Originally posted by colmbo
That was Valdez, Alaska and that is far from any record.
In Gulkana one year a Super Cub got off in 21' - that's about one fuselage length.
A 172 got off in 42'.
I know a guy that landed a Helio Courier in Kotzebue and used zero runway -- but he did have 50 knots of wind.
Thank you colombo, I was about to post that they were Alaska bush pilots. They make their living by ferrying supplies/people to remote outposts/villages. One thing that they encounter often is a distinct lack of prepared facilities for them to land/take off from. What that video showed was a vital skill in their daily lives, plus a little showing off. 100' of level ground is like the Ritz, for these guys.
Oh, and the over-sized tires are to prevent them from sinking into the marsh-like thawed layer of permafrost during the summer.
