Alltrikes

Trikes are the ultimate recreational exploration vehicle. As long as you stay clear of populated areas, man-made structures, or controlled airspace, you can go anywhere.  The ability to go where ever you want, past the fences and locked gates is the best thing about trikes, and is my main motivation for flying. You feel almost super human flying a trike.  The top of the mountain, a remote meadow are all within easy reach.  For the new and intermediate pilot, these new found powers are intoxicating. Before long, you notice a velvety smooth pasture next to the old ruin or, may the nearby dirt road?   It would be so easy to land there. The short answer is "Don't".

I am continually tested on this point and have to actively suppress this urge in myself.  Over time, it has become easier to suppress this after seeing first hand or hearing about many crashes that involve landing on a dirt road.  It takes just one bad incident to total your trike or body.  Certainly, not worth the "Hey look at Me ! " bragging rights you get from landing on the dirt road.

A dirt road is much more narrow than most runways, but it is usually in some cool location. Near at scenic spot or by someone's house.  Often someone you are flying with someone who will land on a dirt road, and you want to prove you are just as good a pilot. Landing on dirt roads  is often rationalized as practicing an emergency landing.  But the new or intermediate pilot would be much better off practicing landings on an airport runway in thermally or cross wind conditions.  Those skills will serve you well in all landings,  airport or emergency. Landing on a dirt road in dead calm conditions is not that difficult but can easly go badly wrong.

You need to watch out for signs on the side of the road that are often placed every tenth of a mile, or 530 ft.  Those sign posts will grab and pivot the wing and crash you on the take off or landing roll out.  Relatively small rocks or bumps can hit the nose wheel and put the trike into a turn.  Oncoming cars are another danger.  Cops of various types will be glad to give you a ticket or impound your aircraft.  Don't ever land outside of an airport on an Indian Reservation in the US.

Surface conditions of anything but a maintained runway carries additional risks that the new or intermediate pilot is unaware of or may not be ready to deal with. There are plenty of dirt or grass strips around to practice on first before going anywhere near a dirt road. Note that any "velvetly smooth" pasture is 100 times rougher than the worst runway, and the worst maintained runway is 10 times smother than a dirt road.  

I learned this the hard way after landing on a "smooth" field. Landing was no problem, but on takeoff my nose wheel hit a clump of grass, and put my trike into an arcing turn.  I started to tip to the side and one of the mains left the ground for a second.  I pulled my footoff the gas, but my throttle cable was a little sticky and would not go all the way to idle. I didn't want to take my hand off the control bar to hit the kill switches because the tipping was getting worse. Eventually, I had no choice.  I flipped the kill switches and quickly rolled to a stop.

After catching my breath, I noticed a cloud of dust approaching.  It was a 4wheel ATV. Instead of fleeing the scene, I got out of the trike to greet my visitor.  I noticed my visitor was packing a holstered pistol and had a rifle lashed down across the top of his ATV.  Typical gear for a rancher in the middle of nowhere out in New Mexico.  We said "Hello", then asked, "Did you have some problem that forced you down here?" 

I condsidered bluffing my way out of the situation, but I hate being dishonest.  I said, "No, I don't, I'm just seeing how well my trike can land out here in the dirt."

The rancher then replied, "Do you have permission from the owner of the property to land here?".

Well, I might as well stick with the truth,  "Actually no, " I said, "Do you know who owns this property so I can ask him?"    

"I own this property, and that's my cattle over there." pointing a mangy half starved herd of 20 animals near a muddy watering hole.   

I apologized for landing on his property, and said would have asked for permission if I knew who owned the land and how to contact him. I also told him I made sure I gave his cattle a wide berth on landing. At that he lighted up a little and said it was ok. Eventually, he gave me permission to land here all I wanted, but just me, not any of my friends.  I told him he should get a trike, as he could very efficiently survey his property, and it would be a lot of fun.  I even offered to meet him at the airport and take him for a ride as a way to repay him for trespassing on his property. He laughed and said, "No thanks, I don't want that sort of pay-back."   

I took off and headed back home, feeling I had dodged a couple bullets that morning. That morning's near tip over followed by my interaction with the rancher removed most of my desire to land on dirt roads.  It took me 6.5 years of flying to get there.  I know others who figured it out sooner, unfortunately it was after totaling their trike with a crash.