Light STOL aircraft for cold and mountainous use

[dannytoro]

Hello Everyone,

I was wondering what aircraft pilots might recommend for an un-paved 600 meter strip, with the ability to carry at least 12 passenger or the freight equivilant. This field will often be ice covered.

Thanks Dannytoro

[bamcb38c]

a helicopter. lol:}

[seacue]

Maybe a Twotter???
They fly multiple services a day to Saba, around 400 meters long, but with displaced thresholds.
http://www.georgiajets.org/Links/FWIW/Saba_Airport/runway2.jpg
http://www.georgiajets.org/Links/FWIW/Saba_Airport/runway1.jpg
Admitedly it's paved and in a warm climate. But the Twotter is Canadian and surely knows about cold. They come with skis and floats as well.

[dannytoro]

...Holy Cow! Whar's the island that goes with that runway! OMG! That flight must come with a warning for the cardiac impaired. I've got Twin Otters on my list, but they are on the pricey end of the list......

[seacue]

The island is Saba in the Netherlands Antilles. It is served by Winair (Windward Islands Airways) from St Maarten. Needless to say its pilots don't go to Saba without check rides.

Winair's stage lengths are very short - 15 minutes or so. A couple of years ago they retired a Twotter that had flown well over 100,000 cycles (IIRC).

The Twotter may be expensive because of its abilities and two engines. You seldom get more than you pay for in products.

Winair also has some Islanders, which are smaller than your request. Maybe the Trislander would satisfy you, but I don't know much about this sort of thing.

[dannytoro]

...Well that's a good one I had not thought of. So far I've found the LET L420 , the Harbin Y-12IV , and the rare to find Panda Air Corp Twin Panda. The twin panda is really interesting in that it's a canadian upgraded Y-12IV with uprated PT-6-34 engines and a full western avionics fit thoughout. It was specfically built to replace the dwindling but white hot Twin Otter fleet......But Thanks for the idea of the Islander and Trislander Seacue..I'll have a good look at them too....

[Dash-7 lover]

Second hand Dornier 228??

[dannytoro]

..Say that's another good one to evaluate. I assume somebody is doing spares support for them..Thanks

[John Farley]

An-2 would seem to fit the bill

[dannytoro]

.....True, very outstanding STOL, but under ten passengers though. Thanks though...

[seacue]

Maybe a Cessna Grand Caravan??

[John Farley]

I Googled An-2 and got up to 12 pax from Wicko whatever but I don't know if that is correct

JF

[larssnowpharter]

What about a Twin Pin? Thought there were still a couple in Oz?

[TheGorrilla]

Flown an AN2 with 12 pax plus 2 pilots.

How about a Pilatus Turbo Porter? Or Shorts SD7 Skyvan?

[Young Pilot]

"This Twotter (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_8wmZ6hhpg8) manages a lot less than 600 metres!"

Certainly! Have always been facinated with the STOL capabilites of this aircraft.

[dannytoro]

Thanks for the continuing input. I intend to evaluate all of them. Never heard of a "Twin Pin" What is the builder of it? I looked over the Anotov site, and even for the increased power AN-3T they refit, they only list 9 passengers. You can imagine what the insurance and flight certification people will say if you tell them your planning to operate over specs:) . Nope, I've yet to check either Pilatus product, or the Shorts Skyvan. But I will now. Incidently, a Chinese military student questioned wheter I had a website or blog dedicated to the project, and I thought that would be a great Idea. That way I could get a better all around view of the subject. I'll post a link when I get that project going. BTW, it will encompass all forms of transport into the Labrador portion of Newfoundland. That is the central and primary salient point. Labrador is bereft in many, if not all forms of Transport. Even the "Labrador Highway" is mostly gravel. But if nothing else, it can serve as a useful platform and hopefully a springboard for many projects and ideas.

[dannytoro]

Pretty close, but I'm 6 meters in the hole on landing roll, after 608 meters, you better be a seaplane:) .

[sir.pratt]

that surprises me - i've never seen a 750 use 2000ft on a landing roll! 200ft more like it. and twice the landing roll than the take-off roll? just thinking about it - at 65kts touchdown and with full reverse i would have thought 300m/1000ft would be more realistic. they can park on a dime.

[Tinstaafl]

The 'Twin Pin' is the Scottish Aviation 'Twin Pioneer'. As I recall it was designed & built in the '50's as a STOL military plane for parachute troops.

It's a fixed gear tailwheel, triple fin twin using two radial engines. Holds up to about 18 pax. Not the fastest a/c in the sky.

[seacue]

Of the 91 Twin Pioneer aircraft built, 35 ended as a "hull loss".

http://aviation-safety.net/database/type/type.php?type=430

[old,not bold]

Shorts Skyvan (later TPE 331 version) had arguably better field performance than a Twotter, especially when operated free of civil limitations, ie when flown by the military. There may be some around still. The Twin Pin could get off the ground, and back on again, in very short distance indeed, even with a reasonable load, as long as it was cold and sea level and everything kept clanking and rotating.

[dannytoro]

...The LET L420 ; The Harbin Y12IV ; The Anotov AN-38-120 ; The Beriev BE-32K ; The Viking Air Twin Otter Series 400. All new build airframes. However the Anotov may get taken out and given a special order by itself due to it's slightly larger seating capacity. That will leave the other four to fight it out to be workhorses of the fleet. Aside from the few AN-70's I hope to procure. At least four of those, but hopefully six of them.....

[whogivesa????]

There are a couple of 'Twin Pins' for sale in OZ.