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Tips on getting unstuck

Sasquatch

Registered User
Alaska
Got the bottoms replaced and had my first ski flying lesson yesterday, a ton of fun. Read a lot of posts on here for ski flying tips, thanks to all.

I know the basics: Be prepared to stay overnight, keep skis from freezing, watch for overflow, stamp out a runway with snow shoes, build a ramp in deep snow, make tracks to avoid getting stuck, avoid sweating, etc.

I've seen folks mention carrying ice screws or an auger to make an anchor for a come along. Where is the best place to attach the come along to the plane?
My best guess is around the ski tower/axle, do you need to make a bridle to try to pull evenly on both skis or just winch a little then do the other side?

Any other tips for getting out of bad stucks appreciated!
 
Some random thoughts:

Depends on your definition of "stuck". And why you're stuck. For example: If you're stuck because your skis froze down, and you're in fairly deep snow, dig out from under the fronts and backs of the skis, leaving the skis resting on a "pedestal" of snow, right under the axles, and also touching far aft. Then, get down and scrape those ski bottoms clean as best you can.

You do have a good shovel, right?

I prefer nothing but plastic touching snow.....I replace the steel skews with plastic....those steel skews are small, but they'll stick you tight.

Full power, stick forward to get the tailwheels out of snow, see-saw rudder...,stop to stop.

If you're on lake ice and the snow is shallow enough that you can get ice screws in, you're probably not stuck because of snow depth.....more likely frosted up skis. With all plastic bottoms, just before I climb in the plane, I give the toe of each ski a quick sideways kick.....doesn't have to be hard, you're trying to shear that frost off the ski bottoms. Get in, fire up and move the plane before it freezes down again.

You did cool down the skis after landing, right? Stop, let the skis cool a bit, taxi forward a ski length, stop, do this a couple times and park.

If you're stuck and you have a constant speed prop, and you're almost able to go, but not quite, run up max power, then pull that prop control all the way to coarse pitch, then back to fine pitch. The surge in thrust may get you moving.

If you're trying to pull a plane, with come along, snow go, etc, rig a rope bridle and attach to pedestal of ski. Usually, there's a bit of axle sticking out, and I carried a rope bridle with a small loop at each end. Run the end around the axle from inside to out, and loop over the axle stub on outside. That's how I pulled plane's out of hangars on straight skis...no dolly needed.

But, be very careful applying force to a stuck plane! They are a lot more fragile in this environment than you'd think.

Sometimes, the plane is pointed the wrong direction, and you can't use power without risking running into bushes, etc. This scenario offers tremendous potential to damage the plane. Those long skis afford a LOT of leverage on your axles and gear. If you have to turn a plane, do so a tiny bit at a time. Move the tail a TINY bit one direction, then walk around and take the side load off the skis, by kicking them, digging, or?? Then back to the tail, repeat.

If you have seven buddies to push (you lucky bugger!) show each of them EXACTLY where to push....even if they're pilots and should know better.

But, bottom line, if you're stuck in deep snow, you're in for a lot of shoveling, snowshoeing, etc.

If so, before you start, get a good big fire going if you can, and stop every once in a while to warm up/cool down, drink lots of water, and if you're not making good progress, get your camp set up before it gets dark and really cold and you're exhausted, sweaty and hypothermic.

MTV
 
It takes several hours (sometimes overnight) for snow to firm up once you have stomped a runway. Waiting for it to firm up is sometimes better than getting stuck a second time. Mikes advice is spot on as usual set up camp first.
DENNY
 
All good tips above. Some more:

Make several T&G (like 3 minimum) side by side in deep snow longer than your expected combined landing and takeoff distance. Wait a few minutes for overflow to show (grey color change in wet spots or rising steam), if it does don't land and come back later to a frozen base. If you do land and step out into overflow leave soon in your remaining tracks ahead. Staying over wet snow below can freeze a gob of ice to your skis and cover the tailwheel which then becomes locked up. Kick the rudder side to side soon after takeoff to try to regain use of the tailwheel.

Carry some rolls of flagging tape if the light is flat to drop as you fly over the intended landing spot to give you a perspective when landing to set up a base and check for overflow. Overflow is often worse near shore as that's where the ice cracks when the water below lowers in winter. Try more than one spot on a lake or river before committing to land.

