[Steve]

I've been wanting to fly up to Cavanaugh Bay on Idaho's Priest Lake ever since I saw read about the place in Hanselman's "Fly Idaho" book. The weather in central and northern Idaho cleared out last Sunday so we planned an 0800 departure from Ogden, UT (OGD). Everyone else at home had to work Monday so it was Kent in his 182 and me in my 9A. A quick stop for fuel and potty at McCall (MYL) then another 1.3 hrs to Cavanaugh Bay (66S).
The runway was closed last year for grass re-seeding (hence the still visible large X) and it is now in good condition. There are 3 places along the runway for aircraft tiedown. Those toward the north end are closest to the shower house, campground, and the resort. The shower house is brand new last month and the caretaker is still installing the final touches. He makes the coffee in the morning and will rent you the courtesy car ($5 + 30 cents a mile). The village of Coolin is 5 miles south. The General Store is incredibly stocked with all manner of supplies.
The nearby Cavanaugh Bay Resort will rent you a cabin, feed you in the restaurant or rent you a pontoon boat. If you plan on catching the "big ones", you really need a boat preferrably with downrigger gear. Otherwise you fish for the "little ones" from the dock.
The Kodiak airplane is built south of CB in Sandpoint, ID. This aircraft is a rugged turbo prop designed for missionary and humanitarian efforts in the jungles and deserts. The factory test pilots use the Cav Bay runway during the test and demo flights to show off the plane's short/soft field abilities.
The flight to Cavanaugh Bay took 3.8 hours on the Hobbs. Idaho's beautiful north country and the amenities at and nearby the strip makes the trip well worthwhile.

 

[Caummisar]

Hey, hey, hey! Steve what ya doin? Giving away all the secrets of Idaho? Oh wait, VansAirforce PAID subcribers are our friends. Idaho and "Fly Idaho" is one of the huge reasons I'm building a RV7A. Having lived all over the US, I call Idaho home even though I'm living and building in TX. I've seen a lot of Idaho on foot, but can't wait to explore it from the air. The PBS stations in Idaho produced a series called "Outdoor Idaho" and one of the shows, available on CD at http://shop.idahoptv.org/product/show/46796 is called "Idaho, An Aerial Tapestry" shows the beauties of Idaho from the air. For those that can't get to Idaho, its worth a look.

 

[RV8N]

...The Kodiak airplane is built south of CB in Sandpoint, ID. This aircraft is a rugged turbo prop designed for missionary and humanitarian efforts in the jungles and deserts. The factory test pilots use the Cav Bay runway during the test and demo flights to show off the plane's short/soft field abilities...

Kodiak? What's a Kodiak? Never heard of it.

Karl

 

[Vern]

Kodiak

See http://www.jaars.org/projects/kodiak-aircraft-papua-new-guinea

Basically, avgas has become prohibitively expensive and rare in remote areas of the world. Turbine aircraft are needed to replace the Helio Couriers, Cessna 206's, etc that have long served the remote parts of the world and the people who are there.

JAARS conducts periodic open houses where you can come to Waxhax, NC to see what they do in person at their training/maintenance base there. Usually you can get a helicopter ,Helio Courier, or Kodiak ride and some great tours of their shops.

They've had personnel and aircraft at Oshkosh for years.

A number of us RV'ers have written about them including Pierre Smith

 

[Louise Hose]

Longing for the West

Thanks for sharing the photos. I'm jealous. I sure wish I was within 2 hours of such beautiful places to fly into. Some day, I will return!

 

[RV8N]

See http://www.jaars.org/projects/kodiak-aircraft-papua-new-guinea

Basically, avgas has become prohibitively expensive and rare in remote areas of the world. Turbine aircraft are needed to replace the Helio Couriers, Cessna 206's, etc that have long served the remote parts of the world and the people who are there.

JAARS conducts periodic open houses where you can come to Waxhax, NC to see what they do in person at their training/maintenance base there. Usually you can get a helicopter ,Helio Courier, or Kodiak ride and some great tours of their shops.

They've had personnel and aircraft at Oshkosh for years.

A number of us RV'ers have written about them including Pierre Smith

Uh, Vern,

I was teasing. I work for Quest Aircraft and build Kodiaks. That's why I had the face and have the Quest Aircraft link in my signature.

Karl

 

[Stitch462]

Speaking of Kodiaks, how about this for an economic shot in the arm at Sandpoint?

Found this on line in at Baseops.net

AF is officially looking for a Light Mobility Aircraft (LiMA).
On the same day that it issued the Light Attack/Armed Reconnaissance aircraft capability query (see above), Aeronautical Systems Center in Ohio issued another seeking information on a fixed-wing Light Mobility Aircraft (LiMA) that USAF also would like to field starting in Fiscal 2011. The service wants approximately 60 LiMAs and would expect to achieve initial operational capability in Fiscal 2012. The proposed aircraft would have to accommodate at least six passengers plus aircrew, be able to operate on unimproved austere landing sites?with no ground support other than fuel?carrying a minimum of 1,800 pounds of passengers and cargo. It's cargo door should allow for loading and unloading of patients litters or a 36-inch warehouse skid. The LiMA candidate would have dual pilot stations, but be certified for single pilot operation.

And a little more info?.

Solicitation Number: Light_Mobility_Aircraft_(LiMA)
Notice Type: Presolicitation
Synopsis:
Added: Jul 27, 2009 3:00 pm

The Aeronautical Systems Center (ASC) Capabilities Integration Directorate (ASC/XRS) is conducting market research assessment of fixed-wing platforms available for passenger and cargo transport in support of Irregular Warfare (IW) operations. ASC is issuing this CAPABILITY REQUEST FOR INFORMATION (CRFI) to explore cost effective acquisition options to provide this fixed-wing Light Mobility Aircraft (LiMA) capability for Air Mobility Command (AMC) starting in fiscal year (FY) 11. This announcement is issued solely for information and planning purposes soliciting information from Department of Defense (DoD), other government agencies, US and/or foreign companies, who are capable of providing design(s), development, or prototype(s); conducting developmental and operational testing; or producing end items for LiMA proposed requirements. It does not constitute a Request for Proposal (RFP) or a promise to issue an RFP in the future. Please see the attached document for CRFI specifics.

Ref: https://www.fbo.gov/index?s=opportu...09add711616230dced09861a253&tab=core&_cview=0

For the light attack/armed reconnaissance my vote is for the RV-8! It would be like the Skyraider's little brother!

 

[ccryan]

Man, nice pics Steve! You're making me lick my chops for that -8. Just missed you today at the airport. See ya soon.

Chris

 

[Steve]

some more notes

That post was my first effort using Photobucket and I wasn't sure how to "caption" each photo. Anywho....

Cavanaugh Bay and the airstrip (66S) is located in the southeast corner of Priest Lake. There is a Priest Lake strip (67S) on the west shore but it is mostly used for Forest Service activities and has no amenities.

The pic of the marina shows a large white pipe extending north into the water. It actually supplies the irrigation water to the airstrip.

There are 3 in-cockpit videos (C206, C172, and a Cub) on YouTube showing landings and takeoffs at CB. Just search for Cavanaugh Bay.

 

[s10sakota]

not yet an RV'er but...

Thanks for posting threads like this one! I still haven't built an RV but plan to someday. Post like these are so motivating (no matter what you fly) because I love seeing the fun and beauty that the back country has to offer.

Someday I'll be able to take my own pics there