Northwest Passage, 2011 [View all]

[Major Nikon]

I found these photos of a guy that took a Piper Cub (airplane) on a 30 day excursion across the western US. For those who don't know what a Piper Cub is, it is a pretty interesting aircraft. They were built back in the 40's as an everyman's aircraft. They were relatively cheap to buy. The engine they came with had anywhere from 40 hp to 75 hp (a Toyota Yaris has a 106 hp engine). Needless to say, it's a very underpowered airplane which makes this trip all the more interesting. The higher you go in an airplane, the less performance you have. The highest this aircraft can go is around 9,000' above sea level. Out in the west, mountain ranges of 10,000' and higher are quite common, which means you have to find mountain passes to cross at lower altitudes in an aircraft like this.

http://www.vintageflying.com/vintageflying%20photos%202011.htm