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First Ski Lesson

Anne

Anne

Registered User
SE Michigan
This Friday is my first lesson in a Supercub on skis, Northwoods Aviation in Cadillac MI. I think we're going to stay at the airport on the grass strip, which is snow-covered now, so I'm not worried about having to walk out from a remote location or bringing emergency survival equipment.

What can I expect for takeoffs and landings? Are ski takeoffs similar to wheel takeoffs, tail up a bit? Are ski landings more like wheel landings, three-point, or something else? I know there's no brakes, but I don't use brakes when landing on wheels either.

Thanks!

Anne.
 
I will leave the stuck/unstuck, ski dragging, glassy water /flat light issues, rope tricks to turn etc. to others who are more experienced..
Don't forget that a turn to the left on the ground is a lot easier and tighter. Judicious blast of power in turns. Don't overload outside ski in a turn with overuse of power.
Have fun.
 
If it's your first time just have fun and pickup on what your CFI is doing. See if he can find you some powder to play in. I take someone new out to a snow covered lake or a big hayfield and let them do a bunch of different turns without any obstacles. Just like on floats it's tough to do some turns when its a crosswind without brakes. Be careful, it's were addictive.

Glenn
 
Ski landings and takeoffs are much easier than wheels the plane just wants to track straight. Takeoff is tail low, if you pick it up too high the weight goes to the front of the ski and it slows down. You have to find the sweet spot for you plane/load but it is easy to do. When I learned to fly skis on my old pacer, I had to fly for a hour to go pick up my instructor at his strip. :) I feel much safer flying on skis than wheels because there are a lot more places to land if the pilot cooler stops turning.
DENNY
 
Get a copy of DVD " ski flying 101" you can get it at sportys pilot shop ...Lots of good info for starting out
 
I'm guessing you are probably flying with Jerry, both he and Derek are excellent. They are friends and I have flown with both of them. Always fun with them. Even though they give the full range of training and do an outstanding job, it is easy to tell that what they really like is tail wheel, seaplane and float flying. Several lakes within 10 miles of the airport, help is just a cell call away if you needed it. Dress warm, suppose to be single digits for the high on Friday.

Tim
 
Just hang loose and have a blast. Laugh when you try and hit the non-existent brakes. Power is your friend and a moving skiplane never gets stuck......
 
Tim, I'll be at Northwoods Av. about noon Friday, lesson is at 1pm. I flew floats with Jerry and really like him, he's very patient and gives clear instructions. Stop by if you can.

Anne.
 
Wear yellow or amber glasses.

What is hidden in the snow can hurt you, turns can be very wide, so go into them slow with lots of room.

bring the tailwheel out of the snow on take off. You will feel her accelerate, hold and let her fly off. Be gentle setting her down, and careful about hauling the stick in your lap, you can sink the tail hard sometimes.

I always dress warm, but that means I get hot when the heater works... but you need heat to keep the windows clear.

Be careful stepping on the skis if they do not have non-skid. (like when checking oil). They tend to be very slick. More than one pilot has fallen from stepping on paint with snow!

There is no greater feeling than powder and a good plane
 
Wow, a lot of great information here. Thank you so much for the post. The one thing I am still unsure of is tailwheel vs. tail ski. Most of the photos showing cubs just have the wheel. The author doesn't care for them much. I can see that for sure on a Cessna with heavier tail. But Cliff Hudson, glacier pilot from Talkeetna, just used the wheel, and with quick bursts such as the author described, could turn, takeoff, or put on the "brakes" as necessary. Anyone else have strong feelings about this. I'm about to switch to skis on my cub for the first time, and I have a tail ski, but not sure what I'll prefer. In interior Alaska, the snow is cold and dry, and by spring, usually a couple feet deep.
 
I run a tailski in winter, but I do tend to run heavy most of the time and have AWB skis so stoping is not a issue. There is a lot of stress on the gear and tail turning in snow. You can blow the tail up to turn but now you put more stress on the gear/bolts. What is the mission and are you young enough to carry the tail in snow is the real qustion?
Denny
 
Anne,
The tailski and when to put one on is dictated by snow conditions, and your load, folks that dont run a
Tailski are usually flying off less than 18" of snow and lightly loaded, (alone) Trying to get your tail up in 3ft
Of fluffy snow with a normal sized passenger (180lbs) and no borer prop and even half tanks can become an
Interesting project without a tailski....... if your going to bomb around light, in conditions where you can lift the tail up
With just a blast of power in a foot of snow you wont need one........ deep snow , no long prop, loaded aft you do need one.
 
Anne,
You started this thread last winter before your first ski lesson. What do you think about flying skis? Great fun,…right? Do you have skis for your Cub? A friend in northern Indiana with a J-3 has done more ski flying down there the last couple years than I've been able to get here in Alaska.

Jim
 
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