This may be more territory for IMHO, but I’m trying to get some factual answers as well.
My question is, if I were stuck on a deserted island, and I could choose to have one type of aircraft (aircraft only!) to get me off, what would be my best choice?
Also, for our hypothetical, included with the aircraft is any written body of knowledge that would help know how to use it. A bunch of manuals, for example.
And of course, assume that the aircraft comes with a full tank of fuel (if it is a fueled aircraft).
No communications equipment of any kind will be allowed on the aircraft. So you can’t just say “oh give me a modern commercial jet so I could just radio for help.”
Basically the catch is, what type of aircraft would give a random joe shmoe the best chance of getting off the island and flying back to civilization, even if he had no formal training and no one to teach him and help him, other than written documents?
Since I’m putting this in GQ, I would appreciate some factual examples of random people learning how to fly/operate a plane, jet, helicopter, hot air balloon, etc without any other assistance. Stories of self-taught pilots would be great.
You’ve got enough food and such on the island to last for a while, so you have all the time in the world to read the manuals that come with your flying device. What would you choose to take to the island with you, and why?
Note: Please don’t fight the hypothetical and say you would pick something that would be easily converted into a boat and then float away from the island. Only flying off the island is allowed.
A hot air balloon would seem to be a good choice if the prevailing winds are favorable to the location and destination. Having a parachute may be helpful.
Some of what you say may depend on the distance that needs to be traversed. and landing would be what I assume would be the tough part to learn from books, again helpful to have a parachute (and a way to bail).
How far do you have to go? An ultra-light trike (basically a motorized hang glider) is your best bet if you don’t have to go more than 50 miles or so and you have full fuel. They can take off very quickly even from a beach and some of the control is done just through weight shifting. You can learn to fly one (poorly but passably) in just a few minutes if you know anything about flight and engine controls.
If you need to go farther, one of the new Light Sport planes is your best bet. They are real planes but most of them are built to be easy to fly and many of them come with advanced avionics like GPS and a glass panel to give you good guidance on what to do.
A SeaMax might be your best overall choice. It is an amphibious light sport aircraft with a brand new design. It can take off from both land and water.
If our castaway doesn’t have to go very far, there’s a whole myriad of weirdo ultralight aircraft like powered parachutes or powered paragliders that should be pretty easy to pick up. Slightly more substantial, there’s also autogyros which fly pretty much like a fixed wing aircraft except they don’t stall.
Is the question essentially, what is the easiest aeroplane to learn to fly safely with no outside help other than books? If it is, then I’d go for a basic trainer such as a Cessna 152. I’d steer clear of anything like a helicopter that has non-intuitive controls. I’d also steer clear of more modern aircraft with a glass cockpit. The end result will depend more on the person than anything else though, some people can just fly already and need minimal instruction, others never really get a feel for it.
Edit: I would definitely avoid a flying boat or float plane. You’d need to not only learn how to fly but also how to manoeuvre on the water.
I’d rate this as notably hard to learn to fly from a book. And any ordinary model would have a rather pitiful range - probably less than 20 miles, assuming winds low enough to actually get it inflated & launched.
I know a guy who was the pilot of the first plane he was ever in.
WWII, Germany, he was a scout.
He found a FW 190 stashed in the woods with no one around. Decided to steal it. Actually got it started and got it light on the wheels & then chickened out. He was kicking himself for that, wrote to his wife and said the next plane he found like that he was flying back.
He found one before her panicked letter to his CO arrived…
Flew it back across the lines and landed without damage. Fieseler Storch
He had flown U control models he had built. In the mid 60’s we both had Swifts, small 2 seat low wing aircraft made right after the war. We did a lot of formation & mock dog fights.
Dehavilland Beaver: They seem to have a lot of leeway when taking off and landing on water.
After thousands of hours of watching pilots land it seems fairly simple. I wouldn’t want to try to land one, and I know I couldn’t land it anywhere near it was supposed to be, but given enough area to drop it down gradually I think you could land on calm water.
I did a college internship at a company that built airplane floats for several different types, including Beavers. I was looking through their supplement to the operating handbook and there was a section specifically for landing on very smooth water. Apparently, you can’t really see the surface, just a reflection, so you can’t judge your height and flare before landing. But there is a procedure that works; you trim the airplane for a certain airspeed and rate of descent, and you just hold those settings until you touch the water. It’s probably not the ideal landing, but it should work in a pinch. A well-read novice might be able to get the hang of that, assuming he could find a large enough body of water at his destination.
That said, it still probably wouldn’t be my first choice. Without floats, it’s a taildragger; and I’m told that those are rather difficult to maneuver properly during takeoff and landing. With floats, there are enough peculiarities to flying from water that I think it makes it harder instead of easier. I would think a nice, forgiving trainer, like a Cessna 150, would be the way to go.
Interesting responses so far! I enjoyed reading things. I figured helicopters were a no-go; they have a reputation of being ridiculously difficult to fly.
Yes, assume the island has a runway if your aircraft needs one.
And you aren’t sure how far away land is, but assume that, magically, your aircraft is guaranteed to get you there if you can successfully launch it and land it.
For a non-pilot, I suggest one of Burt Rutan’s designs. A long EZ perhaps. while not a rugged aircraft, it has a useful characteristic in that it is extremely hard to stall. This would go a long way toward preventing the deadly stall-spin scenario. We do want them to arrive alive, right? It has tricycle gear which is easier to fly then the “conventional” tail-dragger. It also is fairly simple with basic instruments and controls.
Another easy-to-fly aircraft would be an ERCO Ercoupe. No rudder peddles to learn to coordinate with the ailerons for safe flight. Once again not rugged, but it is small and tricycle gear. It has great visibility for the novice pilot. IIRC, it also has simple and basic instruments and controls.
For myself, a trusty Cessna 172, thanks. One from 1956-1959 please. I want the O-300-D engine, long range tanks, a Robertson STOL kit, Robinson STOL vortex generators, and tundra tires. I love the 40 degrees of flaps and the Johnson bar control for them.
Optionally, I would take a Maule, a Helio Courier, a 195, or a Cessna L-19. I would even take a Cessna 175, straight tail please!
I enjoyed reading things. I figured helicopters were a no-go; they have a reputation of being ridiculously difficult to fly.