It all started after a phone call with one of my best friends from college, Matt Keller (owner and operator of Blue Ice Aviation). I called to pick his brain about why he likes flying their Cessna 185 on big tires. The phone call ended with an invite to visit him in Alaska to come and see for myself. I’ve always dreamed of going to Alaska to fly with Matt and everything for this visit worked out quickly and seamlessly.
Once in Alaska, we flew his Supercub on 35″ bushwheels all over the mountains chasing big horn sheep, dropping off supplies to campers, touring the glaciers and other business. It was an absolute blast! We also flew the C185 (same as we’re using in the Philippines) on a variety of tire options and I was able to test them out first hand. It is hard to explain just how cool this is to someone outside the aviation community, but we tested the tires on a 700′ long gravel bar in the middle of a river. Now that’s a good time…and a good test. With the flight tests over, it’s time to evaluate the results and decide if this is a route we want to go in the future. It’s a complicated decision and one that we as a team will make together.
>>Visit Blueiceaviation.com for even cooler pictures of Alaska flying…