Overflow and even deep snow can contact the prop tip and reduce thrust. Keep the prop tip in clean air. Long gear or shorter prop (I used "3" gear and 80" prop in deep snow when trapping with a Cub). Long gear can twist easier in a turn so go easy doing that with long skis.

Carry a long ice scraper and spray windshield deicer or 90%+ Isopropyl alcohol in a spray bottle. Keep the contents warm. They can be used to deice skis and other parts that get covered like prop tips.

Carry a rope-fed come-along and 50' or more of manila line. Use ice screws or vegetation as a dead man to pull against forward or backward.

If your ski(s) fall through any thin layer of ice into surface water under the snow and over solid ice below plan on digging out a trench ahead with your axe then filling it with compacted snow with your shovel to make an exit ramp. Once skis get submerged they'll fill with water if hollow and need to be thawed and drained soon. Clear a path in the snow for the prop tip as well.

Don't ask how I learned this when young and dumb.

GAP
 
You do what you have to do based on the situation. The key is to get the plane back on top of the snow or ice. The only time you need a come-along is to pull it forward out of a hole. In that case I pull as low on the gear as I can. When your gear's in two feet of water and it's -5* that kinda sucks but it's what you have to do. Once the plane is on top time is on your side. Getting it on top is the challenge.
 
Thanks for all the info!

I should mention it's a J3 with a C85 not a Super Cub. What do you think of a tail ski? I know it has a pretty light tail but low HP. It has a maule tail wheel and I don't think there is a penetration ski for the maule tailwheel so I'd be looking at running a straight ski. Seems that in the right (or wrong) conditions that tailwheel could be more drag than you'd want.
 
And, as Gary noted, try to keep the prop out of the snow. I was sent to Galena once to pick up a Cub on skis to bring it to FAI for annual inspection. I did a thorough preflight, then took off. The plane was a real dog. And, in flight the engine would easily overspeed. So, I reduced rpm and slowly got to FAI. I wrote this stuff up on the squawk sheet and handed it off to maintenance.

Next day, I was at the shop doing the inspection, and they showed me the prop on that thing, compared to another Borer prop......the one on that Cub was flatter than all get out at the tips. It had obviously been in snow (erosion at tips), but that's not unusual on skis. But, those thin Borer blades had flattened out in this case.

So, TRY to keep your prop tips out of the snow.

If you can.

MTV
 
J-3 and 85....nice setup and lots of fun. Light enough to lift a wing via the upper struts and still kick a pole under a stuck ski. Even lift the front of the ski and block it up to clean off ice. And the tail can be carefully moved around. Go play and learn. Maybe have a friend in another plane along so you have some help if needed. Try deep snow. Try getting the tail just out of the snow enough to takeoff. Learn the feel of how deep the snow is on landing and see what it takes to get airborne as far as distance. See what it takes to turn (radius) without twisting the landing gear.

I like tail skis but they may not steer as well as tires and don't drag as much to stop.

What skis and propeller do you have? Will the engine turn rated rpm static or early in the takeoff? Power is your friend and learn your limits.

I've had a couple of Taylorcrafts with 85 and a PA-11 with a 90. They can float like a ptarmigan on top of snow if weight is managed.

GAP
 
You gotta have friends!!!!!!

Learn to fly, and go into those deeper snow areas with friends, learn the limits a bit.

The center of the lake will have deeper overflow, as water goes onto the ice and sags the ice down. The cracks may be at the edge, but if you can get up above the cracks you can often find dry snow.

When you do get wet, try to get into dry snow to dry it off, or GO STRAIT HOME and get her clean. DO NOT RISK another landing after getting in overflow.

I spent a cold night and a couple helicopter rides when I got sucked into the overflow. Got it all clean and a track, but fell through the packed track on my try to get out. (REMEMBER the advise above to wait a long time to let snow set up???)

Then the ice stuck to the bottom and I could not get the plane up enough to clear it by myself... two days of misery before I gave up and called for help.

Three of us had it ready to fly in minutes.
 
