What is the largest fully loaded aircraft that could take off and land on a 917m (1221ft) runway?

Question

Safely and legally!

I'm looking for aircraft models not just weight, thanks.

Answer 1

Density altitude??????

Answer 2

While maintaining your restriction to list civilian aircraft only, there are several Lockheed C-130 Hercules in civilian service around the world, both as cargo and mixed cargo/passenger carriers.  The C-130 is capable of lifting 45,000 lbs of payload from a 1500 ft runway. The Russian Antonov An-72 also falls into the heavy lift STOL category

Answer 3

So which runway? One's three times longer than the other d**n near.

Answer 4

By the way, 917 meters equals about 3,000 feet, not 1221 feet...if it is a 3,000 foot runway, a  Dehavilland Dash 8 series 100 in cargo configuration would be your best bet, with a payload of about 9,000 lbs , and max take off weight of 34,500 lbs. (An ATR-42 could possibly equal or exceed these numbers, but I am not all that familiar with that type of aircraft.)

  If it is the short value of 1221 feet, the best bet would be the Dehavilland DHC-6 Twin Otter.  It has a payload capability of about 3,000 lbs weight, and has a max take off weight of 12,500 lbs. It was specifically designed as a STOL (Short Takeoff and Landing) aircraft, and while somewhat expensive to operate in this day and age, carriers in Canada still use them quite extensively in the north, where "bush operations" still take place.

   I also thought about the Cessna 208 Caravan, which carries a similar payload, and could possibly take off and land on such a short distance, but I can't say for certain, since I don't know exactly what performance characteristics  it has.

Answer 5

The civilian cargo version of the Lockheed C-130 is called the L-100 or the L-382.  It would have my vote for the best all around STOL cargo plane.  A C-130 was even operated from the aircraft carrier USS Forrestal in 1963.

They are super rugged and reliable, and take off and climb like an angel.

Answer 6

The deHavilland Canada Buffalo.

We had one at our airport in the summer.  The runway is 3000' long with obstacles on both ends and density altitude averages between 4 and 6000 feet in the summer.

I've heard stories of this plane landing and taking off from a baseball diamond.

The Buffalo could almost do a vertical takeoff and landing on a carrier steaming over 30knots into a fresh breeze.