferred method of landing is a wheel landing where you touch-down with your main wheels first, keeping the tail in the air and let it settle to the ground by itself. The benefit of this landing is that your aircraft is essentially in a level attitude until touch-down so you have a full visual of the landing area at all times. However, the trade-off is that your approach speed for a wheel landing is relatively high so your ground roll will be significant. If you happen to have the luxury of an unobstructed approach path and a long airstrip, by all means perform the standard wheel landing technique.

To assist in establishing a controlled and stabilized slow approach, it is highly recommended to also learn the following landing techniques to add to your piloting toolbox to utilize in particularly tricky landing situations -

3-Point Landing:

Although it is recommended to land this aircraft with a wheel landing technique, for bush flying you should also learn how to perform a 3-point landing. 3-point landings have an advantage of shortening your ground roll so are useful for short-field landings. However, you must control your airspeed very carefully prior to performing this landing technique. Too fast and you run the risk of floating which would negate a short-field attempt. The key is to bleed off as much airspeed as possible just prior to the flare to minimize the tendency for this aircraft to balloon. With a slight nose-high attitude just a few feet off the ground, the aircraft should stall gently onto the airstrip on all 3 wheels simultaneously.

Forward Slip Landing:

Sometimes, you will find your aircraft positioned too high from your landing strip. In this situation, you can utilize the forward-slip technique to lose altitude quickly without gaining significant airspeed. Essentially, a forward-slip is a cross-controlled configuration where you bank the aircraft and then apply opposite rudder to prevent the turn and track straight with the nose of the aircraft at a slight angle to the forward flight path. This landing configuration presents the aircraft's fuselage into the airflow thereby creating large drag which reduces the aircraft's airspeed and rapidly drops the altitude at the same time. For taildraggers, an additional benefit of this technique is that the skewed angle allows for better visibility of the runway which would normally be obscured by the nose of the aircraft. Used appropriately, the forward-slip is another useful tool in your flight toolbox to employ for safe landings.

Water-Assist Landing:

Unfortunately, for this core flight sim it appears water-assisted landing was not implemented. As stated, it can be somewhat simulated by turning collision detection off but this decreases the realism of the overall flight sim. In bush flying, water assisted landings are used on embankments or sand bars that are not long enough to support a normal landing. Due to the bouyancy of the fat tundra tires, this can be used to temporarily float the aircraft as it skims the surface of the water just prior to making landfall. As usual, controlling your airspeed is critical with this landing technique. Too fast and you run the risk of skipping over the water like a stone or too slow and you might nose over into the water. In bush flying, you will typically be overflying your selected landing spot at least once to survey it and make a decision to commit to the landing or not. During this fly-over, you want to try to see if there are any obvious boulders poking out just above the surface of the water that would prove disastrous if you impact them during a water-assisted landing.

If you want to try it, again you will have to disable the collision detection. Maintaining slow speed flight and attitude is critical for this maneuver. You'll want to be finger light on the controls. It'll take a couple of tries to get it right. Again, if you sink too deep, the aircraft will instantly jump several feet into the air but still keep flying so you'll know you've botched the attempt. Without tactile feedback, it makes it a bit difficult to gauge if you've touched the water or not. I found that you have to rely on the altimeter and the sight picture out of the cockpit windshield to position and hold the aircraft correctly. One good clue that is provided - if you listen over the din of the engine you can faintly hear the hiss of the water as your tundra tires skim over it. Hold it off for as long as you can and then check your external view in the replay to see if you were successful or not.

Videos

Short-Field Take-Off & Landing Procedures:

Short Take-Off with 1 & 2 Notches of Flaps:

3-Point Landing Procedure:

Forward-Slip Landing Procedure:

Water-Assisted Landing Procedure: