Wayne Miller

Making Snow Skis

This project is making snow skies from plastic drain pipe available from your local building supplier. The parts needed are:

1 length of downspout twice as long as one ski length
2 right angle down spout elbows
1 small can of PVC solvent cement

Total parts will average between $10-15.

The length, width and weight of each ski is: 3 in., 17 in. and 5 oz.
Note: this is for a .40 to .60 size plane and weight will vary according to size. These skis can be made narrower, longer, or shorter as needed.

Instructions will be over 3 posts with the last post having a picture of the skis on the plane.

Please let me know if you find the project useful.

Wayne Miller

FIRST STEP INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Lay out the parts (see parts list above). Picture 1.
2. Cut the drainpipe to the length of the skis you want. Picture 2.
3. Put PVC cement on the elbows and one end of each cut downspout Put the elbows into the downspouts. Picture 3.

Wayne Miller

SECOND STEP INSTRUCTIONS:
1. Consider the “UP� position to be with the elbow open end facing up. Carefully trim the top of the downspout and elbow off. I used a bandsaw (a dremel with a good cutting wheel, or even using a hacksaw carefully will work). Picture 1.
2. Next mark a center line down the middle if the downspout and elbow – see line in picture 1.
3. Cut down the marked line.
4. “Step� one half of the cut downspout and elbow over the other so that the “ribs� are together. See picture 2.
5. Glue the halves together with the PVC solvent cement and hold in place with clamps. See figure 3.

Wayne Miller

THIRD STEP INSTRUCTIONS:
See pictures 1 and 2 for the following.
1. Cut out the areas of the center “ribs� on the skis, that will not be needed for support, to reduce weight. Be careful not to cut to low, the more you leave, the more mounting support you will have.
2. Mount the skis on the aircraft with nuts, bolts and washers. I use 1/8 in. bolts.

Some notes of caution.
1. Make sure you wax and polish the bottoms and tops of the skis with at least two coats of a good car wax to allow smooth gliding over the snow.
2. Always make sure the skis are cool before putting them on the snow. Otherwise warm skis will melt the snow and will cause snow or ice on the bottom of the skis. They will not glide if this happens.
3. Try and place the skis on the plane so the CG is near the center of the skis. If there is too much nose weight, the skis will “dig� in.
4. Give a little throttle and up elevator when the plane just touches down to avoid digging in.

Please post your feedback and any suggestions you may have regarding building hints, alternate building materials and how the skis work for you.

Enjoy,

Wayne Miller

notenoughtime

Good info on the skis. I will definately have to build some. Now all I need is snow.

Wayne Miller

Hi Notenoughtime,

Thanks for getting back to me, it may be a while before you get snow, I think we have it all!

Wayne

O2man

My Feedback: (5)

Thanks for the info! I tried to make skis for my Aircore Colt and the foot long yardstick material I used was not wide enough. They looked OK but did not provide enough "flotation" to hold up the plane on the pwder snow we have had the first week of January. These even look better. Now I just have to build some even though I don't expect any more snow.

Does this design handle side loads? I frequently need a little luck geting down with the plane right side up.

Wayne Miller

Hi Ed,

I'm not sure if they handle side loads, I've only used them when there was a light dusting of snow, after that, it got real cold (today its -12C) and I'm waiting for another good day.

Another alternative is to NOT cut the skis lengthways down the center, so their kinda like a boat with an open end at the back - however, if you did this, we'd have find an alternative way to mount them. Perhaps a bolt or something going from side to side.

You may have to experiment with the length to give you more surface area.

I'm interested to know how they will work for you, let me know how you make out.

Best regards,

Wayne

4*60

My Feedback: (41)

Very interesting method. I will have to try it instead of buying aluminum skis, one of these days.

pete913

We used to make skis out of two layers of 1/32" plywood with a layer of heavy weight fiberglass cloth epoxied in between. First you need a form. This is made from a chunk of 2x4 bandsawed to shape. Apply the epoxy and clamp the ski between the form halves with some backing from monokote between the form and ski so that it won't bond to the form. then when it's cured, round the tips and sand to shape, then epoxy a hardwood block to the top of the ski, with an axle hole drilled in it. A loop of small wire ( even a paper clip will do) epoxied to the top of the ski in front and back of the block makes an attachment point for either rubber bands or springs up to a wire bound and soldered to the landing gear to hold the ski in the proper ( slightly nose up) attitude when flying. varnish or finish them with thin epoxy, paint them to suit, and wax with liberal amounts of car wax. I don't have pictures, but you get the general idea. Maybe you can improve on it.

Wayne Miller

Hi Pete913,

How do you stop the wood from breaking during the forming process?

I'm thinking you would have to steam or put the wood into hot water before forming, clamp to the form, let dry, and then bond them together after the wood dries.

Would this be the case?

Thanks for your input.

