Necessity is the mother of invention, as they say. In the case of the Bushwheel, it was necessity coupled with that insatiable draw to those far places unreachable but by air. That's what the original inventors of the Alaskan Bushwheel gave the bush flying community:
A tested and approved bush tire that gets pilots out into the wilds and back again safely.
Energy Absorption
Landing short often necessitates landing hard. Uncommonly pliable, Alaskan Bushwheels absorb the energy of those rough landings, taking the brunt of the impact off of your back, wheels, gear, and airframe.
Prop Clearance
Pretty simple, tall tires keep your nose high. This limits the chance of a prop strike during tricky ground maneuvers around scrubby thickets, over river rocks, and through tall grass.
Tube Free
Unlike your standard aircraft tire, Bushwheels are tubeless. This distinctive design eliminates the problem of tire slippage and stem shearing and makes it possible to run these tires at very low PSI.
NOT SURE WHAT YOU ARE LOOKING FOR?
The choice of Bushwheels depends on the pilot, their plane, and the way they want to fly. Here's what we generally recommend:
Flying a light sport aircraft?
A solid choice would be 26" or 29" Airstreaks.
First time upgrading from standard tube-type tires?
You might want to go for 26" Bushwheels.
Flying a Cessna, Maule, or heavier bush plane?
Most tend to chose 29" or 31" Bushwheels.
Want the ultimate go-to bush tire?
Choose 31" Bushwheels.
Want the most unapologetically large bush flying tire available?
That's the 35" Bushwheel.
Flying a Beaver of Pilatus?
Go for the robust 35" Beaver Bushwheel.
Frequently landing and taxiing on pavement?
That's not what Bushwheels are made for, but you can get similar functionality out of
Airhawks.
STORAGE
If storing your plane for 30 days or more, remove weight off the tires. Better yet,
remove your Bushwheels completely and install temporary standard tires.
Inflate tires to near maximum recommended air pressure if leaving them
installed on the aircraft while stored.
Avoid storing tires on heat-absorbing, petroleum-based surfaces like asphalt.
In cold weather, don’t let tires freeze to the ground. Combat both problems by
placing plywood or dense plastic barriers between the tires and ground.
MAINTENANCE
Read and follow all instructions in the ICA that came with your Bushwheels.
Never inflate a tire with more than 1 PSI if not mounted on a wheel assembly.
Rotate tires every 100 hours or at your annual, whichever comes first. Rotate
both side-to-side and on the wheel assembly itself so that valve stems point
inboard one time and outboard the next.
Protect tires from UV and other extreme weather conditions. Cover them with
vented plywood boxes painted white to reflect heat or use reflective vented
soft covers. We also recommend applying 303 Aerospace Protectant monthly to
combat UV degredation
Bushwheel Covers
303 Aero Space Protectant
OPERATIONS
Make large radius turns instead of brake turns to minimize tire scrubbing.
Do not use excessive braking on landings when not required.
If possible, inflate tires with dry nitrogen.
Keep tires at their recommended air pressure and check before every flight.
Limit the length of paved-runway taxis by landing close to your final parking spot
(only if it can be done safely).
TIPS FOR BUYING USED BUSHWHEELS
SERIAL NUMBERS
Serial numbers are 7 digits. Earlier versions were preceded by 3 letters, ABI or ATR. ABI is
Alaskan Bushwheel Inc. and ATR is Alaska Tire and Rubber. ATR was used on the earliest tires
made at Fire Lake prior to Oregon.
During Oregan’s production both prefixes were used, but we dropped the prefix when Airframes took over production.
The first 4 digits of the number indicates the year, then the month of manufacture. For
example 1404XXX would be April of 2014 mfg. Early tires were 6 digits, where the first digit
was the year and then month of mfg; 910XXX would be Oct 1999. All tires built before June of
2000 were built before certification and are not able to be covered by our STC.
PLANT CODE
The other way to tell if tires can be used under our STC is the plant code. That appears in the
large block of lettering along with the TSO number, inflation pressure, and load rating.
The plant code appears as either PC7AK or PC7AKO. The AK/AKO indicates it was either built
in Alaska or Alaska/Oregon. Only tires with PC7AKO plant codes are STCable.
WEAR SIGNS
As an aside there is no way to determine wear of the tire externally for the most part. The only
indications the tire may not be usable are the presence of exposed cording or weather checking. Any exposed cord renders the tire non-airworthy and should be avoided. Weather checking is not fatal but obviously not preferred. Small cracks around the valve stem and letters are
actually fairly normal even for tires of somewhat recent manufacture.
Typical lifespan of a tire is 7-12 years however that can vary a tremendous amount based on
storage and use on pavement. Checking the manufacture date is a good way of telling if the
WEAR SIGNS
tires still have some life in them or not.
STC's
STC’s are not transferrable from one aircraft to another as once they are filed for one
aircraft it is a permanent part of that aircraft’s logbooks. For the tires to be used on a
new aircraft the owner has to buy a new copy of the STC for that plane.
If the tires are airworthy and have the correct year of manufacture and plant code to
be able to issue an STC we can sell the customer a copy of the STC. STC re-issues
are $50 per copy plus postage. We require the serial number on both tires for the
STC and of course the $50. STC’s can be picked up in person at AF Birchwood or
Reeve and also be ordered over the phone.
