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Three Oceans

Vlad

Well Known Member
My RV officially has been to three ocean beaches. How about yours? :D

Pacific Ocean beach.

Pacific%20Ocean%20Beach.jpg




Arctic Ocean beach.


Arctic%20Ocean%20Beach.jpg



Atlantic Ocean beach.


Atlantic%20Ocean%20Beach%20-%201.jpg


They all look the same, don't they? :D
 
And all within a few weeks of each other. I was thinking about that when you were on your last trip! Very cool. (no pun intended)
 
beaches...

Fascinating, Vlad!

Forgive my ignorance, but is there a way to "read" the sand before landing? I can imagine it is like landing on Velcro, and by the time you realize that it is too soft you are trapped...? How does one know that the sand is 'Goldilocks firm', not too wet, not too dry? Don't the wheel pants fill up with sand and change balance? ... And do you worry about vapor lock preventing a hot re-start as the tide comes in?

From personal experience, you haven't really been stuck in a 4x4 until you've been stuck in sand.

BTW, I live in the mid-west... most of our beaches are concrete.

- Roger
 
The Gauntlet...

My RV officially has been to three ocean beaches. How about yours? :D
They all look the same, don't they? :D

Ah Vlad, throwing the beach landing gauntlet down, but I didn't notice a Golfo De Mexico landing anywhere...:) I know it's not an ocean, but hey...
Nicely done!

Dos Vedanya!!
Smokey


PS: Back in the late 90's I landed my RV4 on the Sea of Cortez and Pacific beaches of Baja, Mexico during low tide, the best conditions as you well know. (Alaskans carry tide tables in their airplanes!) Both landings were next to beached whales I spotted. Upon landing on the Pacific side, Wolves were entering the carcass and gorging themselves until my 0-320's bark scared them off...
 
Discretion is the better part of....

how do you even find out where it is okay to land on the beach?
Tommy
Having spent some time in AK and flown quite a bit up there in a Maule M4 as well as Cubs and my RV4, coastline "sandbar or beach landings" are almost a way of AK Bushpilot life.
Beach conditions can be studied through tide tables, (low is better) low approaches and looking at buried driftwood, bird tracks etc and finally a touch and go if needed. Big tires help but aren't totally necessary on hard packed sand.
There are some great You-tubes out there, here's a couple:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VlEwODTRedA
Cockpit view
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J4NnmbbSizQ
Instructional
V/R
Smokey
PS: At your own risk is key, know what you're doing :)
 
Last edited:
Fascinating, Vlad!

Forgive my ignorance, but is there a way to "read" the sand before landing? I can imagine it is like landing on Velcro, and by the time you realize that it is too soft you are trapped...? How does one know that the sand is 'Goldilocks firm', not too wet, not too dry? Don't the wheel pants fill up with sand and change balance? ... And do you worry about vapor lock preventing a hot re-start as the tide comes in?
...

- Roger

It actually not that complicated Roger. Arctic shore was easy because a former LRSS strip ends by the ocean. I just landed longer and taxied a bit further closer to whale bone pile then turned around. It is a very unique airstrip and soon will disappear after new airport is online.


beach1%20-%201.jpg



And yes, there is a way "to read" the sand prior to landing. If it is dark enough and surface smooth I do a pass then roll on mains to test the hardness and distance. At this point I already see all imperfections from down low. For example this beach was perfect for landing an RV both in length and hardness but it stunk unbearably.


beach1%20-%201%202.jpg



Pacific was the easiest there is an FAA designated airport Copalis Beach. But here on East Coast it is a big challenge to find a spot. I have over a dozen beach landings and Atlantic coast is the most difficult. I do have "a personal" beach in VA nobody dares to venture there but it's only good when tide is very low and lasts about two hours. If you can't start the engine you are four feet under.



how do you even find out where it is okay to land on the beach?

Tommy if it's in unpopulated area there are no boats and no NOAA/other restrictions I go and practice emergency procedures at my discretion. Sometimes even to a full stop. Smokey has good points. But remember I have a different wing (RV9A) and better visibility over the nose then hot rodders. :)
 
When the headline on the front page said "Three Ocean Beaches" I thought well that's cool, three different beaches on an ocean you can land on. But I should've known better because it was you, Vlad. Three oceans! Most of us haven't even seen three oceans! That is bada$$!
 
Awesome adventure and photos to go along with it, Vlad!!

Stuff you don't normally read in a NOTAM: "Avoid whale bone pile at east end of runway." :):)
 
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