Hey everybody! The "Ski flying" group is fully approved for everyone thanks to our Founder.

Please join up. This is real bush flying!

That tail ski isn't going anywhere, looks good!

I just got through cobbling up a mount for my Datum tail ski to my new Matco dual fork TW, and after much thought came up with something that will work for this year, but at some point I will re-do it as I now know how to do it better.

5 minutes later: I just went out to the hangar to take a picture of how I did mine.......and good thing as I will be doing the re-do TODAY as opposed to later! Long story short, back to the drawing board. Memo to self: preflight back there better I will for now assume that the anomalies I spotted back there just now happened on my last flight, to think I missed said anomalies on a pre-flight is hard to imagine This is why we call them EXPERIMENTALS. I'd much rather have the freedom to screw up now and then, then have a nanny state government telling me I had to use a certed tail ski mount, my bad, and I'll come up with a much improved mount system and if not my tough luck. Also my lawyer tells me Matco and Datum may be liable, just kidding.

courierguy wrote:That tail ski isn't going anywhere, looks good!

I just got through cobbling up a mount for my Datum tail ski to my new Matco dual fork TW, and after much thought came up with something that will work for this year, but at some point I will re-do it as I now know how to do it better.

5 minutes later: I just went out to the hangar to take a picture of how I did mine.......and good thing as I will be doing the re-do TODAY as opposed to later! Long story short, back to the drawing board. Memo to self: preflight back there better I will for now assume that the anomalies I spotted back there just now happened on my last flight, to think I missed said anomalies on a pre-flight is hard to imagine This is why we call them EXPERIMENTALS. I'd much rather have the freedom to screw up now and then, then have a nanny state government telling me I had to use a certed tail ski mount, my bad, and I'll come up with a much improved mount system and if not my tough luck. Also my lawyer tells me Matco and Datum may be liable, just kidding.

My goal is to go Experimental after I learn more. I love your posts! Much to be learned from you. Thank you again.

If my ego allows, I MAY post a picture at some point of the tail ski attach bracket debacle I saw in the hangar just now, after I fab a "new and improved" model. Again, yours looks bullet proof. An hour ago I would have said it was over built, not now! Back to the drawing board for me.

In the interim, it just occurred to me that I can still ski fly without it. I just never have, all my ski flying has been with a tail ski. While I like the thought of having that braking action of a non skied TW, a few pictures I've seen of deep snow up to the bottom of the tail feathers made me a tail ski user from the start though I know many don't use them. Right now there is so little snow I'm sure it is not needed.

courierguy wrote:If my ego allows, I MAY post a picture at some point of the tail ski attach bracket debacle I saw in the hangar just now, after I fab a "new and improved" model. Again, yours looks bullet proof. An hour ago I would have said it was over built, not now! Back to the drawing board for me.

In the interim, it just occurred to me that I can still ski fly without it. I just never have, all my ski flying has been with a tail ski. While I like the thought of having that braking action of a non skied TW, a few pictures I've seen of deep snow up to the bottom of the tail feathers made me a tail ski user from the start though I know many don't use them. Right now there is so little snow I'm sure it is not needed.

The STC for my Fluidyne tail ski is 50+ years old! The original drawings were freehand! It's proven for sure!

Great idea. I'm in!
Anybody know how to get some pictures added so they come up with the group header?
-DP

I took the liberty of adding DP's photo as the cover photo. The group founder and admins can change those images, BUT...

The cool thing about groups is that you can upload photos to them easily, and I'll leave it up to the group owner to take notice of the good ones and promote them periodically to the cover or avatar.

newly refinished 22/20 and first flight on skis: HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY

http://www.backcountrypilot.org/me/my-photos/4594-1958pacer/album?albumid=3526

So, the day after discovering my first (actually second, just first on the dual fork Matco) wheel ski install needed to be "re-engineered", I had it's successor finished up, and I didn't even have to go into town or order any parts. This would have been New Years Day. Those of us rural types know the great feeling of starting a project of any kind and pulling it off by supplying 100% of the needed material from stuff you had laying around.

The one aluminum side plate came off a remnant of a solar water pump controller mount bracket, the other side (slightly thinner but still close enough) plate is a piece of a county road sign that fell in the ditch, and laid there for 6 months. Still there after the county boys had replaced the original ran over sign, I finally, as a public service, salvaged it. For the last few years whenever I need a little piece of 1/8" aluminum I cut another piece off it. I was barely able to get the needed size out of it, as the remainder is pocked with shotgun pellets and pierced with bullet holes. One side still has that reflective stuff on it, that side faces in, for cosmetic purposes.The 1/2" sq. tube is thin wall mild steel (didn't have any aluminum tube and wasn't going to wait for Aircraft Spruce over the weekend) the 4 pieces that are bolted to the side plates are so short the weight gain is negligible, and they will be easy to replace "later". They are snugged up to both sides of the tailwheel forks, the only way that ski is going anywhere is if it takes the tailwheel with it. Nothing like a fail to make a little overkill look good.

The 1/4" all thread at the top rear of the forks (didn't have a AN4-A bolt long enough, one will be installed later) ties the two sides together, not really needed but what the heck it will make both sides stay where they are, for sure. I got that idea from 8GCBC's Fluidyne setup. I'll probably drill a few lightening holes in the side plates when I replace the steel tubes. The install is about 5 minutes or less, and mostly involves getting the 1/2" axle and spacers lined up right, everything except the all thread stays together. I've got about 12 hrs on it now, and it's working as expected, no excuse for the first almost failure (that would have beat up the rudder pretty good but not been a major disaster, as in having to snowshoe out anyway), this one will be bulletproof.

Also note the tow ring on the tail spring, this makes for a nice clean way to pull the plane backwards while still letting the tailwheel ski turn as needed. I also have a bridle arrangement for the two front gear legs, so if I ever need to get towed out by a snowmobile I have the needed hardware to hook a towline to. Like some Cub guys are doing, I also have a new open look to the rear end, that no fabric area really helps in keeping an eye on that heavily worked area, I also fabbed and welded that tailpost re-inforcement strut while back there. I also got rid of the AN-5 bolt that was used for the front tail spring attachment (shimmed with a bushing as the spring comes with a 7/16" hole but the fuselage had a 5/16" bushing, so with a re do of that 5/16" bushing I now have a AN7 bolt back there with no shims needed.