Skis 2014

[cityrancher]

I can tell you about Cessna's in deep glacial mountain snow. It is hard on gear if the skis are not parallel and properly shimmed. Think about skiing and how you stop or turn as a person. If proper care to shim parallel is not taken under weighted conditions I have seen many axle and gear breaks. The Cub is so much lighter and light snow is a help on lakes etc., but in deep mountain snow be certain the gear is set up properly. It is hard to walk out of these places.

[Springloaded]

Thank you, appreciate the help.
Chuck

[Dan L]

image.jpgWe've got a good foot of snow in the valley now after none for most of January. So we've been bouncing along down in the river hay field and a few other local places a few minutes from the airport.

[Dan L]

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Landing on our grass/ski strip parallel to the main runway.

[Dan L]

In sunny Las Vegas for a few days at the SCI Show. I remember coming to this show 7-8 years ago and Jim Richmond had a Top Cub here on display.

Drove to to the Missoula airport early Wednesday morning to catch the seven AM flight on Alaska Airlines. I saw an honest -30 degrees on my pickup thermometer. That's cold even for a Montana boy.

[Dan L]

It has been a great February for ski flying. We have a plenty in the valley and forecast for another foot today. But yesterday was an excellent day for flying and Bill and I took off from the ranch and found a bunch of elk on their winter range.

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Here is Bill after getting out of the backseat.

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taking off from the hayfield afterwards.

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A group of bulls. We looked at about 500 altogether.

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Shorty after landing.

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Some cow elk out on the open ridges.

picture posting from the iPad doesn't work very well. I have no idea why they post where they shouldn't or as an attachment. I reinserted pictures from my PC so hopefully they're in the right position now.

[1473C]

In March it's downhill to the hangar.

[Dan L]

I was thinking about a ski flight we made in February and how that compared to a similar flight I'd made in my old PA18 about 5-6 years ago. I have Landes LW 2500 skis which are a wheel penetration ski. There is always about 2" of tire sticking through the ski, they're not retractable. In the right snow conditions, temperatures in the teens and powder snow, the brake calipers will breeze to the discs which locks up that tire. The tires spin when contact is made with the snow which melts some snow which then re-freezes and sometimes locks the brakes. Spraying an antifreeze solution on the brake components first takes care of this but I don't normally do that first.

My Super Cub was a good performer with 160 hp and 1130 pound empty weight. But if one or both brakes locked up and there was a lot of powder it was tough to get flying speed in that plane. The flight I remember was one over the Hungry Horse reservoir with the type of snow and temperature conditions that can cause the problem. Hungry Horse is a long way from anywhere in the middle of the winter. Not the place to have trouble. I made one landing and one brake froze. I laid a few tracks after getting up again hoping I could break the wheels free but couldn't. I was solo and rather than risk trouble I just went back home.

In the Carbon Cub last February I was out playing in the same conditions with a backseater. We were close to home and I made a landing down on the ranch along the river in about two feet of powder. The brakes froze and I told my passenger that I'd try to takeoff because we were able to taxi fairly well. The hayfield is about 1200' long and I knew where we had to abort if needed. I pushed the throttle forward and in about 400' we were in the air. We were both impressed and made a few more landings with the brakes locked. Back at the airport the wheels break free immediately once they touch the runway.

I know the Super Cub would not have performed anywhere near as well with just me in the front seat. But with two of us in the CC it was no problem at all. I'd really like to try some straight skis on this plane.

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This is the Spotted Bear strip and the south end of Hungry Horse reservoir can be seen. There is a road to this point but it is a good 60 miles of bad road that is not passable in the winter.

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This is the hay field. Take off is from the left side to the right. This picture was not taken the same day but you can see some tracks in the snow.

[Dan L]

I put the skis on last Saturday. December was a good snow month, especially for an El Niño year. A few days ago I took the EX up for some fun.

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I started off by running over a cone with my right ski. The white cone really blends with the snow. No damage to anything but the cone though.

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It got better soon though. Down on the hayfield ready for takeoff. I got a cough from the engine just after takeoff from carb ice. I need to be better about checking for that after taxi work in the snow.

[Dan L]

image.jpgWe've got a good foot of snow in the valley now after none for most of January. So we've been bouncing along down in the river hay field and a few other local places a few minutes from the airport.

Five years later and I’m out playing on skis on the ranch again. The last two winters I ran my straight Carbon Concept skis because we had good snow. This year in January, lacking snow in the valley, I put the LW2500s on. Little did I know lots of snow and cold was coming. And it hasn’t left yet. -17 tonight they’re forecasting. And we’ve got 2’ plus of snow right down to the river.

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The old building is gone and a new outhouse in its place.

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