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TrickAir vs Summit skis on CCEX

C130jake

BENEFACTOR
Four Corners Wyoming
Thinking about skis for my CCEX now that the 40hr fly off is done and the leaves are gone.

Talked to the new owners of TrickAir at OSH and really liked them. Their new facility is 20 min from my house. Their ski needs a welded fitting vs a bolt on bracket on the Summits.

Cubcrafters uses the summits and it looks like a 1-2 hour job replacing bolts and adding tabs vs hiring out the welding job and repainting gear legs.

Any thoughts? I'm thinking Summits since they look easy to install and weigh 25lbs for the 2300's. Prices are similar not counting the welding/paint job.
(I am not a welder...yet)

Winter is coming.....


Jake

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I really like my Aeros, but maybe you could fly to Trick and have them weld the attach fittings for you.
 
I think it will be the Summits. No welding and lighter. Thanks for the input. 7K for either and I can install the Summits myself. I am glad there are no negative reviews.

Jake

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I may be one of the folks flying Trickairs that Glenn mentioned. I also have a Husky so 2 strikes against me.
Trickairs are well made, heavy and work fine for me. Welding is required for the Tricairs. Book says 10 hours to install/weld the kit on. Took me 2X that. If I ever do it again it will take 12 hours. Maybe the 10th time with all the tools laid out I could do it in 10 hours.
Once the fittings are welded on and the cables are rigged for your plane taking the skis on and off is a breeze.
I do like the looks. weight and comparable performance of the Summits. Summits are not certified so Trickair for me.
 
Thanks for the "true" install time Bill. I have a covered gear and it could get interesting doing the welding for Trickairs, (not saying it hasn't been done)

Glen, if you could keep us posted on the field approval for the PA-18. Is the "11" & "18" through the same FAA region office?
Larry
 
The 11 was done on a friend's plane in New Hampshire, might be Portland Maine Fisdo. Other is working thru Albany NY.

Glenn
 
I don't have any experience with Trickair except for looking at Bills and they were very nice.
I bought a set of LSA Summits they showed up last week. I generally have UPS deliver all things aviation to the shop so the dept of War is not involved. I screwed up and they landed at the house so I have some splaining to do
i have used the "safety" excuse a few too many times got that one back at me this time.
The Summits are a work of art. Incredible how light they are yet really look well designed and robust. Mike Custard at Summit is a strait shooter, kept me posted the whole time. Great to do business with a guy like him.
The only issue I can see is if you want a set right now it won't happen right away. I ordered these in may and just got them. He's a busy guy
No welding involved you drill the inner mount to fit the brake torque plate, and the outer side utilizes the lower bolt on the gear. Seems like a crime it should be so difficult to certify a snow ski there are some really nice exp skis being made for short money comparatively speaking. They won't work with these 26s this was a display for a scoping session with the afore mentioned dept
jim.
 

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I have Trickairs on my Tcraft. Love them after 3 years. Welding on the brackets took about 4 hours including all the set up getting the correct dimensions. Install in ten minutes when snow arrives.

Jim
 
Mostly Michigan and upper Ohio and Indiana. Flying in the snow or on top of it is one of my favorite things to do with an aircraft.
 
Instaled 4 set of Trickair on Super cub 2 set on 180 3set on Maule ( both type of gear ) 1set on a experimental Tcraft 1 set on experimental turbine 207 ,Cub type landing gear take about 6 to 7 hrs labour ,axle type gear take about 8 to 10 due to extra labour of shimming of the axle ,they are sturdy as hell but heavier ,the uhmw is 1/4 thick ,i dont recomend the 2500 on a super cub its just too much ski for nothing it bite you back in heavy snow .
 
Instaled 4 set of Trickair on Super cub 2 set on 180 3set on Maule ( both type of gear ) 1set on a experimental Tcraft 1 set on experimental turbine 207 ,Cub type landing gear take about 6 to 7 hrs labour ,axle type gear take about 8 to 10 due to extra labour of shimming of the axle ,they are sturdy as hell but heavier ,the uhmw is 1/4 thick ,i dont recomend the 2500 on a super cub its just too much ski for nothing it bite you back in heavy snow .

To be fair to Trick Air on install time the Husky is a bit of a complex installation vs a cub. Each gear leg has three loose piece of steel that need to be aligned then tacked in place prior to the plane being lifted for final welding. Also the gear leg sheet metal fairings need to be removed by drilling out rivets, trimmed (trial and error as no templates are provided) then riveted back in place. I also include re weighing the plane (required by the STC), paint and de crating, instruction reading and head scratching in my time calculations. To set the cable lengths per the instructions there is a bit of jacking and lifting tail with a protractor in hand. I suspect an old hand at ski installs could eyeball this stuff and do it better without jacking and lifting.
 
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I fly in the Western New York snow belt. Lots of snow (except last winter) with usually 1-2 feet on the ground.

Jim
Tcraft F21
Trickair skis
Baumann 1500A floats
 
The trickair site says the 2250 or 3000 model for a super cub. What makes the most sense for a 160HP cub, and what size are you all running who have a set on cubs/huskys? The bigger footprint of the 3000 seems appealing but the added weight does not. Seems crazy that the weight jumps from 41lbs listed on the 2250, to 60lbs each for the 3000.

Flying around Fairbanks/interior, and Alaska range for access to dowhill backcountry skiing.
 
The trickair site says the 2250 or 3000 model for a super cub. What makes the most sense for a 160HP cub, and what size are you all running who have a set on cubs/huskys? The bigger footprint of the 3000 seems appealing but the added weight does not. Seems crazy that the weight jumps from 41lbs listed on the 2250, to 60lbs each for the 3000.

Flying around Fairbanks/interior, and Alaska range for access to dowhill backcountry skiing.

The brackets for the summits are bolt on. No welding required.


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Raised by wolves: I get the Summits are bolt on. But my question is, for those using TrickAir's with a cub (I'm certified), what is best? Their 2250 model or the 3000 model.


Bearhawk: I wish I was experimental as the Summits look like a great option (one of the best options as far as wheel penetration options go). Have you heard of successful FA attempts?
 
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