Loganair once tried operating a retractable undercarriage aeroplane to/from Barra. It wasn't a success. Being a retractable was, I am told, part of the problem. BEA, back in the 1950s, took a special version of the dH Heron (1B) with fixed gear too for beach work. Of course these commercial aeroplanes would be going repeatedly rather than on one-off visits, but beaches was the main reason for choosing fixed-gear.
Last edited by 'India-Mike; 13th Jun 2012 at 22:44.