Thinking about the upcoming winter-type season, I thought skis might be in order but I have some some questions.

1) What is the best material to make them from?

2) How should they balance, a bit tail heavy perhaps?

3) With steerable nosegear, would a ridge or skeg be appropiate for the front ski?

4)How much square area per pound of plane?

The plane I am thinking about fitting this way is a .40/.60 sized Ugly Stick, built from the RCM planes. The skis will attach in place of the wheels normally installed. Total wheels-up weight, about 7.5 lbs.

Also, any tips on ground handling and especally landing would be greatly appreciated.

Thanx,

Ed

I'm building a set for my Laser 3D our of aluminum.
2. Yes, a bit tailheavy, Or a lot. You want the rear end to sag on landing so they don't dig in.
3. Unless you want to continue going straight until the plane stops, I'd put a ridge on it .
4. I'm using the TLAR method. That Looks About Right.

They're not much different then wheels. The only difference I can think of is they take more room to stop after touchdown.

Usually there is a spring arrangement to adjust so that the back end is slightly down, or the skis are slightly nose up. This is good for keeping on top of the snow but also appears to add a little lift effect and compensate for ski weight.

1/8th" ply structure, foam, with formica over it. Rubber band or spring so the front stays up, with a string to limit the "up movement". I made a set with just the "tailheavy" condition to keep them nose up, and they went nose down anyhow. Landing was quite dramatic!
Also made a "delta shaped snowboard" for a trike gear trainer, and it gave great added lift.

Jetts

The TLAR Method doesn't work. My plane sinks

Anyone have a formula for ski area based on aircraft weight??

Sometimes, as I found out, when the snow is very powdery, no amount of ski short of the above mentioned "delta snowboard" works.

Jetts

You may find the ski and float page on my site usefull. I fly using floats instead of skis myself due to snow conditions. ( foot prints, wind blown ridges, etc ) The floats skip right over all but the very worst conditions.
Skies work well for some folks that have frozen lakes, open unused areas, basically smooth solid snow.
Skies take proper setup to maintain good flight but weigh less than the rigid float option.

Randy

http://home.midwestinfo.net/djam/tipstricks.html

Thanx for all the suggestions and help. I like the idea of the snowboard, but I'll probably try the floats to see how they wok out. Our club has a lake to fly at, so I'll be able to join the float-flys in the spring...

Ed