2017/08/20 13:47:04
bitflipper
The shortest (non-crash) landing ever...looks to be about 6 feet. Sure, he cheated a little by taking advantage of a strong headwind, but significant skill was also involved.
 

2017/08/20 14:24:36
JohanSebatianGremlin
I used to fly a Supercub that was configured somewhat similar to that one. Bigger than stock engine, bigger than stock prop, oversize tires (though not tundra balloons like in the video) to allow extra ground clearance for the oversize prop, and wing extensions with droop tips. 

It wouldn't get on and off as short as the one in the video, but it could do pretty darn close. With full flaps on takeoff, it could go from standing still to clearing 60ft trees in way under 500ft.
2017/08/20 14:32:08
craigb
I never finished my license, but I still remember landing in a strong cross-wind in a Cessna 140 (tiny!) where I had to crab into the runway before it jerked itself back straight.  THAT was nerve wracking!  The landing in the video was like the perfectly timed stall. 
 
A good landing is one you can walk away from.  A great landing is one where you can reuse the plane!  
2017/08/21 00:02:01
Guitarhacker
yep.... many years ago I got my private pilot's license. I was actually making good money playing music in a band and had the time to take the 40 hrs minimum required.

Yeah, that's a pretty strong head wind but that plane is a STOL plane.  Short Take Off & Landing.  Designed to go low and slow and get the bush pilots into and out of some small landing zones.
 
All pilots get a few hrs of short takeoff and landing practice.  Full flaps, wind it up, hold the brakes then let it go... back pressure on the yoke and point it skyward... level off in ground effect and reduce flaps and pick up speed. The opposite for landing. We used the end of the runway. You had to be airborn  before the intersection of the other runway or stopped... depending on which way you were going or coming.

It was a ton of fun but very expensive. Cessna 150/152 was $30 to $35 wet depending on the airport... add flight instructor's $15 above that.... 172 was $45 wet.  This was 30 years ago. I can't imagine what it costs today.
2017/08/21 00:47:49
soens
13'8" to be exact. This is from an annual STOL (short takeoff and landing) comp in Valdez, AK where bush pilots show off their skills. Using a headwind may be cheating but it's a daily battle fighting the weather here.
 
Valdez Fly-In
 
RESULTS
 
True story, way back when they flew Jennies (early 1900s), a pilot flying into an airport late one night (no a/c lights then) caught a huge headwind going as fast as he was going. He hung in the air over a river until he ran out of gas. Guess where he landed?!
 
A good read is Wager with the Wind - The Don Sheldon Story.
2017/08/21 10:31:05
davidpicker
Hi, my brother is a pilot.
2017/08/21 13:35:00
Randy P
I had my PPL back in the 80's. and mainly flew a Cessna 172. As Herb said, it's not a cheap endeavor. I would rent a plane when I had a few extra couple of hundred and go up for an hour or 2. On my last flight, I had rented a 172 at Scottsdale airport and had gone up with a buddy for a 90 minute flight. Upon landing, I was in the private terminal finalizing my logbook, when my original instructor came in. After a little chit chat, he asked for a look at my logbook and said "Dude, you're flying just enough to kill yourself!" I noticed the blood drain from my buddies face, and my instructor said I needed to fly a lot more than I was, or quit. I quit.
 
A couple of years ago, I inquired about getting re-certified, and then talked with my life insurance agent about it. He said I would get dropped from my current provider, and it would be very expensive to replace. That was that.
2017/08/21 19:19:37
JohanSebatianGremlin
Randy P
A couple of years ago, I inquired about getting re-certified, and then talked with my life insurance agent about it. He said I would get dropped from my current provider, and it would be very expensive to replace. That was that.

That's kind of eff'd up. I'd be curious how that provide felt about owning a motorcycle or keeping a gun in the house. Or smoking or eating fast food for that matter.


2017/08/21 19:38:33
rivers88
I have that beat - 
But full disclosure, I was a helicopter instructor pilot for Uncle Same (now retired ), and it was generally frowned upon if landing required much, if any, forward motion on touchdown, unless it was an emergency landing... 
 
The pilot in the subject video did an excellent job!!!
2017/08/21 20:02:06
Randy P
JohanSebatianGremlin
Randy P
A couple of years ago, I inquired about getting re-certified, and then talked with my life insurance agent about it. He said I would get dropped from my current provider, and it would be very expensive to replace. That was that.

That's kind of eff'd up. I'd be curious how that provide felt about owning a motorcycle or keeping a gun in the house. Or smoking or eating fast food for that matter.






Flying isn't a working mans hobby. To get a PPL card these days is about $8000, which includes instruction, books, and testing. Rental rates for a Cessna 172 (wet) is around $180 per hour. It's recommended that you fly at least 4-6 hours per month minimum. After refueling, it's pretty easy to spend over $1000 month and not really go anywhere other than flying around your area of residence. For that kind of money, I can come up with a lot of fun things to do other than flying.
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