General Aviation News

Landing on a road

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Have you ever landed on a road? On purpose? I haven’t.

But I’ve seen videos of aircraft, mostly in Alaska, taking off or landing on roads in rural Alaska. You probably have as well.

While there are many roads that would make fine runways, especially in an emergency, I have a hard time picturing myself using them as part of “normal” operations. But that’s me, and my personal minimums.

To get a better understanding of what it is like to land on a road, I reached out to pilot and YouTuber Dmitry Kudryn. We’ve featured a number of his Crave Life videos on GeneralAviationNews.com.

Following is a lightly edited Q&A with Dmitry, who flies a Cessna 172 and a Bellanca Citabria on his many adventures.

Q: Is landing on a road in Alaska legal? Or is it better said as not illegal?

A: This is a great question and very important when considering a landing on a road.

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Optimism — so much cooler than pessimism

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On opening day of last month’s Paris Air Show, Daher, Airbus, and Safran announced “a collaborative partnership for the design and development of the wing-mounted EcoPulse distributed hybrid propulsion demonstrator.”

The trio of aerospace goliaths have stated the maiden flight is scheduled for 2022.

Just look at the photo (below). It is a TBM with six additional propellers. It looks a bit like NASA’s X-57.

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Current? Yes. Proficient? Getting there

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According to the FAA, my flight instructor, and FAR Part 61.56, I completed my Flight Review early last month. That means I can “act as pilot in command of an aircraft” for the next 24 months.

Ryan, my instructor, and I flew an Aviat Husky for the flight portion of the Flight Review. What a kick that was. The Cub I usually fly is wonderful, but has only 75 hp up front. The Husky has 180.

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