BRADY LANE
BETTER PILOT / AB INITIO
Real-World Inspiration
Short-field tips from the pros
LYING ON THE GROOVED taxiway of Valdez Pioneer Field Airport
(PAVD) in Valdez, Alaska, I focused my camera lens tightly on a
thin white line chalked specifically for one event: The May Day
Fly-In STOL (short takeoff and landing) contest.
Despite the majestic mountains towering over the airport’s
runway, everyone’s attention was on this narrow line—
including the pilot of a Super Cub floating in on giant 35-inch
Alaskan Bushwheels.
The incredibly nose-high attitude of
the approaching plane made me wonder
how the pilot could even see the line he
was targeting, but obviously he could
because he touched down mere inches
from it.
A puff of chalk appeared, and I heard a
judge gasp, “Unbelievable!”
