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Safari in Beaver, Husky, and Wookie Land

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Gemini Sparkle

Key Takeaways:

  • The article details an annual "Backcountry Safari" in Idaho's challenging "River of No Return" wilderness, an informal event for experienced pilots to gain expertise in extreme short-field operations on demanding airstrips.
  • It emphasizes the critical need for humility, caution, and exceptional piloting skill over ego when navigating these treacherous runways, which are often narrow, short, high-elevation, and surrounded by trees with limited go-around options.
  • The narrator flies alongside Harrison Ford, who is portrayed as a highly focused and serious pilot, demonstrating how the inherent demands of aviation level the playing field, making celebrity status irrelevant in the cockpit while fostering camaraderie among participants.
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“What’s the deal on this next strip?”

I look at the marked page in my “Fly Idaho” backcountry flight guide. “Orogrande,” I answer. “Elevation 4405. Runway is either one or one-nine, 2900 feet long. Notes say ‘New tree growth on sides of runway limit usable width to 50 feet.'” I glance out the window at the long stretch of yellow wing extending into the Idaho mountain air. “What’s your wingspan, again?”

FLYING Staff

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