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So, you want to fly skis. Almost as much fun as flying floats, but you know, colder!
Just so no one is confused I have installed many sets of skis on various aircraft( and removed them the very next day) but it was only a few years ago I installed them on my Tripacer. The first year I flew about 35 hours on skis, last year I flew 97 hours on skis, and am now on my third season.; like most facets of aviation I imagine another lifetime of learning!
135hp pacer. I would stick to the TCDS skis or equivalent. Anything larger will have an equal(or more) increase of drag in the snow that without 150/160 hp or more one could do a lot of snowshoeing. For a light pacer 2000s should be great. Going in at gross into the deep pow is asking for a whole lot of trouble!!! At lunch yesterday a friend explained a Husky that fell over as one sky slipped off packed runway with one wing tip laying on the snow the only thing they could do was dig out the other side before something was bent. Then they strapped on the snow shoes and went for a walk…Huskies are, you know, husky, and will do that.
I am fond of the Airglass, we call them "Landis" up here, skis because the glass does not transfer heat the way a large piece of Al can and thus are much less prone to ice up on the bottoms. I have seen nice used ones with cub rigging for $700.00 around lake hood in the spring. I do not know what they weigh off hand but it is posable the Al ones are a little lighter. My Tripacer had been on Airglas skis early in its life so that is what I stuck with. If you call them ask for Cliff-he is the man.
Sorry about the silly photo but it is the best one that shows the rigging.
Mounting cables need to be fabricated for each ski to attain the recommended angles ether by drawing or AC43.13. There are too many variables to pre fab them using someone else's cable leanth. I set of FA Dodges lifting eyes will make the rigging and subsequent changes back and forth a snap and I would not do it any other way.
The cable installation is just as critical as any primary flight control and is no place to learn how to swedge cable!!!!!!!! DO THIS WITH YOUR EXPERIENCED A&P…PLEASE.
Note: I used my aft bolt on float fittings for the aft cables to get them out of the way of the front and rear door. I still seem to trip on it every once in a while even at that.
I just left my upper and lower gear fairings off. There is not any place snow can get it is not going to get in anyway. I have been in snow…on the river next to Telkeetna, that when I stepped off the ski I sank down to my crotch. Sure got my attention! I am on three Airglass 2000s but my STC says I can use eather an 1800 or 2000 for the nose ski.
I use the steel spring for the main gear and know no one who still uses the bungie cords although I see them on C-180s every once in a while.
I am working with my IA and others on the field with experience with the cable fab... which I do plan to do rather than depend upon any predefined dimensions and such. I do have measurements from Troy at Aeroski, who has been very helpful to my inquiries in regard to the skis.... so I have a baseline starting point, but as mentioned, I will verify and fabricate for each ski to meet the AC43.13.
In regard to the FA Dodges lifting eyes... just where do these go and how to you lift with them?
Sounds like a better option than what I used (pic below) when performing the SB on the gear.... I am just not quite visualizing how you lift with these. lift stands.jpg
...where do these go and how to you lift with them...
I think I got it (just a little slow this morning)... these go at the wing / fuselage fitting, so you remove the wing-root fairing to be able to lift straight up from there. Yes?
Ok.. Working on getting these skis rigged, and now have another question...
What have others done to secure the brakes (I have Cleveland Discs) when operating on skis? I would prefer to leave them mounted to facilitate changing between wheels and skis (as many seasons we can have snow one week and gone the next).
there was a guy on the supercub site the made a nice part just for tht purpose he was selling them last year I did a search over there but maybe it would be easier to post the question as to who made the part there is to much to search thru to find it without knowing exactly how what it was called etc
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Originally Posted by ysifly2
