Trapper Creek in Matanuska-Susitna Borough, Alaska — Northwest (North America)
Luscombe Silvaire
Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., August 21, 2024
1. Luscombe Silvaire Marker
"The [Luscombe] Silvaire can make a good pilot look very good, and let the pilot flying it have a ball."
- Rick Dunde, Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association
This is the plane used by bush pilot Cliff Hudson. It is a Luscombe Silvaire model 8A, designed and built in 1939. Hudson used this aircraft for training purposes in the remote wilderness of Alaska.
This model 8A is a single-engine plane with one pair of wings and a two-blade propeller. It is 20-feet long with a wingspan of 35-feet, and holds two people.
Luscombes were considered "the sports car of light planes," and pilots enjoyed their performance and easy handling. They were built using no wood, which was revolutionary at the time. These all-metal planes were easier and cheaper to build, without sacrificing strength. Luscombes cruised at faster speeds using the same amount of engine power.
All in the family
Cliff Hudson bought this plane in 1975 to teach his sons to fly. Cliff and his sons Jay and Chuck flew this plane for years, and it has landed on both Denali and Ruth Amphitheatre, an immense glaciated area of Denali National Park.
BY THE NUMBERS
115
this page online
65 hp horsepower of the engine
400 pounds maximum weight the cabin can hold
370 miles distance plane can fly before refueling
665 pounds weight of the plane when empty
Erected by Mount McKinley Princess Wilderness Lodge.
Topics. This historical marker is listed in these topic lists: Air & Space • Environment. A significant historical year for this entry is 1939.
Location. 62° 33.382′ N, 150° 13.844′ W. Marker is in Trapper Creek, Alaska, in Matanuska-Susitna Borough. It can be reached from Parks Highway. Marker is on the Mount McKinley Princess Wilderness Lodge grounds, accessed east from AK Hwy 3 via McKinley View Drive at the Chulitna River. Touch for map. Marker is at or near this postal address: 133 Parks Highway (Alaska Hwy 3 Milepost 133), Trapper Creek AK 99683, United States of America. Touch for directions.
Regionally, this marker is in the Alaska Railroad Corridor, in the Athabascan Region, in the Mat-Su Valley, and in Southcentral Alaska. It is also on the American Pacific Coast. Globally, it is in North America, the Pacific Rim, the Western Hemisphere, the Western
Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., August 21, 2024
2. Luscombe Silvaire and Marker
Other nearby markers. At least 4 other markers are within walking distance of this marker: Alaska's Bush Pilots (here, next to this marker); Cliff Hudson (here, next to this marker); wolves find room to roam (about 500 feet away, measured in a direct line); Walter Harper (about 700 feet away).
Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., August 21, 2024
3. Luscombe Silvaire
Photographed by William Fischer, Jr., August 21, 2024
4. Luscombe Silvaire
Credits. This page was last revised on September 26, 2024. It was originally submitted on September 26, 2024, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio. This page has been viewed 174 times since then and 15 times this year. Photos: 1, 2, 3, 4. submitted on September 26, 2024, by William Fischer, Jr. of Reynoldsburg, Ohio.
