Tail ski mount

The final version, I think, maybe. The tail ski now stays level in flight, and I gained 8 mph cruise and 100 FPM climb. Just kidding, but I'll take any small amount of lesser drag that I can, especially as it was no cost out of pocket and only added the weight of a properly tensioned rear bungee.

Then a few days later at work, it struck me: I could leave ALL of the tail release crap on the ground, with the right stuff out of the junk drawer. Now the release is reversed, and is bolted to the HydroSwing door strut with one bolt, using a wing nut so I can remove it easily if needed Just ONE bolt because I was lazy, then I realized one bolt at the rear of it's attach plate was better then two, as it can now self align as needed with the plane's centerline. 25' of para cord and a short section of larger rope (the pulley I had on hand was meant for rope, not cord) and now instead of the internal release cable I had (it, 1/16 stainless cable, old ultralight tip rudder cable,) and the poly hose that served as conduit, all got yanked out of there. Now I make a few loops around a lift strut, and once I get in I open a window and give it a tug, leaving the para cord on the ground along with all the other hardware. Still there when I taxi back after landing, it shows no tendency to get sucked up into the prop.

I made a bigger but lighter rear attach point, that inserts in the tailwheel vert axle, big enough for my lucky carabiner to fit in. My first beaner from my early hang gliding days, 49 years ago, and re-purposed multiple times since. When I pull the release the 10' length of rope releases from the door unit, and as I take off I'm trailing it behind, for extra yaw stability.....or because I couldn't figure out an easy and safe way to let it slip off the without fear of jamming up or getting whipped around my rudder horn, a good example of KISS. If I think of it, the first time I land I pop it off and throw it in the back, if not, no biggie as it's just a rope loop not a beaner on the rear and not likely to snag on snow. I dropped about 5 pounds on this redesign. All of this "work" is so far not been needed as snow conditions have been such that I actually have needed a small burst of power to transition off the 2' of level ground that leads to my ramp. It's all the other times when it's slicker and just starting the engine and idle thrust is enough to make things start moving. The whole idea of the release was to be able to start and do a minor runup without committing to takeoff until I decide, not the slope. The feeling of security is much better, though I always assume the release will fail so before hitting the starter I'm strapped in and otherwise ready to go.

A while back there was a thread about tightening fabric that's been painted, and I mentioned that I had a small area that only in cold WX would show a bit of not so tightness. Someone suggested teflon heat transfer sheets, they worked perfect and after a for sure 350 degree pass the looseness is gone for good, and my Poly-Tone finish is as dull as ever but no worse.

Simpler. Lighter. Gooder.

I took the tail ski off a couple days ago, and now, as it's permanently attached to the small winter time tail wheel, it was a one bolt job (plus the steering cables) and took maybe 3 minutes, than my 8" tailwheel went back on even quicker. It occurred to me that the bad shimmy I used to have with the earlier tail ski setup had never happened with this new one, that was a nice unintended benefit, though the shimmy before was easy enough to work around by keeping the tail up, and not landing at paved airports. Right before I put it on the shelf with all my other winter gear, I released the tension on the bungees. My system of a front and rear bungee, both at different tensions, to keep the ski at a neutral AOA in flight continued to work fine, from time to time I checked it in flight, all good. The Datum skis again performed admirably, 10 seasons now.