A bush airplane is a general aviation aircraft serving remote, undeveloped areas of a country, usually the African bush, Alaskan and Canadian tundra or the Australian Outback. They are used where the road system is insufficient, or where roads do not exist at all.[1] Well-known bushplanes include the Fairchild American Pilgrim 100 A and B, Noorduyn Norseman, the Cessna 180, Cessna Caravan and 206/207, Douglas DC-3/C-47, DHC-2 Beaver, Piper Super Cub and Antonov An-2.
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Common traits
- High wings provide improved ground visibility during flight and greater distance between the bush and the wing during landing.
- Conventional or 'taildragger' landing gear — two large main wheels and a small rear wheel result in a nose-high attitude on the ground and increase prop clearance, convenient when operating from rough-surfaced runways.
- Short runway requirements, typically gained through high-lift devices such as flaps, vortex generators, and slots or slats improve low speed flight characteristics, allowing for shorter ground rolls on landing.
- Very large, low-pressure tundra tires enable the pilot to land and take off in unimproved areas. It is not uncommon for a bush pilot to land (and take off) where no airplane has been before.
- Removable floats and skis permit operation on water or snow.
- Some bush planes are also outfitted with an outside air intake to increase engine performance during slow flight which may be experienced in the landing roll. By increasing air flow it helps to maintain a safe oil temperature during non-idle periods.
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