SuperCub crashed, repaired and flew back home in Alaska

Рет қаралды 70,409

Күн бұрын

On the 4th of August 1996 I was flying about 100 miles west of Anchorage Alaska to go on a fishing trip. I decided to take a break and land on top of a hill at about 3000 feet and things didn't go as planned. My prop and wing and landing gear were all broke and I had to get Airplane Mechanic Charley Center from www.crosswindsstol.com/contact... to fly out with me a few days later and repair it. We did get a FAA Ferry Permit to fly it back, which I understand they don't allow anymore. None of this wouldn't have been possible without Charley and I will forever be thankful to him and to Steve Williams with Ptarmigan Air, now Acme Cub Training acmecubtraining.com/our-planes/ Steve along with Billy flew out at a moments notice with one phone call and rescued us off the top of this mountain. I'm also thankful for Marlin Dubetz who flew me and did the video recording and Ken Revard who flew Charley and gave me all the guidance on where to take off.

Пікірлер: 68

@ibgeorgeb Ай бұрын

Excellent! These men were aware of all the risks involved in getting that Cub off the ground and demonstrated their skills and experience by flying that plane home. I’m impressed. 👌🏾

@shanehumphrey4827 Ай бұрын

My dad pulled a sunk twin beach on floats back in 1972 out of a lake north of ignace ontario and they drained it and flew it out.

@brettmckay9202 19 күн бұрын

That’s awsome I live in Sioux lookout

@edwinfell7177 Ай бұрын

I enjoyed this tape. Reminds me of times with much less government interest in our private affairs. Glad I got to enjoy those days.

@enigmaticnomadics Ай бұрын

That's how it's done for real men right there. Glad you had backup come out. We always do better as a team!

@Poundingsand Ай бұрын

That seems to have been one heck of an adventure and a very impressive field repair. Very cool to have it documented on tape. Thanks for sharing.

@waynef.8158 Ай бұрын

Look up the Saran Wrap n duct tape repair. A grizzly tore apart a Cub and the guy fixed it and flew it out.

@TerrydeAlaska Ай бұрын

Glad you enjoyed it!

@gagesadventures8213 Ай бұрын

What a cool video! Wish I got to grow up in these times. Guess I'm just here to help keep the older traditions alive!

@TerrydeAlaska Ай бұрын

You can still do many of the same things now, just get out there and do it!

@justinsalaskanadventures Ай бұрын

Thanks for detailing what happened! Awesome video, glad you didn’t get hurt

@TerrydeAlaska Ай бұрын

Thanks for watching!

@DCSCustomFab Ай бұрын

Incredible field repair, very cool👍

@TerrydeAlaska Ай бұрын

It was all Charlie Center ! Check him out in the description

@skyepilotte11 Ай бұрын

Awesome field repair...

@yesode4201 Ай бұрын

Low altitude, spin recovery you did a good job!

@TerrydeAlaska Ай бұрын

I think you’re right @yesode4201! I may have misspoke in the original audio description and I can’t go back and edit it without taking the video down. I was at full power with full flaps and sinking with rising terrain. I was at a high angle of attack when the airplane yawed to the left. I tried to correct with right rudder with no response. Then the airplane hit the ground hard and bounced on the right wheel. It then yawed to the right and hit the ground going sideways and the left wheel and landing gear folded under the plane and the left wing hit and the prop hit and I stopped. I've thought about that day a lot and I do think you’re right! I was about to do a stall spin when all that happened and I’m lucky to be here to tell you about it.! Thanks for the comment!

@mattipollari8905 Ай бұрын

Brings back many memories! This was a time when men used critical thinking, innovation, and common sense risk analysis.

@alanswanson1952 Ай бұрын

To be devils advocate if you were using critical thinking skills probably wouldn't of landed there

@adambergendorff2702 Ай бұрын

Love the get it done type of people! Except for the cold I would enjoy living there.

@BCVS777 Ай бұрын

It only took 4 hrs to get it flying!? Amazing!

@Pilotc180 Ай бұрын

Good ol Alaska fix; Ive seen much more damage fly home up there; this was back when the FAA worked with you and didnt fuck up everything they touched

@TerrydeAlaska Ай бұрын

I think everybody agrees wholeheartedly

@chipfinch7110 Ай бұрын

Hundred mile an hour tape is an essential ingredient in a survival kit

@wallywally8282 Ай бұрын

Absolutely crazy todo that! My life is worth far more than that high risk stunt!

@miraclo3 25 күн бұрын

You said August 4th 1986 but the description says August 4th 1996. What is the correct day that's happened?

@daveblankenbaker5882 Ай бұрын

How'd you repair that main spar?

@TerrydeAlaska Ай бұрын

I didn't do it, Charley did. When he opened the fabric on the top of the wing, I saw the spar was bend but not separated in half. He used a portable power system to bend the spar straight, then put a metal plate on both sides of the spar for about two feet and many nuts and bolts to clamp and tighten and form a splint on the spar and support it. Wish I had pictures of that....I was too busy working on things I could do...Good question!

@frizzlefry5904 Ай бұрын

@@TerrydeAlaska Nice one.

@TheGeonam Ай бұрын

I noticed the prop was bent pretty good and that could have caused damage to the crankshaft and connecting rods. I guess they must have put a new prop on and fired the engine up and if it had no knocks and good oil pressure then he went to fly it out. I bet when he got back to his home base the FAA would have required the engine rebuilt. Pretty neat adventure and getting you plane back though.

@nattybumpo7156 Ай бұрын

FAA in Alaska? They can't find the place.

