A 22-year-old Alaskan had the shortest combined takeoff and landing distance in the 2016 Valdez STOL competition. Bobby Breeden, flying a Super Cub, took off in 40 feet and landed in 55 feet to win the Alternate Bush category and claim the overall distance title at the competition held two weeks ago at Valdez Airport. It was his second consecutive win. Breeden, from Sterling, Alaska, has been competing since he was 17. In terms of overall distance, he edged Robert Pedersen, of Oriental, North Carolina, who was competing in the Light Sport class and had a 54-foot takeoff and 49-foot landing in his Just Aircraft Cub clone. While much of the attention is on the tricked-out Cub derivatives that inevitably win the competition, there were some noteworthy achievements by some other types.
For instance, Ben Brown, of Kasilof, Alaska, needed just 161 feet for takeoff and 83 feet to bring his Cessna 172 to a stop in the light touring class. Matt Conklin, of Boise, Idaho, coaxed his brawny Cessna 180 off the runway in 90 feet and landed in 168 feet to win the heavy touring class and Jacob Williams, of Anchorage, won the bush class in his Super Cub. Breeden will be among those taking part in EAA AirVenture’s STOL demonstration this year.