Necessity is the mother of invention, as they say. In the case of the Bushwheel, it was necessity coupled with that insatiable draw to those far places unreachable but by air. That's what the original inventors of the Alaskan Bushwheel gave the bush flying community:
A tested and approved bush tire that gets pilots out into the wilds and back again safely.
Energy Absorption
Landing short often necessitates landing hard. Uncommonly pliable, Alaskan Bushwheels absorb the energy of those rough landings, taking the brunt of the impact off of your back, wheels, gear, and airframe.
Prop Clearance
Pretty simple, tall tires keep your nose high. This limits the chance of a prop strike during tricky ground maneuvers around scrubby thickets, over river rocks, and through tall grass.
Tube Free
Unlike your standard aircraft tire, Bushwheels are tubeless. This distinctive design eliminates the problem of tire slippage and stem shearing and makes it possible to run these tires at very low PSI.
If storing your plane for 30 days or more, remove weight off the tires. Better yet,
remove your Bushwheels completely and install temporary standard tires.
Inflate tires to near maximum recommended air pressure if leaving them
installed on the aircraft while stored.
Avoid storing tires on heat-absorbing, petroleum-based surfaces like asphalt.
In cold weather, don’t let tires freeze to the ground. Combat both problems by
placing plywood or dense plastic barriers between the tires and ground.
MAINTENANCE
Read and follow all instructions in the ICA that came with your Bushwheels.
Never inflate a tire with more than 1 PSI if not mounted on a wheel assembly.
Rotate tires every 100 hours or at your annual, whichever comes first. Rotate
both side-to-side and on the wheel assembly itself so that valve stems point
inboard one time and outboard the next.
Protect tires from UV and other extreme weather conditions. Cover them with
vented plywood boxes painted white to reflect heat or use reflective vented
soft covers. We also recommend applying 303 Aerospace Protectant monthly to
combat UV degredation
Bushwheel Covers
303 Aero Space Protectant
OPERATIONS
Make large radius turns instead of brake turns to minimize tire scrubbing.
Do not use excessive braking on landings when not required.
If possible, inflate tires with dry nitrogen.
Keep tires at their recommended air pressure and check before every flight.
Limit the length of paved-runway taxis by landing close to your final parking spot
(only if it can be done safely).
Serial numbers are 7 digits. Earlier versions were preceded by 3 letters, ABI or ATR. ABI is
Alaskan Bushwheel Inc. and ATR is Alaska Tire and Rubber. ATR was used on the earliest tires
made at Fire Lake prior to Oregon.
During Oregan’s production both prefixes were used, but we dropped the prefix when Airframes took over production.
The first 4 digits of the number indicates the year, then the month of manufacture. For
example 1404XXX would be April of 2014 mfg. Early tires were 6 digits, where the first digit
was the year and then month of mfg; 910XXX would be Oct 1999. All tires built before June of
2000 were built before certification and are not able to be covered by our STC.
PLANT CODE
The other way to tell if tires can be used under our STC is the plant code. That appears in the
large block of lettering along with the TSO number, inflation pressure, and load rating.
The plant code appears as either PC7AK or PC7AKO. The AK/AKO indicates it was either built
in Alaska or Alaska/Oregon. Only tires with PC7AKO plant codes are STCable.
WEAR SIGNS
As an aside there is no way to determine wear of the tire externally for the most part. The only
indications the tire may not be usable are the presence of exposed cording or weather checking. Any exposed cord renders the tire non-airworthy and should be avoided. Weather checking is not fatal but obviously not preferred. Small cracks around the valve stem and letters are
actually fairly normal even for tires of somewhat recent manufacture.
Typical lifespan of a tire is 7-12 years however that can vary a tremendous amount based on
storage and use on pavement. Checking the manufacture date is a good way of telling if the
WEAR SIGNS
tires still have some life in them or not.
STC's
STC’s are not transferrable from one aircraft to another as once they are filed for one
aircraft it is a permanent part of that aircraft’s logbooks. For the tires to be used on a
new aircraft the owner has to buy a new copy of the STC for that plane.
If the tires are airworthy and have the correct year of manufacture and plant code to
be able to issue an STC we can sell the customer a copy of the STC. STC re-issues
are $50 per copy plus postage. We require the serial number on both tires for the
STC and of course the $50. STC’s can be picked up in person at AF Birchwood or
Reeve and also be ordered over the phone.
A little Bushwheel background. Necessity is the mother of invention, as they say. In the case of the now venerable Bushwheel, it was necessity coupled with that nagging itch to get out there beyond the airport, airstrip, or tame patch of cut grass where backcountry flying really begins. First came the oversized balloon tires made in the off season by aviation tinkerers like Weldy Phillips, and then a slew of under-the-radar lookalikes in the '70s, '80s, and 90's that did the job albeit not too safely. That's what the original inventors of Alaskan Bushwheels sought to bring to the bush flying community: A tested and approved bush tire that gets pilots out into the wilds and back again safely.
Several years later and the brand includes two variants, the lightweight Airstreak and trusty Bushwheel. The brand is also "Alaskan" in a real sense. In 2014 Airframes Alaska bought the company and moved all manufacturing from Oregon back home to the 49th state.
Heard of Alaskan Bushwheels, but don't know what they're all about? Check out these articles to learn more about Alaskan Bushwheels and the type of backcountry flying they make possible:
