Stuck in mud at P.San Carlos

BajaVaya · Joined: 03 Apr 2003 Posts: 88

Billabong bought an Albatross flying boat in S.America and is using it to fly surfers to hot surf spots.

Unfortunately, it landed at P. San Carlos after a heavy rain and dropped into a mud hole when Mike, the pilot, attempted a turn around at the end of the runway. Working through the night a Mexican crew finally dug it out.

sailandbail · Joined: 20 Oct 2007 Posts: 46

Who did Billabong deem worthy to fly in?

Any surf shots?

sharkasm · Joined: 10 Apr 2000 Posts: 149

loopless · Joined: 30 Jun 1997 Posts: 426

There's no surf in San Carlos worthy of a surf pro - it's generally a lame surf spot (thank goodness), the pilot probably stopped for a quick tequila before flying to Natividad or places further south.

BajaVaya · Joined: 03 Apr 2003 Posts: 88

From my experience, too many gringo pilots (and drivers?) tend to leave their brains behind when they set off for Baja. Mea culpa, I have committed my share of boners.

Billabong flew in a crew of pro-surfers during one on those huge swells we have had recently. The waves were humongous all right, but blown out and inconsistent. So Mike decided to fly to San Quintin in the morning (after they spent the night digging out the Albatross). Alex flew in in the morning in his King Air and landed while Mike was still at the far end of the runway... interesting (what was that I said about brains?).

For the general aviation challenged -- a Beech King Air is a twin turboprop designed to ferry CEOs between long manicured hardtop runways with suitably appointed "Jet Centers." Landing such a $3.5 million flying leather-furnished boardroom on a rock covered dirt strip is generally frowned upon by the mink and martini set. Besides, there is no golf course nearby. Landing a 2 ton airplane at a speed of 100+ mph onto stones on tires smaller than a wheelbarrow raises eyebrows, while aircraft mechanics to rub their hands and plan their kids' college education. Ah, to have a rich dad.

These "daring" pilots don't seem to be in short supply. I watched one land an amphibian float plane on the PSC strip. Didn't seem to bother him that he only had about 6" clearance to the floats -- one rock through that paper thin aluminum and you have a repair bill that could buy the best board of your imagination. A collapsed tiny caster wheel and the invoice could pay for a whole quiver. Now what was that question again about landing a flying boat on a stone strip with mud patches? I guess Billabong is a successful company and the cost of patching a plane disappears in the rounding of the numbers of their earnings statement.

As the old saw goes: There are no old bold pilots. And these guys are young and fit.

JamesHardy · Joined: 29 Mar 2002 Posts: 159

Ian-

Your advice has no credibility considering"as rumor has it" your little run in with the fence down at El Socoro. Or maybe overloading your plane is just a "boner"? I kind of find it hard to listen to advice about safe flying in Baja from a pilot that did an oil change to his plane at his camp in PSC, spilling lots of used oil all over the ground. What ever happend to the rest of the used oil? I didn't see you pack it out.

There are only two kinds of pilots in Baja, ones that have crashed and ones that are going to crash.

BajaVaya · Joined: 03 Apr 2003 Posts: 88

James,

I poured the oil on the area under the prop to keep the dust down when the fan is turning near everybody's trailers -- regrettably, they don't have a hardtop tie-down area at PSC. Sorry it bothers you so much: dust or oil patch? Your choice. (Everybody else seems to be OK with my little "Mexican asphalt") The 6 qts have long since dissipated into the ground, far from the ocean.

As I said, I have pulled my share of boners and hitting a one block high wall that a homeowner had put across the runway was certainly one of them. Even though brush had grown over the blocks placed to stop planes from using the full length of the runway and blowing dust onto his front porch, I consider it my fault for not walking the runway before an earlier takeoff. Sadly, they don't have FAA runway inspectors in Baja.

Overloading? If a plane were overloaded it would not be able to get airborne. It is called physics. A go-around when you feel uncomfortable with a landing is called prudent.

You may be right about crashing, but it appears to apply to driving as much as flying -- as all those little crosses along the side of the road attest. Every pilot (at least the ones I know) will tell you that they would rather take their chances with the "wild blue yonder" than an asphalt ribbon 20 ft wide where in less than a second you could be dead -- and it may not be your fault. The statistics regrettably confirm this. At least there are fewer drunks coming at you in airplanes, and they are farther away... or a different altitude.