Talk about a quick trip back to the top of the hill. In a video posted to YouTube a few days ago, U.S. Ski Team member Reese Hanneman can be seen being towed up a mountain somewhere in the Alaska Range behind an Aviat Husky. Hanneman tweeted a link to the video and the Alaska Dispatch followed up with an article that points out, among other things, that the stunt probably ran afoul of federal aviation regulations.
Of course, Hanneman personally didn't break any laws we're aware of by agreeing to be towed behind the airplane as it lifts off on skis for the short hop up the hill. The N number of the airplane isn't visible, nor is the pilot identified. And anyway, there doesn't appear to be anything especially dangerous about the quick flight, especially considering that Hanneman of Anchorage is a champion cross country ski racer who is accustomed to going fast.
Last year we posted a video of a wake boarder being towed by an airplane. That too would have been a no-no per the FARs, but that feat happened behind a Zlin Savage kitplane in Italy.
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