dave
Joined: 22 Sep 2006
Posts: 1382
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 Posted: Sat Dec 09, 2006 3:53 am Post subject: Ski flying |
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Ok, Season is here and A few are ski flyers and sounds like a few more
will becoming Ski fliers.
I wanted to say a good story from Noel a few days ago on the coffin that got
tossed from the Beaver. I got a good chuckle anyhow. He did bring on a
good point with the greenage put along the runway. One thing I have always
used on Ski planes is a good set of sunglasses or coloured lens that suit
you th best for giving good depth perception.
For anyone that has skied you will know how those cloudy days give the worst
depth perception from flat and low light conditions. And when on skis if
you cannot see the surface at all then you might not see ruts, drifts and
chunks of ice and snow on your intended take off or landing path. This can
spell disaster very quickly. So you have to be able to see better. Now add
some blowing snow and ground drifting and you will be even more blind.
I have found that yellow glasses work well you know the ones used for
shooting. I wear glasses and I have a pair of yellow safety glasses in the
plane . I also have my old Bolle IREX lens which are prescription ground.
There are mountaineering glasses and work excellent. I am sure most have
decent sunglasses now with IR and UV protection so next time you out in
the snow take a few pairs with you and see what works best. I even find
these help alot in the cars during snowy days adn whiteout conditions in the
daytimer as the light refracts off the blowing snow.
Also dress for winter in case you go down. zero F is not place to be
with just pants and sweat shirt. I carry a winter survival kit with me as
well as lots of waterproof matches, rope , hatchet, saw and a few small
tarps and extra gloves and hat.
Heater - Cabin heat . I have a scoop off the back of my radiator that
blows heated air about 160 F into the cabin on each side of the flap handle
through 2 1" holes -- Not enough for below 20F but helps a bit. I also
have a heat muff on the Muffler 13 " x 9 " that is piped into the cabin
via 2 1 1/2" Scat tubes. This makes me comfortable down to -10 F . at
this OAT the cabin will be about 40 to 45 F on a cloudy day and warmer on
sunny days. On a average winter day with temps at 20 F the cain will be
about 50 to 60 F on a cloudy day. Good heater is certainly worth the
effort.
Good battery is always helpful but also on my 582 good handproping skills
is VERY Helpful if you do not have a pull start. The ducati igntion needs
minimum of 250 RPM to get a spark generated and when temps get below 30 F I
find with that cold viscous gear oil it slows the starter enough that it
can be hard to start. I always turn over the prop about 10 ot 15 turns to
help loosen up oil a bit. But this is not always enough. But a few good
swings of the prop and it will usually fire right away. (YES those 3 to 1
gear gear boxes really spin that engine quick enought by hand. ) Your
enricher ( some call it a choke ) will work but a primer makes the easiest
starts. Nothing sucks more than when you are all set to go out a pristine
cold winter day and the engine will not fire.
Good walk around as usual but including your skis , bungees, crust cutter
cable and safety cables. I see many guys use a bungee from tip of ski amd
this can lead to failure of the bugge from snow abrasion so keep an eye on
them. Those 4 ot 5 foot skis put a good strain on your axles and gear as
well, so always keep a sharp eye for anything that does not look still
"aligned" on those big feet of yours. Surely most of you know but always
look for frost and ice ...... It will destroy alot if not all your lift.
AS well as ice on control surfaces can cause binding.
Make sure drain holes are clear in fuselage and you have not picked up 10
or 20 pounds inside your tail of ice from weather.
I could go on but Sun will be up soon here and time to go Ski flying !
Thanks to Paul Seehafer for the good write up on Ski flying and the video
link . Thanks Paul and great video !!
And once you all get on skis and floats -- you just might realize what you
been missing and throw those silly black rubber doughnuts away you been used
to 
You think landing on glassy water is smooth - try it 2 to 3 feet of fresh
snow !!
Dave
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