OK - I know winter is still a few months away but I am starting to plan for the ski season with the 170B. Anyway, I want to put on a wheel penetration tail ski and am looking to see what people have/like. I have a set of Schneider wheel penetration skis on the mains now and they worked well, but I am a little forward with the cg and am thinking that putting a tail ski on will help. Also, does anyone have any ideas or methods for attaching a set of snow shoes to the wing strut? This is a single strut. I would like to mount them outside the plane for room and besides that it just looks cool!

Thanks,

Paul
N3458D

Attaching snowshoes to a single strut seems, er, problematic. Is there really not enough room in the cabin?

this is a nice tail ski:
http://www.burlac.com/Tailski.htm

aeroski also sells one. theirs is aluminum.

i have an old federal tail ski that has 8 lbs of lead attatched to it to bring the W&B back where it should be.
i also fly the schneider wheel skis and like them for what they are.

The Aeroski tail ski is a POS. Their main skis are good stuff, but that tail ski isn't worth the powder it'd take to...

Call Burl at Burl's Aircraft, as listed in the previous post. Burl's tail ski is near perfect in my opinion, and I've used them on seven or eight aircraft, of varying weights.

They work. And they are the only ones on the market worth a hoot, in my opinion.

MTV

Paul, can you tell me more about those Schneider wheel penetration skis? My plane has been on skis, and I've been thinking about trying it someday. How are the pros and cons?

They work OK. This year I am going to set the wheel penetration shallower (There are 2 settings). The wheels penetrated quite far last year and produced quite a bit of drag. This ski flying was a new experience for me (last year being my first year). If we had a snow covered runway here or if I lived on a lake. I would be more inclined to use straight skis - but they too have their disadvantages from what I hear - limited landing areas (like paved runways, etc). Fortunantly, when I bought the 170, the guy threw in the skis free!

Attaching snowshoes to a single strut seems, er, problematic. Is there really not enough room in the cabin?

The snow shoes will fit inside, but I am thinking if I head somewhere camping with gear, it would be one less thing to have in the plane. Besides, I've seen them mounted on the outside on Super Cubs, etcs and just think it looks cool


Paul
N3458D

mtv wrote:The Aeroski tail ski is a POS. Their main skis are good stuff, but that tail ski isn't worth the powder it'd take to...

Call Burl at Burl's Aircraft, as listed in the previous post. Burl's tail ski is near perfect in my opinion, and I've used them on seven or eight aircraft, of varying weights.

They work. And they are the only ones on the market worth a hoot, in my opinion.

MTV

MTV,

I have heard enough reports like yours to make me decide to try a Magnum I from Burl's this winter. I currently have an Aero on my 170B/ Scott 3200. It weighs under 3.5 lbs. The Magnum I is about twice that. Thoughts?

I'm also hoping that the Magnum is easier to install/remove. I get to swap mine in the cold and the snow each year, so anything to make this go easier would be welcome.

Thanks,

-DP

I agree, attaching skis to a single strut is waiting for an accident to happen. There is lots of room in the tail cone for light skis, much safer.

Denali,

The Burl's ski is heavier, no doubt, but at least in this case, that weight tells you something about the relative strength and stoutness of the device....and that's good.

As I noted, I wouldn't go any other direction with a tail ski, and I am a big fan of tail skis.

Paul,

Forget trying to hang snowshoes on the struts of a single strut airplane. A couple of things: First, in some FAA districts, this is GOING to be frowned upon. In Alaska, it's sanctioned by Regional policy of the FAA. Unfortunately, the Alaska Region policy won't keep you out of trouble in your neck of the woods.

Second, there is simply no reasonably safe and secure way to attach the things to a single strut. I've operated all sorts of Cessnas with all kinds of loads on skis, and getting a set of big snowshoes inside has never been a problem, even with a max load.

Finally, if the conditions in your avatar are representative of the snow conditions you're apt to encounter, you probably don't need snowshoes.....or skis for that matter.

Sorry, couldn't resist.

MTV