Have you attached skis to the belly?

[StevenR]

I wanted to ask if anyone has tried or knows someone who has attaching a ski rack to the belly of their RV (8)?

[Mike S]

I have no idea about an underslung rack--------but there have been folks make an interior "tube" storage compartment in the tail cone for long things.

There was a thread on this recently, even.

http://www.vansairforce.com/communit...highlight=Golf

By the way, I see it is your first post-----------Welcome Aboard.

[SteelMike]

Hey check this out. This is exactly the question that I wanted to post. Carrying skis is a definite goal for my -7 and something that I've been kicking around. I've even gone as far as contacting a company that makes cargo pods for other aircraft, and they say they'd be interested in designing and building a cargo pod (or maybe even pod kit) for the -7 if I could demonstrate some interest (anyone? I may post about this sometime in the future if/when I have more info).

Anyway, I digress. There are two ways I figure to get skis in/on a -7. 1. do the modified bulkhead. Pros: inside the plane, Cons: W&B, major structural modification. 2. cargo pod. Pros: W&B issue solved. Cons: Attachment points, drag, where do you get the pod?

There's a third option that's been bugging me: simply put a ski rack like on your car, upside down on the belly. strap on the skis and go. What if you put a little nose cone for the ski tips to fit into to minimize drag and the shearing force of the wind? I know these RVs aint no slow-pokes, but I also know that it's SOP to strap a frigging canoe to some bush planes, too.

Anyone have any experience along these line, be it cargo pod, interest in a cargo pod, bulkhead modifications, or the proverbial upside-down ski rack?

MB

[pierre smith]

....what hangs underneath my Air Tractor's belly!! A chemical pump with a 15 inch propeller perpendicular to the airstream with a 2 1/2 pipe coming out, also perpendicular to the airstream, a dump door at a 45 degree angle to the airstream, and 40 foot long spray booms below the wing with 60 nozzles more or less perpendicular to the airflow. All this stuff removed results in a gain of 15-20 MPH but it's all needed to spray crops.

I'd say that an upside down ski rack under the belly would be quite feasible,...much more so than anything on top. The higher pressure air under the airplane isn't nearly as sensitive to protrusions as the air going over the top is. Why don't you try just one rack first and go fly the airplane around the pattern kinda slow....around 120-140 MPH and work up from there.

I don't know where it'd attach but you'd need reinforcing to hold the rack and skis though.

Regards,

[SteelMike]

Huh. Thanks for the thoughts, Pierre. I really didn't expect to get any encouraging words, so I'm kind of intrigued by the idea now!

My fuse kit isn't even on order yet, so plenty of time to plan ahead. Do you think this a better solution for skis than modifying the rear bulkhead as has been done?

I figured there would be more interest in carrying large items. Does anyone else have any thoughts, ideas, interest in a cargo pod, or experience hanging things off airplanes (!) etc?

[RVbySDI]

I also had thoughts of carrying skis in my RV9A. There is a post here detailing an interesting mod for carrying skis in the baggage area that I seriously considered. I like the design but eventually decided the CG would be affected more than I liked.

That was not my only reason for changing my mind about this type of mod though. I actually started rethinking the idea of traveling with my own skis whenever I wanted to go skiing. As it turns out I have discovered that I much more prefer to rent skis at the resort rather than mess with the hassle of bringing my own. I have owned my own skis for 30+ years and have taken many many a ski trip toting them along. Owning your own skis may seem cool but it is expensive. The only time it made economic sense for me to own and use my own skis was when I lived at a resort and skied every day of the season on them. That was a long time ago in another life. Now I ski 3-7 days per year if I am lucky and have had several years when I never go at all. Several years ago I realized that it was just not worth the hassle anymore to take my own skis for such a short amount of time skiing.

I do still ski with my own boots but now I pick a quality rental shop at whatever resort I am skiing and rent the high end demo skis they have available. The cost is really reasonable compared to other rentals and I get the newest top of the line skis from which to choose. I can change at any time if I don't like the pair I pick or I can try a different pair each day. There are no maintenance issues as the skis will be freshly tuned and if there is a problem with them I just take them back for repair or exchange. Believe me, it is much cheaper to ski on someone else's skis than to buy your own.

All of this is to say, perhaps if you think about carrying your own skis in the RV you might realize that you may save headaches and hassles if you just fly to your destination and rent skis there. I might even say you can save money in doing so.

My $.02
Live Long and Prosper!

[Warren Moore]

put one ski on each wingtip and paint them to look like an AIM-9

[hgerhardt]

My old friend "Dr. John" (RIP) made a pod for his Glasair 3 several years ago that looked like a drop tank. It consisted of an ~8" diameter tube closed out on each end with a prop spinner. He made an integral pylon using aluminum I-beam to attach to the fuselage. He made hard points in the fuselage and installed those O-ring sealed nutplates for attachment. I forgot how much he claimed the pod slowed him down, but it wasn't much. One of these days, I'm going to make one like that for my -6, since Mammoth is only 1 hour 20 min by RV.

Heinrich Gerhardt
RV-6, flying

[SteelMike]

Yeah, I live in LA but still ski about 40 days per year, so it typically entails a lot of traveling. Renting's not for me. Plus, I'm a self-admitted uber-ski snob, I don't think I could live on rentals.

Here's one from last year that you might appreciate:



Okay, okay. Just one more:



Sorry, I'm waaay off topic now, but I can't help it. I might love skiing more than I love flying (sacrilege!!).

If anyone has any other thoughts about the skis and the cargo, etc, I'd love to hear 'em!!

Thanks!

[lightning]

but i plan on building a surfboard rack...