Deer Creek, ID

The clip was recorded in September 2019 during a backcountry tour in a Kitfox. I never intended to post it on Youtube, but finding only very few videos of Bernard and none showing an approach to RWY 17, I changed my mind.


The approach to Bernard is interesting due to steep rising terrain just north of the airstrip, which makes runway selection like a pick-your-poison situation.


The airport database makes it easy, though: Recommended landing RWY is 35 and RWY 17 for departure. However, there is also a note stating "go arounds on RWY 35 are not recommended" - which is obviously not great. Before the approach, the pilot has to define a decision point, after which the only option is to land. And if a decision is made to go around at that point, due to the narrow canyon it is situated in, a one-eighty may not be possible and the only way out is straight ahead through the canyon at a high pitch and with limited visibility..


Approaching RWY 17 requires an approach through the canyon, with the airstrip coming in sight very late. The biggest problem are the obstacles on short final, though. You can't be lower and you can't be slower, but you still carry too much energy. I suggest you add a healthy margin to your landing distance calculation, simply because you won't cross the threshold at screen height / normal approach speed. The good part though is that you can always perform a go around. With the Kitfox being a STOL aircraft with enough margin we decided to use RWY 17.


The video starts about 1.5 miles north of Bernard, already only 400' above the airstrip, which is way lower than necessary. That is mostly due to me being unfamiliar with the area, the airstrip, the airplane, basically everything and thus constantly operating under a high workload. It was my sixth day ever in a taildragger, and my second day flying in the mountains, and obviously the first time approaching Bernard. I would never have attempted this approach without an experienced instructor.


During short final I cleared the obstacles as closely as I dared to do, which was both very fun and also scary, but the subsequent dive to the ground increased my airspeed, leading to an extended flare. Touchdown was just about halfway down the airstrip and only a second away from a call to go around. Had I been more experienced/skilled I might have slipped it in, but this close to the ground you really need to know what you are doing.


All in all, I was pretty happy with my first approach to Bernard airstrip. It was a LOT to take in during my two days in the Idaho backcountry, with this approach being one of the most memorable ones - I can't wait to go back.