Ski flying is something I have always wanted to do and with the snow on its way I find myself thinking about it even more. Trouble is that board skis are the only option for the Luscombe and there is not much snow here in the valley. Obviously the runways are kept plowed so what is a guy supposed to do that is limited to straight skis? I used to have a set of Federal 1500's but sold them because I did not think I would be able to use them because of this reason.

So what do you guys do that have planes on straight skis that are kept at airports where the strip gets plowed?

Where it gets really tricky is trying to find a ski-strip that sells fuel... Especially in the spring-time, when all of the taxiways to the pump are dry !

If its a smaller, non-towered strip, then you might try and talk to the maintenance staff about leaving some snow near the runway edge, or possibly just landing off the runway if there is a suitable path to your tiedown. I would imagine that towered strips might frown on that, but it might be worth asking the Airport Manager.

Find a friend who lives on a lake, and park out in front of their house. I move from Merrill Field to Lake Hood in the wintertime because the fees are substantially less.

Ive never tried dollies, but if you had a nice set of those it would help with taxiing over pavement if you couldn't avoid it.

Lots of options !

Bob K.
Anchorage, AK

Yep, unless your local airport can be persuaded to leave some suitable snow on the grass alongside their runway, it's time to get creative. This is where highways adjacent to lakes and fields have been known to enter into the equation.

It can help if you have big enough tires to land on snow, where you can then install skis. That kind of operation is usually all about timing- be ready to do it on the day when all the conditions are favorable, or you can be waiting weeks for the next good combination of weather, snow cover, temps, and an airframe that isn't encased in ice.

Or stick the skis on, and be ready to relocate the plane the first time it snows, before the runway is plowed. You can even shovel a little snow into a hangar to provide a surface to slide the plane plane out on, if you need to.

A congested airport, among lots of other people's planes, is a very poor place to attempt ski-taxiing for the first time. Whatever you do, allow yourself a lot of room to practice the ground handling, or get someone with experience to move it away from confined quarters. This is especially true if conditions are windy and/or icy.

Fueling is a trick, like Bob says, but I assume your burn rate in a Luscombe isn't too bad, so if you have to transfer fuel in jerry cans, or tow a drum out onto a lake with a snowmachine, it's not as bad as fueling something in the high performance category. Just study and heed all the fuel-transfer posts on this site and others.

Another consideration is preheat, if you have no electricity where you tie down. I can run a propane forced-air heater off of a 1KW Honda generator, or if I'm traveling, I keep a Northern Companion preheater in the plane. You'll also want a good insulated cowl blanket. Wing and canopy covers come in very handy as well.

Then be prepared to figure out the whole deal in reverse come spring time.

If this all sounds like a lot of work, it's because it can be. But stick with it, it's worth it.

-DP

Here are two websites that might have helpful information:

http://www.treetopflyers.org/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl

http://www.iditarodairforce.com/winter%20operations.htm

And Just FYI: "Polar bear tracks are not a reliable indication of ice thickness. A polar bear can cross ice where a person could not walk."

denalipilot wrote:
And Just FYI: "Polar bear tracks are not a reliable indication of ice thickness. A polar bear can cross ice where a person could not walk."

that's right- always look for moose tracks before landing on unknown ice


i built a set of dollies to get my plane out of the hanger on straight skis. and i would always have to go to the airport after they plowed it so i could knock down a snowbank and build a ramp to access the snow. i would operate from the unplowed area right next to the runway. and then i could fly to any lake, field, or unplowed strip. lots of fun. especially when you arrive early after a big snow, and you can use the runway while the other "wheel" pilots are waiting for it to be plowed

edit

I remember when you posted the pics of the dollies you made UP_M5...figure if I need some then I can just copy your idea.

Wish I had a buddy with a farm or something round here but I'm not sure there would be enough snow anyways. Back in Idaho Falls I'd have tons of options for keeping the plane at friends farms but I'm here not there

I assume in AK it is acceptable to use the area next to the runway but I'm not sure how airport managers feel about it down here.

DP,

Don't think I have to worry about Polar bear tracks leading me astray down here