Bush plane
A bush airplane is a general aviation aircraft used to provide both scheduled and unscheduled passenger and flight services to remote, undeveloped areas, such as the Canadian north or bush, Alaskan tundra, the African bush, Amazon rainforest or the Australian Outback. They are used where ground transportation infrastructure is inadequate or does not exist.
Common traits
Since a bush plane is defined by how it is used, a wide variety of different aircraft with different configurations have been used over the years as such. However, experience has shown certain traits to be desirable, and so they appear frequently, especially on aircraft specifically designed as bush planes. None of these traits are mandatory - merely they are commonly seen features of bush planes.- The undercarriage is designed to be fitted with floats, skis or wheel/skis to permit operation from water or snow which are primarily for Canadian, Alaskan and Russian use.
- High wings ease loading and unloading, particularly from docks, as well as improve downward visibility during flight and increase clearance to reduce the potential for damage during landing or take-off. A high wing is less likely to be damaged during loading or unloading than a low wing.
- Conventional or "tail dragger" landing gear—two large main wheels and a small rear wheel reduce both weight and drag, increasing the load the aircraft can carry and its speed and it reduces excessive stresses on the airframe compared to a nosewheel. A failure is also less critical as a broken tailwheel is easily repaired and won't prevent the aircraft from flying, unlike a broken nose wheel.
- Short runway requirements, typically gained through high aspect ratio wings and high-lift devices such as flaps, slots and slats to improve low speed flight characteristics, allowing shorter ground rolls on landing or takeoff.
- Very large, low-pressure tundra tires may be fitted to enable the pilot to operate from broken ground. It is not uncommon for a bush pilot to land and take off from unprepared surfaces.
- Piston engines rather than turboprops. Piston engines are cheaper to build and maintain and easier to start without the aid of ground facilities.
Current and historical bush planes
- AAC Angel
- Aermacchi AL-60
- Antonov An-2
- Antonov An-14
- Antonov An-28
- Antonov An-38
- Auster Autocrat
- Aviat Husky
- Avro Avian
- Avro Anson
- Avro York
- Bach T-11P
- Barkley-Grow T8P-1
- Barrows Bearhawk
- Beechcraft Model 17 Staggerwing
- Beechcraft Model 18
- Bellanca CH-300 Pacemaker
- Bellanca CH-400 Skyrocket
- Bellanca Aircruiser
- Bellanca Senior Pacemaker
- Bellanca Senior Skyrocket
- Beriev Be-30/32
- Boeing B1E
- Bristol Freighter
- Britten-Norman BN-2 Islander
- Buhl Airsedan
- Bushcaddy L-162 Max
- Bushcaddy L-164
- Canadian Vickers Vedette
- Cessna Crane
- Cessna 172
- Cessna 180
- Cessna 182 Skylane
- Cessna 185 Skywagon
- Cessna 206 Stationair
- Cessna 208 Caravan
- Champion Citabria
- Consolidated Catalina/Canso
- Curtiss HS
- Curtiss Lark
- Curtiss Robin
- Curtiss Thrush
- Curtiss-Wright C-46 Commando
- Curtiss-Wright Junior
- de Havilland DH.60 Moth
- de Havilland DH.61 Giant Moth
- de Havilland DH.82 Tiger Moth
- de Havilland DH.83 Fox Moth
- de Havilland DH.89 Dragon Rapide
- de Havilland DH.90 Dragonfly
- de Havilland Australia DHA-3 Drover
- de Havilland Canada DHC-2 Beaver
- de Havilland Canada DHC-3 Otter
- de Havilland Canada DHC-4 Caribou
- de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter
- Dornier Do 27
- Douglas Dolphin
- Douglas DC-3/Douglas C-47
- Douglas DC-4
- Eastman E-2 Sea Rover
- Evangel 4500
- Fairchild 24
- Fairchild C-82 Packet
- Fairchild FC-2/51
- Fairchild 71
- Fairchild Super 71
- Fairchild 100
- Fairchild 82
- Fairchild F-11 Husky
- Fieseler Fi 156
- Fleet Freighter
- Fokker Universal
- Fokker Super Universal
- Fokker F.11
- Ford Trimotor
- Found FBA-2
- GAF Nomad
- Gippsland GA8
- Gippsland GA10
- Grumman Goose
- Grumman Widgeon
- Grumman Mallard
- Halpin Flamingo
- Hamilton H-47
- Helio Courier
- Howard DGA-8/9/11/12
- Howard DGA-15
- Junkers F.13
- Junkers G 31
- Junkers W 33
- Junkers W 34
- Junkers Ju 52/1m
- Kitfox
- Lake Buccaneer
- Lockheed Vega
- Lockheed Model 18 Lodestar
- Max Holste Broussard
- Maule M-7
- Murphy Rebel
- Murphy Moose
- Murphy Elite
- Noorduyn Norseman
- Northrop N-23 Pioneer
- Northwest Ranger
- PAC P-750 XSTOL
- Piper J-3 Cub
- Piper PA-18 Super Cub
- Piper PA-22 Bushmaster
- Piper PA-23
- Pipistrel Virus SW
- Pilatus PC-6 Porter/Turbo Porter
- Polikarpov Po-2
- PZL-104 Wilga
- Quest Kodiak
- Rans S-7 Courier
- Republic RC-3 Seabee
- Ryan Brougham
- Shavrov Sh-2
- Short SC.7 Skyvan
- Sikorsky S-38
- Sikorsky S-39
- Stearman C3
- Stearman M-2
- Stearman 4
- Stinson Detroiter
- Stinson Junior
- Stinson Model A
- Stinson Reliant
- Stinson Voyager
- Stinson 108
- Supermarine Sea Otter
- Technoavia SM92 Finist
- Travel Air 6000
- Vickers Viking
- Waco 10
- Waco Standard Cabin series
- Waco AQC-6/Waco ZQC-6 Freighter
- Westland Limousine
- Yakovlev Yak-12
- Zenith STOL CH 701
[Aviation museum]s with large collections of bush planes
- Alberta Aviation Museum
- Alaska Aviation Heritage Museum
- Canada Aviation and Space Museum
- Canadian Bushplane Heritage Centre
- Western Canada Aviation Museum
Appearances in the media
- Ice Pilots NWT
- Flying Wild Alaska
- Alaska Wing Men
- Captains of the Clouds
- Raiders of the Lost Ark
- Balto
- Balto III: Wings of Change
Citations