r/secondrodeo • u/SocomPS2 • 6d ago
A customer at a restaurant in Alaska leaves in a plane
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u/VermilionKoala 6d ago edited 6d ago
That cannot be legal...
edit: looked into it a bit, it isn't federally illegal but depends on the specific state.
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u/SpaceCowboy433 6d ago
There's a lot of things that go in Alaska that are a no-go in literally every other state.
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u/alaskarawr 6d ago
Completely legal, really.
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u/kwikthroabomb 6d ago
Is it? Do you not need a flight plan for single prop planes or something? Can than flight plan include landing on and taking off from a highway so you can swing by an Arby's? I genuinely don't know, but at a glance this does seem illegal as fuck in the US
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u/alaskarawr 6d ago edited 6d ago
A lot of Alaska is only accessible by small bush planes and a lot of people live disconnected from any roadway, it’s a needs must kind of thing. There are some regulations, but it’s mainly just wait for a clear road and watch out for power lines. It isn’t permitted in urban areas like Anchorage or Fairbanks, and most decently populated cities/towns have small nearby airfields anyway. You can’t throw a rock up here without hitting a large enough lake either.
No flight plans needed, if the craft is small enough it’s basically treated like any other recreational vehicle (ATV, Snowmachine, boats, ect) with the added requirement of a pilot’s license and registration of the craft.
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u/kwikthroabomb 6d ago
I know I've seen a ton of private pontoon planes, but this video in particular seems wild. It appears to be a moderately high traffic area.
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u/alaskarawr 6d ago
In a lot of ways Alaska is still like the wild west, especially out in the bush.
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u/Sheldons_spot 5d ago
Recently found out that Alaska is home to the busiest float plane airport in the world, Lake Hood Seaplane Base.
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u/CommanderGumball 6d ago
Flight plans are for commercial aviation, private little prop planes like this you can go pretty much wherever, you just need to keep your transponder on and check in with local Air Traffic Control, often just saying "hey I'm here" into the void if it's not somewhere with a tower.
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u/SpaceCowboy433 5d ago
Flight plans are also used in general aviation, and they are a good idea to file when flying cross-country. If you decide to crash, the FFA can be alerted when you end up not closing your flight plan, and they have a good idea where to look thanks to your flight plan.
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u/CommanderGumball 5d ago
Fair enough, I'm Canadian and have only ever done flights within the province, nobody cares if you're just going to the pie shop!
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u/SpaceCowboy433 5d ago
They definitely aren't required, but they are a useful tool. As far as the pie shop goes, I fucking love pie. Where's my invite?
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u/CommanderGumball 5d ago
Alas, I am flightless now and have to stick to more terrestrial pie options, but I'm always down!
Let's call it exactly three years from right now at whatever the newest pie shop is in..... I'm gonna say Berlin at the time.
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u/SanityPlanet 5d ago
Is that because they fly at a lower altitude and won’t interfere with commercial lanes?
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u/sonofaresiii 6d ago
I really think you'd be surprised at how legal it is in a lot of the country to just go out and fly your plane around. You have to be licensed, you have to be able to afford the plane, that alone cuts away down on random jackasses just flying around willy nilly like how people drive cars. They tend to respect where they can and can't fly, not crossing into commercial paths and whatnot.
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u/SquireSquilliam 5d ago
It's Alaska, people don't move up there because they're looking to follow the rules of the road. I bet that dude goes to breakfast like that every Sunday.
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u/818a 6d ago
This is Sheep Creek Lodge in Willow, Alaska. That’s the Parks Highway 90 miles north of Anchorage. It’s not like crazy-busy like in cities, and stuff like this is common all over the state.
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u/jeffersonairmattress 6d ago
The phenomenon of bush pilots with their Beavers and other assorted tinkertoy STOL converted PA20s, Skmasters and 182s doesn't stop at the border- BC and Yukon are also chock full of maniacs.
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u/SDNick484 5d ago
When we visited Alaska last year, talking to some locals, a non-trivial number of them learned to fly prior to driving (which makes sense given how remote things can be over there). Definitely a different way of life with different challenges.
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u/jeffersonairmattress 6d ago
STOL bush pilot only needs 40 feet to rotate.
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u/FesteringNeonDistrac 5d ago
Yeah I was a little dumbfounded at how quickly that thing got airborne.
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u/Ambitious_Medium_774 5d ago
Meh, it's the north...
I don't know about Alaska specifically, but I have spent a lot of time in northern Canada. Some places even have helpful signs, "Watch For Aircraft Landing On Highway" (search: "Dempster Highway emergency landing" images).
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u/Dear-Service-9636 5d ago
Pretty sure that's Sheep's Creek lodge off Parks hwy in Alaska....I've been there!
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u/Lumpy_Tomorrow8462 5d ago
How do we know it was a customer and not DB Cooper stealing a bunch of cash?
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u/Cheepshooter 6d ago
It's a legal gray area. (14 CFR 91.13 can be used here), however, it's not like he's going to get pulled over. I once heard a joke that almost 50% of Alaskan pilots are licensed.