@libertyforamericanow Ай бұрын

Didnt see anything. How was the wing unbent

@TerrydeAlaska Ай бұрын

This wasn’t really a how to more of a what happened you have to be an airplane mechanic to know how to do it…

@libertyforamericanow Ай бұрын

@TerrydeAlaska im a mechanic so i cant see straightening a wing. Did you bolt on another wing?

@TerrydeAlaska Ай бұрын

@@libertyforamericanow the wing spar was bent and not separated, so Charlie used like a little clamp port a thank you power unit to bend it down straight and get it straight as possible, and I didn’t get to really help him with that. I just saw what he did a little bit from a distance, but I’m sure if you have more detail questions you could call Charlie Center and he could help you with that.

@seamuscashin2606 Ай бұрын

i would hate to pull negative g on that repair just mad. but the guys are the best you would be locked up today for that repair

@matthewobregon4803 Ай бұрын

Making it happen.

@richardharrold9736 Ай бұрын

"Pulled full flap" then "one notch of flap" - so which is it? One notch is 10°.

@TerrydeAlaska Ай бұрын

So my Supercuts had three notches and it’s probably 10 to 15° for one notch and I made the mistake of pulling full flaps and then decided I wanted to drop it down to one notch of flaps from full flaps and that was a mistake. I think that caused it to sink and get behind the power curve. Hope that helps.

@user-qc1sl5yd5t Ай бұрын

👍👍👍👍👍👍 .....

@billybud9557 23 күн бұрын

very interesting.........thanks. Coulda went very differently

@TerrydeAlaska 23 күн бұрын

Thanks, and you’re right, I’ve thought many times how I was right on the verge of a Moose Stall and could’ve spun right right into the ground!

@oakvick Ай бұрын

Gangster 👍🏻

@Timothyshannon-fz4jx Ай бұрын

Need more then just a service, will not fix that with superglue!!

@p51amustang Ай бұрын

Any praying go on there?

@TerrydeAlaska Ай бұрын

Actually I had full confidence in Charley Center's work as he had the wing supported inside with long metal plates and bolts on both spars and cables and come-alongs and we shook the wing up and down and it didn't budge. Charley had done this many times before and I trusted him and felt good. It did fly with a bit of right side yaw...good memory.

@tomcoryell Ай бұрын

Glad it worked out!

@Attercop47 Ай бұрын

Duck Tape , Quack Quack

@BillFikes Ай бұрын

I'm fairly sure Charly cut his first teeth on some airplane part.

@TerrydeAlaska Ай бұрын

I believe he’s got some 55 years experience working on super cubs

@tomhorner1612 Ай бұрын

How legal is this, I doubt the FAA would approve. I notice no N number or C number on the aircraft.

@majorjaygamer9892 Ай бұрын

It doesn't matter if it's legal you do what you have to do man and it's experimental 😅

@yellowcubdriver9545 Ай бұрын

It was back when there was no social media. Those were the good times. I bet these guys aren’t around anymore. I know my dad had lots of stories about fixing up wrecks to get out. Even hammering the prop back straight to get out. Those guys had bigger balls than most today.

@jackd4246 Ай бұрын

Well, it’s a bush plane in Alaska. Things work a bit different where these planes are a well used tool, not a GA plaything.

@TerrydeAlaska Ай бұрын

@tomhorner1612 I think it's still legal. You could confirm with the FAA . We did get a ferry permit back in 1996 when we did this and if you really want to know contact the guy who did it and knows all there is to know about SuperCub Airplanes, Charley Center from www.crosswindsstol.com/contact... They allows small N numbers back then and even though you can't really see them, they are there. Hope that helps and you enjoyed the video!

@joncox9719 Ай бұрын

OH Boy, you guy's are ASKING for it by posting this online is all I am going to say! The FAA would have a hey day with this footage!

@TerrydeAlaska Ай бұрын

Back when we did this we had a ferry permit and the FAA knew all about it...some 28 years ago...

@yesode4201 Ай бұрын

Go back to California Karen!

@transformer889 Ай бұрын

There are better cameras and cameramen in Alaska

@alexandergutfeldt1144 Ай бұрын

True! But there are also viewers who heard (and understood) the intro .... the camera is actually pretty OK for that time (1986) ... migrating from analog tape to a digital file also doesn't improve quality.

@TerrydeAlaska Ай бұрын

Not only that, but it was originally recorded on 8 mm cassette and then that was transferred to VHS and then I transferred it from VHS to digital so I lost the original recording so I’m lucky to have what I have and I know it’s horrible, but it’s what we have! I was originally thinking I was just gonna share this with my friends, but a lot of people seem to enjoy it.

@alexandergutfeldt1144 Ай бұрын

@@TerrydeAlaska Thanks for sharing! Forgot to say that above 🤦

@williamk5998 Ай бұрын

I’m glad that the fact is that he got away with it, but it was still a stupid idea.

@fixmyplane Ай бұрын

its Boeings fault;)

@davidhull110 Ай бұрын

I'd feel safer in this patched up cub than many of the experimental and ultra light pieces of junk that are approved to fly by anyone brave enough

@thatairplaneguy Ай бұрын

What makes those certified aircraft junk? Why does one need to be more brave to fly something that isn’t broken than something with a suspect engine mount, suspect engine and broken wing?

@smokecheckmaster5896 5 күн бұрын

@@thatairplaneguy I think he's likely referring to planes like Carbon Cubs, for $300,000 planes there's a lot of A&P's that say they're not going to be around very long, mostly based off the reinforcement not the matrix, I've heard and read that more times than Id like to admit, would certainly make me think twice about spending that kind of money on a plane not knowing. But who knows, certainly not me, I guess we'll see in 20 years.

@mcombsemail Ай бұрын

I grew up in Anchorage around pilots and I heard these stories but never knew if they were true. I don't think my flight instructor would have approved that repair.