SuperCub crashed, repaired and flew back home in Alaska

Well, on August 4, 1986 I was flying to go on a fishing trip with a friend of mine and we were about 100 miles west of Anchorage and I decided to make a stop and basically make a pit stop and I did. a low approach to check the landing area and I didn't like that too much so I did a second approach and when I went into the second approach I decided to pull the flaps full and then I lowered the flaps one notch and the plane started to sink and I got behind the power curve, so I went full throttle and pulled

back

with the flaps all the way up and it started doing something funny, it started going sideways a little bit and it had an uphill terrain and it first turned to the side. right and I was giving it the rudder to the left trying to get it to go left and it finally hit the right wheel and bounced and um, let's see, it was pointing left when it hit the right wheel and then it spun. to the right and hit the left wheel and collapsed the front landing gear on the left side and then hit the wing and collapsed the wing folded the wing and then hit the propeller and we stopped and were going maybe 25 miles per hour and we were rescued that day with the help of some great friends.

It rained for about the next three weeks and the video below shows how we made some temporary repairs to get the Cub

back

to Anchorage, which would have cost $10,000 if we had to use a helicopter here we are August 6 and we arrive here around 10:00 to repair Terry's plane. Terry is flying here on Sunday or Saturday the 3rd. I think Charlie Center's mechanic extraordinaire won here. Alaska Mechanic of the Year Award for three years in a row oh yeah Charlie, you look great today buddy oh making that big money cha ching cha ching cha ching oh cheers Ken Rard still holds the world record for flying a 737, the fastest and an ace Cub Pilot Terry Landis, who was demonstrating short takeoffs and landings in the field at 3000 feet, how to turn around and this, how long did it take Terry?

The guys worked on it four hours five they started at 11 what time is 11 how many hours 4 hours 4 hours? CH Ching cha ching, but he puts it back together, turns off the camera, we start the action rolling, are you all waiting for me? Yeah, well, but ready to push this thing, okay, enjoy Glory, look at this contraption right here, Charlie. Center to Charlie Center yes top repairman let me show you the tape on the wings there's the tape on the wings that's how you fly these cloth airplanes in the air lon it's working fine and there's a broken windshield that was

repaired

but I'll tell you what you don't see a lot of platforms like this to fly this baby what I do Terry when you run, run good, I carry him forward until right here we turn you and if you can, uh, I know, do it well.

Continue up here a little bit and turn it to the right and you can put your right wheel right here, left wheel, go through here as soon as you get there, head over because it seemed to me that if you walk back this way, it would be yes. Well, you're going to have to jog to the right, okay, going up, turn it on to see if it's going to work without shaking, that's a good test before we get too excited about moving the big test that breaks, yeah. It's a wheel brake, it doesn't roll, it doesn't run like a champion, our planes are in the background, that's pretty good, here we go, let's turn it around and this is how it's done, let's roll it to the runway Charly in One Wing t in the other one and we're going to see that the takeoff is going to stop for a second there it's turning around Ken still in it for the takeoff we're going to check how it's working it's got about 300 feet here at the top of this hill winds flowing at 10 mph probably, but we are at 3000 feet, our two planes are on this small hill, the guys are giving them orientation, a strong wind closes it, we have to go check what is happening, do you want to have all three in a row or are you going to take off first or what, oh, he might as well take off first, guys, ready to go, we'll be able to catch him, yeah, we'll catch him, Terry, go ahead, so basically, over here, uh, it's like there's the scoreboard.

Pon is that the first marker, that's the first marker, okay, use all your flaps, you should be able to go up here, slightly to the left and you should be over 200 feet, yeah. I would, maybe it's not uh, oh, yeah, this. wind, it may not R this don't worry about it Go full speed, bring this suer here so you don't hit it, yeah, this thing shook, all you have to do is lift it up in the air and put your nose on it slightly on top and milk. the fins are fine, good luck, I think Terry just finished praying and we have a bet.

He and Charlie think he'll go that way. I'll say a little bit more, here we go, he's gone, he's gone, oh my gosh, congratulations guys, congratulations.