Hi...I have a Superstar EP electric trainer plane (weight 2.5 lbs,
wingspan 48", 600 motor, 2100mah battery pack). I have
a large 1 acre+ grass backyard with the grass around 2.5"-3" inches high..(and I cannot cut it lower).
My questions are this:
1. For landings, would I be better off using Dubro
Main Skis or using say 3.25" tires? If tires, would
I be better off with the treaded type or plain foam,
and would a heavier rubber tire work better than
a lite foam one? I think the skis might be better, but
am concerned how it the plane would then handle
once up in the air and might be difficult to fly.
2. For takeoffs, I assume tires (3") would be no help
(would just drag in the grass) so I would have to throw
the plane. But I am thinking perhaps it would be
possible also taking off from the grass on skis. What
do you think?

I dont think the skis would work unless the grass was wet...

you may just want to hand launch then. I don't think the skis would work to well on grass. Unless your electric has a lot of power to pull through it. Even though I think a gas plane would have a hard time building up speed.

The bigger the wheels are there better they roll through high grass also. I would go with rubber instead of the foams. They both work just my preference is rubber.

I agree with the wet grass requirement, but might suggest foam wheels as they are a bit lighter than the rubber wheels. OR try this test. Get yourself some styrofoam or blue foam insulation (whatever is sturdy) and cut out some wheel patterns to find out the best size you may need. Heck, you might find these 'new' wheels will do the trick, very lite, and if you break one, you've got more styro/foam laying around.

Oh, almost forgot, you can use control rod to form the axle tube, maybe even small straws. Don't forget to glue on some hubs to reinforce the axle mount, when it's all said and done.

How's the weather you lucky son of a gun!?!?

Hi guys..thanks for the info...looks like the skis ar out.
Any of you have heard of or tried Trexler Balloon Wheels?
Got a tip on those and they sound good.

Kevlar...I "winter" here in Maui and summer in Ohio
(outside of Cleveland). I know Columbus well. The
weather here is a steady 82 during the day and
around 72 at night. Been a bit cloudy the last few days
here after a winter storm , sigh but love those
6-8" storm waves, great for boogie boarding).
Oh, and there can be trouble in paradise....for example,
a large Pizza Hut pizza pie costs $18.00 here!!
Everthing has to be "flown in" or so they claim.

I haveTrexler Balloon wheels installled on my Lazy Bee. THERE GREAT!!! They bounce around alot but they do protect the plane from hard landings... The only down side is that its hard to inflate and must be done often- good wheels otherwise

Maybe instead of different wheels, you could try
building you a strip. A roll of roofing felt, you
know, the black 'tar paper' makes a good runway.
If you leave it on the ground, it will kill the
grass from lack of sunlight, but after you fly,
you could roll it back up for the next time.

Or some old carpet or card board or plywood. any
thing would be better than the grass for the small
planes like you are using.

If you add bigger and heavier wheels, it will only
add weight and drag, and I dont think you want
this. The only other option that I can see is hand
launch. And it is a lot more fun to see the things
rotate and take to the air from the ground.

have fun, Roy