You can take your stock airplane into a lot of out-of-the-way places depending on what that mount may be. Take a Cessna 172, for example. With a modest 180-hp Lycoming O-360 engine up front and lightly loaded, you can land a Skyhawk in an amazing array of places.
However, you’ll be able to go into a wider range of airstrips—those with both paved and unimproved surfaces—if you take just a few steps towards “kitting your airplane out” as a true backcountry companion. Here are a few key areas that we’ve identified that are ripe for upgrades—along with a great option in each category.
