Totally tubular, man

Coined by surfers, the phrase came to mean “the ultimate in perfection,” according to Green’s Dictionary of Slang, and of course, any child of the ’80s knows what Frank Zappa said: “It’s so awesome, it’s like tubular, y’know?”

What does this have to do with aviation? Only the coolest part of backcountry flying: landing in remote areas like glacier bars and bounce, bounce, bouncing on big, fat, tubeless tires. Gentle touchdowns in not-so-gentle places.

The big daddy of these tires is Alaskan Bushwheels made—in Alaska, of course—by Airframes Alaska, now Alaska Gear Company. We stopped in the Palmer, Alaska, location, made even more awesome by the Chugach mountain range directly outside the storefront’s windows, and got a tour of the manufacturing facility and learned how those big wheels are made.

Golden ticket

So, you’ve decided to make your Cessna 172 more off-roadable. Outfitting even the most pedestrian of aircraft to make it durable in the backcountry takes time, energy, and money. But the easiest first step is replacing the tires. AOPA did it with our recent Sweepstakes Cessna 170B, adding 26-inch Alaskan Bushwheels to create a “backcountry beast.”

In Oregon at the new Ragwood Refactory, Kyle Bushman has put Alaskan Bushwheels on a Cessna 175 (see “Beauty or the Beast,” June 2020, AOPA Pilot), a Cessna 180, and both PA–18s and PA–12s, as well as a de Havilland Beaver. “It’s rare for a single product to so profoundly expand where your airplane can go. That’s precisely what Bushwheels accomplish. I consider Alaskan Bushwheels the golden ticket to the backcountry,” Bushman said. “When I buy equipment, safety and performance are paramount, and Bushwheels deliver both. In terms of safety, larger wheels provide added insurance against unseen ground hazards. For performance, my aircraft achieve a steeper angle of attack, enabling shorter takeoffs and landings. The substantial shock-absorbing capability of these tires cushions rough operations. If I could make only one modification to an aircraft for backcountry operations, it would be Alaskan Bushwheels.”

The tundra tires are sealed and tubeless, allowing for safe operation at a low PSI and smoother, more forgiving landings. The integrated tube prevents in-the-field failures resulting from side hits that are common with other tubeless but non-integrated big tires, according to the company. The large airbag-like tires absorb the impact from obstacles, like rocks and gravel, and increase ground clearance, protecting aircraft propellers from damage.

Layers of rubber

Alaskan Bushwheels come in a variety of sizes and weights supporting everything from light sport aircraft to heavy bush airplanes, flying just about anywhere off airport (landing on paved surfaces contributes to a shorter tire lifespan; there is no discernable tread). They range in size from 26 inches to 35 inches and are designed to fit on six-inch wheels. The most popular size is the 31-inch tire. What is referred to as a “baby Bushwheel” is the 11-inch by 5-inch by 4-inch tailwheel tire, which some backcountry pilots believe is more important than the large front tires.

Many refer to Bushwheel tires as doughnuts, marshmallows, or inner tubes. And some describe the absorption of energy they provide as “landing on a cloud.” They are completely handmade, and each tire takes about 12 man-hours to complete. The raw materials are brought into Alaska to one of the three Alaska Gear Co. facilities in Palmer, Anchorage, and Fairbanks. The rubber granules are melted down into sheets of rubber, which are painstakingly layered upon layer, to a tune of hundreds of layers in the construction of the big 35s. This is referred to as “ply layering.”

Every tire is built on an airbag made of cut rubber parts, according to Chris Minsch, manager for Alaskan Bushwheels. “These parts, as we call them, are cut on our CNC rubber-cutting machine. When an airbag is cooked, it is checked for leaks through our quality control process and passed on to a tire builder.”

Minsch describes the steps to building the most popular 31-inch tire:

Once a tire builder receives an airbag, he/she will inflate it and proceed to clean the core with solvent. After cleaning and drying the tire, the builder will apply glue to the core of the airbag. The tire will then be placed on a mandrel and multiple sheets of nylon corded rubber are applied. Bead sidewalls, additional assemblies, and tread are added. Dimensions are then rechecked, and a Kevlar breaker ply is installed over the second body ply. Finally, the tire is ready to be glued, dusted with buffing dust, and cooked in a tire press.

After a tire is cooked at a specific pressure for a particular amount of time, it is pulled from the tire press and passed on to a tire finisher. The finishing process consists of trimming the tire, checking it for any surface defects, ensuring it is within company balancing standards, and checking the tire for any leaks in a dunk tank. If the tire passes all quality control checks, it is ready for off-airport operations. Each finished tire is hand inspected and serialized.

Now Alaska Gear

Airframes Alaska is the name most pilots think of when they are considering the Alaskan Bushwheels or any of the many products the company has designed and manufactured for aviation since pilot Bill Duncan bought the Oregon-based company in 2000.

In addition to bushwheels, the company manufactures products such as wheels and brakes, fuselages, taildragger assemblies, landing gear and suspensions, struts, flaps, and control surfaces. But Airframes recently changed its name and expanded its product line and is now the Alaska Gear Company.

“You can only sell so many tires and only to so many pilots,” said Ryan Kedzie, marketing director. “We need to move into larger markets so that we have the money to reinvest in our next products.”

That investment is in products the company explores in its “lab.” There they experiment and test product ideas that support the Alaskan lifestyle and an adventuresome spirit. From tents to boots to luggage, dip nets, and even hot sauce, the Alaska Gear Co. is trying on products that it believes will appeal to its customer base—without losing the core element of its foundation: aviation.

“This is the next phase for our company,” Kedzie said. “Aviation maintains our company but does not provide the growth. There are more needs for feet than airplanes.” He’s referring to “Bunny Boots,” waterproof insulated boots designed for extreme cold weather by the U.S. military during the Korean War. After more than two years of design and engineering, Alaska Gear Co. is “field testing” its Alaska Bunny Boot.

“As a company deeply rooted in the Arctic experience, having supported adventurers, explorers, the U.S. military, and bush pilots worldwide, we believe we are in the right position to iterate on this venerable boot,” the company said.

A hallmark of the Alaska Gear Co. lab is its desire to use and reuse all the materials used in production of its products. For example, Bunny Boots have a felt liner; the lab reused scraps of the felt and made what look like grocery bags.

“What would I use this for?” I asked.

“You let me know and we’ll figure out a way to market it,” said Kedzie.

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alaskagearcompany.com