Off Airport Clinic 2021
Last July we put on our first Off Airport Clinic after being asked for years to provide some training in Bush flying. If you're curious how it went, Geoff Oliver put together a great video highlighting the week and can be found below. The pilots that came last year made the Clinic so enjoyable for Renae and I we have decided to offer two more Clinics July 2021. My dad, who taught me to fly in a M7-235 B, will have a Maule of his own again and will be able to help with mentoring! This is really great news, as Curt brings over 40 years of experience to the table. The first Clinic of 2021 will focus on intermediate level backcountry skills. The second will be an advanced course.
The intermediate course will run from July 5-8, 2021. We will base out of Wilderness rim airport (02AK). From there we can access almost limitless ridgetops, gravel bars, glaciers and tundra, to practice safely operating out in the environment that my dad and I have spent most of our lives learning about. We will start on longer and smoother strips
gradually working into the shorter strips.
The advanced Clinic is July 9-11, 2021. This course is not for most pilots . It is designed for those of you who are not just coordinated and skilled but also working hard every time you fly to improve your game. You know what your plane is telling you without relying on your airspeed indicator. You can feel when your plane is close to stalling regardless of your orientation to the horizon or your airspeed. This group will also base out of 02AK but will build upon the skills learned in the intermediate clinic and focus on lots of short, steep, hard to see strips.
Individuals wanting to attend these clinics will have to provide their own bush plane with bush tires and be a licensed pilot. Pilots will pay for their own fuel, oil and maintenance. This is specifically designed to focus on Maule flying. Below are the minimum required skills.
Intermediate
1)Be able to touchdown in a 20x 20 foot box with minimal bounce
2)Be able to touchdown and get stopped within 500 feet with no wind on a standard day.
3) Be able to take off within 500 feet on a standard day with no wind.
Advanced
1)Be able to touchdown smoothly in a 10X10 box
2)Be able to touchdown and get stopped in 250' light winds/standard day
3)Be able to takeoff in 250' light winds/standard day
Each Clinic is $3,000 to attend. Food is provided. My parents have also offered their hangar as a place for pilots to sleep when we are not camping out. Last year we camped out in the mountains one of the nights and had a blast. Bring your own camping gear if you would like to camp out.