I was wondering how much different it is to fly off snow with skis than it is to fly in warm weather with wheels. I've been out of the hobby for 15 years and will be getting back in. I've been building a Cub (should have built a trainer instead) which I will fly with instructor's help in the spring.

In the meantime, my brother and I were thinking about getting an ARF trainer (perhaps building a Spad), putting it on skis, and flying by ourselves on our snow-covered lake this winter (wide open spaces, nothing to run into other than the lake itself). The standard advice about always starting with an instructor aside, is it significantly more difficult to fly off snow than land?

-Scott

Hi Scott,
I love flying off the snow! It's at least as easy as land based flying and often easier. I haven't noticed any handling strangeness beyond maybe a need for a couple of clicks of elevator trim.
The skis glide so freely the airplane quickly picks up speed, then you can run across the snow as fast as you like before smoothly lifting off. Landings can be made "hot" or slow. A low idle setting is important, particularly on hard snow. The cooler air provides more power and better lift. I think the skis can also provide lift with some positive incidence because my planes fly really slow in the winter! My favorite condition is a smooth, firm base with 1-2 inches of powder on top. It's great to to do touch-n-go, leaving 10 foot long tracks!
pointers:
1. Aluminum skis get icy unless you can keep them in the shade or in the snow. Covering the bottoms with plastic tape really helps.
2. The skis usually lower the nose a bit so check your prop clearance.
3. A steerable tailwheel has always worked fine for me, others build little tailskis.
4. Don't bother with deep powder unless you can plow or pack it down.
So my answer is, get some Dubro plastic skis and do it

The day I soloed my plane was on skis.

Just remember, don't get the tips crossed

Just bought my Dubro Plastic Skis today (have been making them myself for a while). I have been flying of the snow for several years, was the first to fly in the snow for 3 years in a row! I'm going to make up skis for my 100" Rearwin Speedster, this should be cool!

make sure you take care of your skis (wax them and put edges on them)
[sm=biggrin.gif]

Enough already with the ski jokes! Seriously, thanks for the advice, guys. I think I've decided to build a SPAD trainer to mess around with on skis. That way I can keep costs low and use an engine I have hanging around. I won't feel too bad about trying to re-learn flying on my own if all I'm risking is a bunch of plastic.

-Scott

Flying on skis is awsome, and the cub will be a good airplane for you. If you could fly when you quit, you will pick it up fast. A sim would help get your fingers ready if you can get one.

I used a piece of rain gutter downspout (plastic, white) and cut the shape of the ski, dip the end in boiling water to get it soft, shape it around a can of pop, and then to mount the ski to the axle, I used an old single sided engine mount I had in a drawer, run the two screws through the bottom of the ski, nut on top, drill the side of the mount for the axle and hold it on with collars. There are lots of tricks to keeping them at the right angle, the one I like the best is a steering arm through the axle, and the other end drilled into the mount, set your angle, tighten the bolt and you have your ski angle. You can put one on the nose for the trike or tail for conventional.

If the powder is too deep, it gets tougher, but is more fun to do touch and goes on the snow than just about anything else.

Have a ball. You will like it. Good luck.

Flyboy-

Thanks for the encouragement. Hard to say whether most people would say I could "fly" when I quit. I never had a typical trainer experience like most people. I learned on an Andrews Aeromaster bipe I inherited. Consequently, I learned to fly on my own pretty well. I could also take off fine on my own. As I recall, landings were a little dicier and I often had help. That's why I think the SPAD will be good for getting reaquainted.

BTW, where are you in MT. I occasionally travel to Billings for business.

-Scott

I am in Missoula, other side of the state. I fly to billings every now and then, but seldom land. We do aerial photos over there a lot. Its a 6 hour drive to get there, and about an hour and 45 minutes in the plane. fun!

Try G2 for getting used to the controls if you can get your hands on one. I was amazed at how good it is. I have been flying for over 27 years and use it to just fly once in a while and use it to learn new stuff for my heli. Lots of fun. Paid for itself many times over saving heli crashes.