I prefer a tail ski even in my cub. Just makes things smoother when you are trying to turn. You can usually blow the tail up on a cub but sometimes that is more power than you want in a turn. It also helps a lot if you are tail heavy and trying to turn by hand or with power.
DENNY
 
Stuck probably isn't the big issue for a new ski flier. Drifts, flat light, snowgo tracks, slick ice, water on ice, sticky spring snow, taxiing in tight spaces... there are lots of surprise lessons waiting to be learned. Give yourself margins for error and get some experiences to build on. Spring's coming and that makes for the best ski flying. Have fun!
 
ski1.jpgski2.jpgski5.jpgYep its fun, 2 1/2 hrs. preheat remove frost and dig out plane, Go fly for 45 minutes , -5 out, cold reminds you why we fly in the spring and summer lol
 

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Have some friend's on skis so will definitely go with them when venturing out further.

Prop turns pretty well, Mac 7140 and for skis 1500A's with some extra width and 1/4" UHMW runners. Did pretty well Friday was near gross with instructor on board, had a decent amout of snow on some of the lakes and hit some overflow in a turn and it powered through well.
 
When I trapped with my PA11 90hp on Aero 2000s, we spent alot of nites out in cabins so didnt need the hassle
Of being stuck from skiis bonding down over nite, we always cut Fir or Spruce boughs where ever we going to park and just dribbled some kerosine on the boughs and
That kept bottoms from EVer freezing. I am sure there would be a law against that nowadays......... If we had skis that were already stuck down we would dig em out
As Mike suggested but then " paint to frosted bottoms with Prestone" it works miracles on ski bottoms for a takeoff or two.
I tryed my 11 on Landes 2500s for a season with a 74/40 prop and even though it was short of 18 on power , being
200lbs or more lighter made it the best skiplane a fella could imagine. Your 85 J3 would be excellent on the right
Skis as well.
When flying heavier airplanes and you get into overflow sometimes the only escape is to pull the cowling off , cut three spruce poles on shure, make a tripod, use your come along to jack it straight up and out of the slush and again brush it in with spruce boughs and build em up so when you let the plane down your sitting up on the boughs. Tramp down a runway with your snowshoes and wait for it freeze up overnite, and get the heck outta there at first light. Lots of tricks for ski flying.
Good Luck with your ski flying.
 
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Maybe this should be under the "do you have your head up your ass" thread, but at least I didn't get stuck. Luckily I had just enough airspeed built up to just float right over it, the tracks tell the story. Landed on left, took off to right. 1/4 mile from my home, at the end of 3 hours of screwing around elsewhere, in strange spots, where I really paid attention. Here, so close to home, I let my guard down. Not apparent from this overhead shot, but there was enough of a undulation in the snow, combined with a little flat light, to keep me from seeing that area where some ground water had melted off the snow, until I was oh so close to it. the snow is 2 or 3' deep, so this water made a nice deep divot, with my name almost on it. I have never seen this before on this hillside, we had a big warming spell a couple weeks ago, and that got these sub surface water flows going (not springs, they only hang around for a few weeks, after a really good snow year) and then we got hammered again with a whole lot of new snow. Why didn't I see it while still in the air? Because I HAD MY HEAD UP MY ASS. I had earlier landed about 100 yards further up the slope, where the turn around and re launch was well clear of the hole, but on the second go round a few hours later I got sloppy and landed shorter and started my turnaround just about perfect, perfect for having to walk home.
 

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Decided it may be a good time to revive this thread.

I flew the super cub today, and it was great flying. The temperature here near Park Rapids hit 40 and there was a good 4" of fresh snow from a few days ago when it was subzero...really light stuff.

I parked in front of our cabin and went inside for an hour or so and when I left I found that my ground "roll" was really, really long! I decided some years ago that our snow in MN really doesn't require a tail ski, but today I think it would have been a good idea. I used up a LOT of lake before getting airborne. It wasn't overflow, but it was really, really sticky stuff. A smaller lake, and I would have been stuck, and I was unsuspecting.

