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Backcountry Pilot • GOT SOME!

GOT SOME!

Two of the best inventions ever, skis and airplanes, together.
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GOT SOME!

3 hrs in the last couple days, and I'm here to tell you the first ski flight of the season is a bit intimidating! Close to 300 hrs last year of off airport flying, but going to the skis sure gets your attention like nothing else, it really ratchets up the excitement level a whole lot. :shock: The picture is after the first takeoff, the second takeoff I drifted off to the lower right.Image

In fact I suffered my first injury: I have to fast taxi up my ski ramp at my mountain strip to get back to the hangar, and with the cross wind I had on my first of the season upramp experience, I missed it and had to come to a stop. Now if I reduce throttle I slide backwards, but I've found that the skis will usually only go a few feet before the TE digs in. That's if it's soft snow, hard pack you keep sliding. Soft yesterday so after I quit going backwards I jumped out and grabbed the tail, lifted it (only 60 lbs or so, I keep it light for this reason) and then carefully worked the main gear around so I was sideways to the slope (don't want to wrench it around like when on wheels, just another little thing different about ski flying). Back in the cockpit, I fired it up and gave it full left rudder while lifting the tail up with the elevator, this served to get me pointing back down the "runway", as I needed to takeoff and re-land in order to try the ramp approach again, once stopped the slope is too steep to get moving again.

So now I am heading down the mountain, and the 6 to 8 mph breeze is a quartering tailwind, at my 4 o'clock, plus the down slope has a left hand double fall line, both conspire to drift me off the centerline and towards some big sage brush (full right rudder and full throttle of course) and right as I am totally committed I get this big charley horse in my right leg, it hurt like hell but I, even at the time, could appreciate the humor of it. I snowboard several times a week, and mountain bike all summer, but I guess I need to get in shape, or pick a better place to fly out of. I ended up clearing the brush, and the second approach went fine. You float pilots can appreciate this, having no brakes and dealing with cross wind situations, and then throw in a 14% grade, sure can make things interesting. [-o< Then today, I'm across the valley from my place shooting landings on the dry farm slopes, also about 14% grade, and out of no where there is a single steel fence post that I didn't spot until already in the turnaround, too late to change my trajectory, I cleared it but not by much, my speed was only 10 mph or so so not really dangerous, just would have been hard on the equipment. Another good ramp approach though helped me feel better :lol: ImageImage
courierguy offline
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Joined: Thu Mar 31, 2005 6:52 pm
Location: Idaho
"Its easier to apologize then ask permission"
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