Can someone tell me how to keep the Du-bro ski from getting in the prop area on a nose wire gear set-up? Took off fine in flight the nose ski decided it was not going to do right. I followed the instructions. Do not know what else to do..Any suggestions? These springs are weird. Not much to go on unless you work at Nasa. For me anyway and I am a...well it doesn't matter. Can anyone tell how to do it?

IVN

That Aeromaster will do fine on skis! Just ask me how I know!

bdtsr-

I assume you fly or flew an Aeromaster on skis. Maybe next winter for me. I need to get what little skills I had back first!

-Scott

Flew my Aeromaster (OS .61fsr) for several years with skis on! Flewvery well and didn't want to come down because the skis added lift!

My father and I flew a couple CG Cubs off skis for many years along with another high wing what used to be a trainer airplane in the tri gear config, it is an absolute blast!! Cubs fly great on skis, father had a full scale cub on floats/skis/wheels hence the idea to do it with RC ones. We made our skis out of laminated 1/32" lite ply that we wet formed before we laminated, then clamped them together with epoxy between the layers, sand perfect, couple coats of clear urethane over the wood to seal and go. Made a small triangular block out of hardwood to mount on the axle and epoxied it to the top of the ski. We then glued a Dubro "wingtip guard" on the bottom of each (like a small fin) centered towards the rear for directional stability and steering. Works great, have 3 sets for 3 planes.

Brian

I noticed you live in s jersey I was wondering what club you fiy with
I live in Brick NJ

I fly with the Atlantic County Skyblazers and the Jersey Sky Devils. My mother-in-law lives in Brick. If you ever feel like taking a ride let me know. I'm about an hour away from you. Just ordered a pool from Pool Town over on Rte. 9.

Winter flying is great. Stick with a taildragger, they are much easier to taxi no matter the snow condition. Be pepared to keep your pinkies warm! Some guys cut the thumbs out of their gloves, I made a radio bag from a kids snowsuit. Best idea I ever had for winter flying. Oh yah, the best thing about flying on the ice, you always will land on the runway!

I have a tri wire landing gear on my Trainer. I have three trainers. I am getting after the 1st of year a 4 Star 60. I have a 91 Magnum already to go broke it in and cannot wait to move up to me second plane. Being from the south I never saw anyone fly in the snow. I just started flying in June this year anyway. I started a 3 channel Lanier plane down south in 1925 but I got sick.(Cancer) and had to quit and sold everything. BUT I am Alive! I a .60 webra.

Nevertheless. I flew great yesterday and today. But I have the same problem. one ski wanted to go vertical.
I was told the wire gear is hard to get these to work. but I have rigged up a system that shows promise. I will get out there tomorrow. Because if I want to fly, I am going to have to use the skis because our field is covered! Only me and one other giuy my old instructor have been flying out of 170 members!

So the field is in good shape. There are 4 foot drifts! It is going to be there for a long time!
But I did take off a third time thinking I fuixed the problem and up it went and made the drag so bad i was losing control. With a little head wind it made it bad. I ended up off course and floated into a tree. But was able to get it out ok. the motor was still running. I lost a wing and had several holes. This Trainer was given to me anyway and it is old and beat up anyway. But I have a brand new wing that a guy gave me after he trashed his trainer. So I made all repairs tonight and fixed the skis with a metal pushrod. I tied it to the wire gear and went through the ski itself. Then came out in front and made the end spring like and it will prevent the ski from getting vertical! I have all three like this now and several rubber bands around the base of the also. This is going to work and have some fun now.

I was told they do not work on wire gear and to get the aluminum gear. I have the Fiberglass on one. Too late now. If thios doesn't work I will have no choice but to do that or get floats. BUT I just paid $30.00 for the skis! They are going to work! Know what I mean?

Here is a quick, crude diagram of how I set up my skis on numerous different aircraft, works flawlessly.

Brian