DIY Skis - For any Plane

It’s winter here in Northern Utah and the flight fields are covered with snow.  But we are not going to let the snow stop us from having some fun.  If you have never had the opportunity to fly on the snow then you’re missing out. Let's build some skis for that plane of yours and get outside.

My Project and Method

I built two Bushwhacker swapables and I'm anxious to get skis on them.  Since there is snow on the ground the maiden with these two will be on skis.

I'm going to use an old method I've been using for years.  I built this pair of skis about 20 years ago and they are still working great.  They can fit under your fuselage and tie on with the rubber bands you use to hold on your wing.  Since I don't need landing gear for the Bushwhacker, I'll just need to build the skis.  But if your plane doesn't have gear, then this is a great option.

Size Matters!

I'll need to determine how long and how wide to make my skis.  You'll want your skis long enough to plow through the powder and wide enough to stay on top of the snow.  But you don't want them so big that they are too heavy or cause too much drag.  Here are some skis I bought and one that I built.  With the method I'm going to show you, you can build for any size plane.  For the Bushwhacker I'm going to start with a pair that's 1" wide and 9" long.

Materials

We'll need some thin plywood for the skis.  I'm using 1/32" plywood and I'll need two pieces to laminate together to make the bend in the skis.  I'll also need a piece of Basswood for the strut.  I'm using a piece 1/4" by 1/2" and 24" long.  I will also need some CA glue, wheel collars, some fishing line, two small screws, and a couple of rubber bands.

Let's do this!

I'll laminate the two pieces together by getting them wet so they are pliable, then covering one sheet of plywood with CA glue and pressing the two sheets together.  You can create the bend for the skis by placing them on a 2x4 at a 45 degree angle.  Just hold them until the glue is dry.  A minute or two should be long enough.

You can see that after they are dry they will hold their shape perfectly.

Next I'll cut them out and sand them to remove any rough edges.

I'll then get the shape of the strut by placing it next to the ski and tracing out the curve.

Once the struts are cut out they should match the curve of the ski exactly.  Then cut the strut to length.

I'll need to drill the main hole in the center for the landing gear and one at the front to attach the fishing line.  Finally, one partial hole in the back for the small screw to hold on the rubber band.  Make sure the screw holes are on opposite sides of each strut.

Next glue the strut to the ski.  Make sure that you have the screws on opposite side from each other.  The rubber band will attach to the inside side of the ski.

I'll need a way to attach the fishing line and rubber band to the plane.  For the Bushwhacker I put a servo push-rod through the bottom of the fuselage and made a bend at the end to attach them.

Time for the Install

After some paint it's time to put them on my plane.  I've used wheel collars on both sides of the ski so that it stays in one spot and tracks through the snow without sliding around.  I put the fishing line through the hole in the front of the ski and wrapped it around the loop I made in the push-rod.  I'll make sure that the plane is level when I tie them on so that the ski is not able to dip down in the front.  This will help me prevent a nose over on take off or landing.  Next I put the rubber band over the screw on the inside of the ski and wrap it around the push-rod.

Time For Me To Fly

That's it.  Pretty simple build and should work for any size plane. I'm sure there are many methods of keeping the ski level but this has worked for me for years.  If you have suggestions, please share.

Let's get this bird in the air.