I'm a Yooper Too! I have a J3/L4 Cub that I just finished restoring and I have a couple of Taylorcraft....1 is on floats. I grew up and lived in Ontonagon until 2002 now I live in Iron River....I work in Ishpeming and several of us there have skiplanes...I will pm you some contact info...cause we get together almost every weekend for skiplane gatherings....anyway...the best thing you can have with you in light to moderate overflow is a pair of snow shoes...you can tramp out a path for each ski and USUALLY get going.....I always land, maybe do some turns or just shove the stick forward a bit to put weight downward on the skis....then takeoff and go around and look at your tracks for slush.....it will help you choose whether or not to stop....it may also help you choose a suitable parking spot that is free of slush. The snowshoes are also nice to have if you end up walking out from some lake in the boonies




This is us 2 weeks ago on teal lake for lunch....that's my yellow cub with Army markings.

H2O Pilot wrote:I'm a Yooper Too! I have a J3/L4 Cub that I just finished restoring and I have a couple of Taylorcraft....1 is on floats. I grew up and lived in Ontonagon until 2002 now I live in Iron River....I work in Ishpeming and several of us there have skiplanes...I will pm you some contact info...cause we get together almost every weekend for skiplane gatherings....anyway...the best thing you can have with you in light to moderate overflow is a pair of snow shoes...you can tramp out a path for each ski and USUALLY get going.....I always land, maybe do some turns or just shove the stick forward a bit to put weight downward on the skis....then takeoff and go around and look at your tracks for slush.....it will help you choose whether or not to stop....it may also help you choose a suitable parking spot that is free of slush. The snowshoes are also nice to have if you end up walking out from some lake in the boonies




This is us 2 weeks ago on teal lake for lunch....that's my yellow cub with Army markings.

Hey Dan, nice plane and great tips! Pioneering a trail first saved me from potentially getting stuck at Otter Lake yesterday in 8-10" of slush. I then went up to the Keweenaw and expected many feet of snow but only averaged like 4" snow and solid ice! Had an absolute ball. Hey, I PM'd you and will give you a shout regarding the fly-in next week. Looking forward to meeting some more skii-flying Yoopers. Take care, Rob

Just for the knowledge base about Bunny Boots... You want white ones, the black are not as warm. Also you want BATA brand not Miner Industries or some of the unlabled ones. If they do not say BATA they are not BATA. Some of the knock offs don't say. All boots are not the same. You may find them on EBay. If there are new ones you may pay over $100. That is fine, buy two. Also when you get them super glue the air valve shut so moisture doesn't get in the boot. Air valve is for paratroopers to regulate the air pressure. They are NOT to be blown in, that puts moisture into the boot. You don't want the valve open when you step in the overflow. BATA made them for the military for years and then lost the contract to Miner Industries and the Miner boots fell apart. In the mean time Bata sold off all their equipment and molds so that will be all of the good ones. This happened about 15 years ago so the supply is slowly drying up.

jprax, that is good information on the manufacturer change I did not know. I wear my black bunny boots almost every day all winter long, just using the white ones for those special occasions. I had wondered why the last couple of pairs were not lasting like the old ones did, I bet that is the answer. I always keep an extra pair in stock, will check into manufacturer before ordering the next ones.

Steve

jprax wrote:Just for the knowledge base about Bunny Boots... You want white ones, the black are not as warm. Also you want BATA brand not Miner Industries or some of the unlabled ones. If they do not say BATA they are not BATA. Some of the knock offs don't say. All boots are not the same. You may find them on EBay. If there are new ones you may pay over $100. That is fine, buy two. Also when you get them super glue the air valve shut so moisture doesn't get in the boot. Air valve is for paratroopers to regulate the air pressure. They are NOT to be blown in, that puts moisture into the boot. You don't want the valve open when you step in the overflow. BATA made them for the military for years and then lost the contract to Miner Industries and the Miner boots fell apart. In the mean time Bata sold off all their equipment and molds so that will be all of the good ones. This happened about 15 years ago so the supply is slowly drying up.

JPRAX: Good call posting that info and the backstory on Bata. Through some research, I found Bata is the way to go and mine are on their way. I ordered a black pair as we rarely get much below zero, since temps are buffered by L. Superior. If I like them, you got me persuaded to order another reserve pair.

Playing around in some "overflow" the other day....

https://vimeo.com/59364680

dayooper wrote:Playing around in some "overflow" the other day....

https://vimeo.com/59364680

Appreciated the shot of you kicking snow off your boots at the beginning. It amazes me that passengers never think to do that. And when you ask them to clean off their boots, nine times out of ten they'll do it by kicking the side of your airplane!

dayooper,

I am going to order some boots today while it is on my mind, where did you find the good ones at?

Steve

steve wrote:dayooper,

I am going to order some boots today while it is on my mind, where did you find the good ones at?

Steve

allegheny outlet has the Mickey's good for down to -20F. Never did find a source for the -60F bunny boots. I believe the latter are the ones in high demand and are being scarfed up by our neighbors to the north. I can't see why I would ever need anything that warm, plus I fear they would be too bulky to work the rudder pedals....

denalipilot wrote:

dayooper wrote:Playing around in some "overflow" the other day....

https://vimeo.com/59364680

Appreciated the shot of you kicking snow off your boots at the beginning. It amazes me that passengers never think to do that. And when you ask them to clean off their boots, nine times out of ten they'll do it by kicking the side of your airplane!

Lol !!