Backcountry Strips

[mh53j]

I have recently bought a -4 and thus far love everything about it. I would like to take it into some of the back country strips in Idaho. I have flown into them before in other aircraft and I'm not worried about the performance of the -4 , but there is some concern about firewall cracking and etc.. Is the gear and structure sufficient for this type of flying?

I don't plan on making it a weekly event but would like to make the trip a couple times a year. When I do go it would be half fuel, solo and a small amount of gear. The aircraft was finished in 95 and built from kit 248 if this helps determine anything.

Any and all comments are greatly appreciated.

Thanks,

Brett

[RV7ator]

There are many nice grass strips you can enjoy with your 4. There plenty of rough ones, grass and no, that will destroy it and maybe you.

The o.k. ones are Johnson Creek, Smiley Creek, Big Creek, Moose Creek, Cavanaugh Bay, Smith Prairie, Garden Valley. They're relatively smooth and less treacherous than others that are still landable but far less forgiving of pilot error. Since you've flown here before, this may not be news. Most of the shorter dirt strips and some other grass strips are simply too rough for the itty bitty landing gear. Dropping your tail wheel into a well placed whistle pig hole can mess up your rudder, and there are more than enough rocks and bunch grass that will crunch your wheel pants because of their low ground clearance. Rocks wreck havoc with stabilizer leading edges. Even the mowed grass strips have areas of bunch grass that feel like you're taxiing through grapefruit-sized depressions - you are! Maybe those who know the 4's structure can address its susceptibility to these sorts of abuse, to directly answer your question. But others who have not flown the back country are reading this, too.

I've seen plenty of RVs of all stripes (except a 3 and 10) operating in Idaho's back country, and some fairly tight ones at that. A constant speed prop really helps, not just acceleration but with controlling approach speed. Guys often overshoot because they don't get the swift little buggers slowed down enough or soon enough (spammers, too).

I'd say enjoy Johnson and Smiley for starters, then intensify according to your abilities and assessment of how the airplane feels through the seat of your pants. I've taken my -7 into all named above, but that's it. My spam can dirt plane goes to the rest. And it looks it.

John Siebold
Boise, ID