Ridenfool Posted September 26, 2023 Share Posted September 26, 2023 (edited) Headed up to camp a few days and watch some "airplane motocross" at the ArkanSTOL Ozark Backwoods Challenge and will be stopping to camp at Tyler SP going up and coming back. I'm gonna ride the Tyler SP trails again for certain, and was planning to also try one of the local trails. Anyone have an opinion on which would be the best choice, Faulkner Park or Lindsey Park? (after reading some reviews I'm leaning toward riding Faulkner. Lindsey is described as ATV wide, though no ATV use, with deep sand in a few places.) Also planning to try the trails at Fort Smith Lake State Park in Arkansas, if anyone has feedback to share. Any other trails along the way that might be worth a stop? Edited September 26, 2023 by Ridenfool Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hurronnicane Posted September 27, 2023 Share Posted September 27, 2023 Of the two, I enjoyed Lindsey Park more. Definitely more topography and a longer ride. Faulkner has some fun stuff too though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
spicewookie Posted September 27, 2023 Share Posted September 27, 2023 How fast can you go slow? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ridenfool Posted October 2, 2023 Author Share Posted October 2, 2023 (edited) I rode Faulkner, seemingly a few days after a major hail storm had dropped leaves, branches and trees on the trail. It seems like it would be fun to ride for the locals, particularly with all the TTFs they have built on it. Managed to get 8.1 miles, and it was a struggle having to stop for blockages often, and used MTBProject to figure out how to maximize the mileage. It looks like Tyler's club (TBC?) is a very active group building and taking care of these trails. Lindsey will be sampled on the next trip up that way. Hopefully, in cooler temperatures. As for the Wookie's question, ArkanSTOL is a "Short Take Off and Landing" competition where they use three grass landing strips (of 5 total) on the Byrd's Adventure Center property. The object is to take off on the first, land on the second, turn around and take off again, fly to the third, turn around and take off again, fly back to the first and land as short as possible. They are scored on elapsed time in seconds, which is added to their stopping distance in feet on the last landing for a total score. Lowest score wins. Hence, "How fast can you fly slow?" is their motto. The fast guys can complete the course in under 2.5 minutes while having to clear obstacles (pairs of inflatable 25 ft pylons) before touching down within designated areas. Most of these planes weigh under 1000 lb and have from 65 to 400 horse power behind the prop and many have highly modified wings designed to enhance slow flight. Some are antique planes from the 1940s (Piper, Aeronca, Taylorcraft...), many are home built from kits. Steve Henry won the overall flying "Yee Haw 8" (above) completing the course in 146 seconds after clearing the obstacle and getting stopped in 296.2 feet (measured from the pylons). His plane is powered by a turbocharged three cylinder Yamaha snowmobile engine making about 400 hp. These folks were fun to watch do their stuff. I was wiped out after four days of attending this event, riding back and forth to the airstrips to watch, and scuttled plans to camp and ride at other new-to-me trails on the way home in favor of just getting the 9 hour drive behind me. Edited October 2, 2023 by Ridenfool 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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