Randy
 
Lay down tracks and runway area before stopping? Might help a later departure. Skis can pick up frost and rough coating when parked even for a short time. Make it a habit to rock the wings at the strut<>wing attach and bounce the skis to loosen goobers on the bottom before takeoff. The rocking will slide the skis fore and aft some. If they're sticky you'll notice it and can deal with the issue with a rope pulled underneath or spray deicer.

Gary
 
Randy, I flew the retractable wheel skis I built for the first time today. After my first landing, I got out to check things out, maybe 5 minutes. When I fired up and tried to go I had to use full throttle to get moving. Once I got going everything was normal. I think the type of snow makes a huge difference.

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Skis will form a micro layer of water as you land and stop this likes to freeze quickly. Don Lee showed me the trick of just pushing the plane a few inches back when you get out to keep it form freezing down. I noticed it is the first thing he does it every time he gets out of plane when I fly with him.
DENNY
 
Years ago we would put garbage bags over skis that we couldn’t get clean. Only stayed on for one takeoff, but that’s all we needed. Still carry bags with me today..
 
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I guess after some time flying we do things without thinking about it. Like skis and their stiction issues. I make a temp strip with turnarounds at each end so takeoff is easier. I park only after making a parking spot with the plane and few circle turns to pack the snow. I shake the wings after landing and before takeoff to make sure the skis are as free as possible. If they can't be shaken due to weight then kick the tail wheel or tail ski sideways and either push the wing strut or tail to work the skis on the snow. I try to park on a high spot or wind drift so any blown snow or water has a harder time to cover the skis. And check the cables and ends every time before takeoff. Carry three pieces of wood to block the skis up...one to lift the front the others to block. They can be used for fire starter soaked in fuel if needed.

Probably more but that's a start.

Gary
 
I never see it mentioned in the ski/wheelski posts: Do any of you wax your skis? Does that help prevent them frosting up/freezing down?
 
Good question. I tried some wax years ago but it was for cross country skis and probably wore off.

Here's a newer product: https://www.dpsskis.com/phantom and https://www.dpsskis.com/pub/media/pdf/phantom/phantomProduct.pdf

And some reviews: https://freeskier.com/stories/never-wax-skis and https://www.outsideonline.com/2256501/new-invention-dps-might-kill-ski-wax and https://www.skimag.com/gear/dps-phantom-test

Might be expensive for large area aircraft skis but the tech is interesting.

Gary
 
The temperature here near Park Rapids hit 40 and there was a good 4" of fresh snow from a few days ago when it was subzero...really light stuff.

I used up a LOT of lake before getting airborne. It wasn't overflow, but it was really, really sticky stuff. A smaller lake, and I would have been stuck, and I was unsuspecting.

Randy

40 deg snow is sticky regardless of what you do !! skinnier skis I guess !! Got to get out those 8" wide 1500s .
I took off this afternoon with Aero 3000s and had the same problem. Good thing for the thrustline and VG's.
 
Randy, pack a good bottle of rum, a wiggys -30 below bag, dry socks, a tarp or survival tent and enjoy the adventure.

Glenn
 
I have Federal 2200 hydraulic skis, built in 1958, overhauled with new bottoms UHMW 5 years ago.

I think the 40 degrees is the issue, but also feel (after reading your comments), that there was some frost on the bottoms. I have been aware of the need to put a block of wood under the skis to keep them from freezing to the snow surface, but this wasn't a problem. The aircraft moved forward with only a small addition of power. It was just that the aircraft wouldn't gain airspeed readily.

We will spray something on the bottoms tomorrow morning before flight to make them more slippery.

Glenn, I carry a Wiggy's -30 bag with me and can make that work, if need be. Julie, on the other hand, will likely strangle me if we need to resort to Wiggy's...

Randy
 
This may have been linked earlier and is a good read from the Alaska Airmen's Association on ski flying: https://www.aasfonline.org/wp-content/uploads/ski_flying.pdf

Silicone spray helps for a limited time, but just parked aircraft pressure on snow near freezing can be enough to melt and refreeze a thin layer on the bottoms, like ice skates do on ice. Try to find the stuff that's mostly silicone and not lots of oil. There are also icephobic coverings and additives available: Example - https://www.cytonix.com/ice-repellent-s/1860.htm

Gary
 
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