__Ever since major airplane manufacturers such as Cessna and Piper moved the third wheel from the rear of the fuselage to the front in the 1950s, most new single-engine airplanes have been delivered with tricycle gear. Some people question why anyone would fly a taildragger since the nosewheel-configured airplanes simply are easier to take off and land. But for backcountry bush flying and unimproved airstrips, the tailwheel configuration is ideal. It keeps the propeller farther from the ground, produces less drag than a nosewheel and allows for tighter turns on the ground. Fortunately for those who like to fly in the backcountry, a few companies still see the value in producing taildraggers. One of those companies is Afton, Wyoming-based Aviat Aircraft — the producer of the Husky.
The Husky is a tandem-seat, high-wing, single-engine airplane built for pure, unadulterated fun in the backcountry and on unimproved fields. While certified as recently as the late 1980s, the airplane is a handcrafted rag and tube design. It was made to fly in and out of short backcountry strips, and being designed in Afton, which has an elevation of 6,221 feet with much higher density altitudes in the summer, the airplane also handles high altitude operations very well. The Husky can get in and out of just about any airport, as long as the pilot can handle it.
