Insane takeoff

It certainly seems they could have found an airplane type better suited to that kind of operation.
 
Here's the corresponding landing (uphill so it's over those same trees):

[video=youtube;9fTS-fKX13U]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9fTS-fKX13U[/video]

One of the youtube comments was that due to compression from the camera zoom he wasn't as close to the trees as he looked. Maybe, but watch the shadow of the airplane on the treetops as he comes in...
 
He doesnt seem to care about holding the nose wheel up in either video... Ok, well, its not my plane, so whatever
 
Well if you look at the shadow angle on the second video around the :36 mark you can see that the sun is low on the horizon and casting a shadow further back from the aircraft. This would give the illusion on those trees which makes them seem closer than they really are.
 
Interesting story if you click through to the guy's youtube channel. The pilot in that first video posted is Bob Norton, a missionary pilot for AMA, he went missing in Venezuela in 2009. Looks like they put together a documentary covering his search.
 
Same takeoff but from inside the airplane:
[video=youtube;RO9bzTsFhPI]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RO9bzTsFhPI[/video]
 
Doesn't look too bad at all. Held it in ground effect for quite awhile but I don't see anything horrible.
 
Looks like the Van can do some pretty insane bush work too, eh? [video=youtube;zfpW0-UZsYA]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zfpW0-UZsYA[/video]
 
Doesn't look too bad at all. Held it in ground effect for quite awhile but I don't see anything horrible.

Yeah, I agree. It doesn't look as close from inside as it does from the outside view but I wouldn't turn that steep so low.
 
Yeah, I agree. It doesn't look as close from inside as it does from the outside view but I wouldn't turn that steep so low.

For as muddy as it is I think it gets off the ground OK, but what makes this interesting is the rising terrain off the departure end, you can see his immediate turn is to get him to track the elevation profile side-hill with higher tree tops just a bit off his wing. He did good.
 
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