Wayne Miller

pete913

Wayne, the plywood won't break. The front end of the ski has maybe a 3"radius bend. I'ts just a flat ski with the nose turned up. I hope this helps.

Wayne Miller

Thanks for the info.

Wayne

NITRO_VEEDRIVER

My Feedback: (4)

next project try making floats.... i'd love to see that....can floats be put on bi-plane? if so you make em i'll buy em

CafeenMan

Yes, a biplane can have floats.

NITRO_VEEDRIVER

My Feedback: (4)

cool, now if he would make home made floats for a 3rd scale aircraft bi-plane i would be happy....lol[8D]

Cessna26

Nice build.

I have a tri landing gear. Do you think I sould just make 3 smaller skis? OR should I get another landing gear strut for the front?

PS. Do we need the cat to built it?

Wayne Miller

Hi,

The plane shown is a tricycle landing gear. I just found it easier to to attach the second strutt to the front instead of building the spring loading into the gear.

If you want to try tricycle landing gear, I would suggest you may want to use the same drain pipe, but put it on its side, and get a side downspout, this would give narrower skis, but allow more ground clearance to the plane (the center supports will be higher).

Turning would certainly be easier to steer with three skis. I looked at a tricycle ski set up last time I was at the field, and each of the skis is approximately 10 inches long and narrower than the ones I built.

Since my first build, I have modified the skis with extra reeinforcement where the skis bolt to the landing gear, I just cut a contoured 1 inch strip of plastic strip from a scrap piece of downspout and used the cement to glue it down the center support and across the base of the ski to the edge.

Just a side note, I have to give it a lot of rudder movement and short bursts of motor to turn when taxiing, once up to speed for take off steering is not a problem.

Let me know how you make out.

Best regards,

Wayne

jak_kkaall

This is my own design of skis. I've been using the same material for many years with great success. They look more complex, but that's how I like them , it is a mater of preference and they've always worked flawlessly. The material is plastic(here in apartments it is used in bathrooms to cover the pipes behind the sink from floor to ceiling, the bathroom mirror it's on it). The springs of the skis allow the small movement necessary to taxi,and land, once in the air they stay parallel with the fuselage. I like better to fly in winter, and now I also have the Transmitter glove and heat system in it. Here is a video edited from many videos with multiple cameras, of my 1,9m Cessna 182 Skylane - winter flying. And the pictures are of my GP CAP 232 50cc. Enjoy! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bGyoiWCIg2g

mustangman177

http://www.rcuniverse.com/gallery/ga...6memid%3D16901 my skis made out of pvc

mykadet

I love the idea and will try it. I converted a Kadet Senior to taildragger with ardupilot and electrics.
Years ago when I flew real airplanes I had a 1947 Stinson 108-3 on wheels skis and floats. The tail ski was actually a flat snow shovel with a bit of keel on it for steering assist. I think I will use drain pipe for that.
BTW. On the aluminum "real" skis we put teflon sheet on the bottom for less friction and ice adherance. They worked so good I almost slid into the side of the hangar. Teflon really reduced the take off run. When were parking we had a couple of poles set in the snow to keep the a/c from freezing down. WE used to go ice fishing at 30 degrees below zero and drill through 4 feet of ice for Walleye---Yes northern Canada!!!

Flypaper 2

I made these skis for my smaller planes, made from foam The wing on the back I copied from the full size DC3.The TV series about Buffalo Airways used them. No need for strings, wire, or rubber bands.

Gord.

RDJeff

My Feedback: (11)

I used the square downspout material on mine, riveted some aluminum flat stock to strengthen/stiffen them, springs on the front, and Kevlar cable on the rear to keep them level. Unfortunately, we have no snow to test them out on! The photos were taken a year ago, when that was all the now we got for the winter. This year the lawn is bare!

Wisconsin John

Parkzone Sport Cub With Mods
[HR][/HR] Check out the attached videos of the assembly of my Sport Cub. I go into detail all the mods I did on this plane. The recommended fly weight with wheels is 945 grams. The actual fly weight with the skis was 1297 grams. I thought I might have gone to far over the weight limit, but I flew two flights, each with one Admiral 3S 2200mah 45C battery. Each flight was around 6-7 minutes. Each battery was around 30% after each flight and a little warm, but not hot. The ESC (40 AMP) and motor (stock) were warm, but not hot. The plane had plenty of power and lift. I actually did quit a few aerobatic maneuvers, loops, snap rolls and knife edges. You really couldn't see them on the video, so I cut them out and concentrated on take offs and landings. I was quite surprised as to how well she flew, had a ball flying her. Enjoy the videos.
Wisconsin John

Sport Cub S2 Assembly Part-1:
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Parkzone Sport Cub Assembly - Part One (20 min 10 sec)
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[TD="class: smallfont video-player"]Parkzone Sport Cub Assembly - Part Two (20 min 51 sec)[/TD]
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