Every year in Valdez, Alaska, they hold a STOL competition. That’s a cool acronym that stands for Short Takeoff and Landing. At the event, pilots compete with their plane to land and takeoff in the shortest possible distance. The competition has attracted some pretty incredible looking aircraft that are super-lightweight. In order to take off in such short distances, the airplanes have many high lift devices along with extremely powerful engines for their size.
Last year Frank Knapp won the competition with a takeoff in just 58 feet…Thats right, 58 feet! Most cars can only accelerate to about 40 mph in 58 feet. In that distance, Frank’s 650lb homebuilt, a modified Piper Cub, took to the skies and soared.
This EAA video is definitely worth checking out. It is #avgeekery at its best.