“What goes up, must come down”. Law of gravity is pretty clear on that point…sooner or later, it must return to the earth. From the lightest air balloon losing it’s lifting force to an Airbus A380’s 562 tons plus fuel touching down for another landing, they have to land sometime. And that isn’t easy, I promise you. Testifying from experience, landing the plane is easily more nerve-wracking than getting up into the sky in the first place. Maybe it is due to the way I was taught how to fly, but it was hammered into my head that if you aren’t perfect, you are dead. Landing a Cessna gave me genuine fear each and every time, and that was on a runway that was 7,600 plus feet long. I had all the room in the world to touch down safely. Watching these Alaskan bush pilots put on a short take-off and landing show in Valdez, Alaska reaffirms that I was nowhere near being anything other than a learning pilot at best. Where I needed an entire runway and plenty of time, these pilots have mastered the art of the short game. Watch and learn…gravity might be the ultimate law of the land, but there is always that gray area and that’s where these pilots operate, using light aircraft, tundra tires that can take a bounce or two, and skill that only comes with years of experience.
My first ride in a Cessna with my brother flying proved it’s possible to land a plane by flying at a runway, not onto it, and not get killed or even scratch anything up although I had my doubts at the time. The second try, still in the same general attempt, went better.
That little Cub with huge wings and 180 horsepower pointed downward is a fun trick to watch. Barf ride.
Wow – that looks like he could have landed on and taken back off from a semi-truck trailer.