I did my first Snow/Ice Landings today!

[helodriver]

OK, I know it wasn't an RV, but it was truly a learning experience. Did a couple of Touch and Go's in a King-Air 200 today. It was kind of scary at first. There was more traction/control than I expected. The biggest tip was don't touch the brakes!! Sorry, I know its not RV related, but I had to share.

Terry

[jsharkey]

The weekend before last I decided to see how my RV-6 would perform in a few inches (3 or 4) of unploughed snow. I was worried about the small wheels - and the wings & tail and other delicate parts being so close to the ground and the blizzard of snow created by the prop on take off. However the only problem was that I couldn't hold 1700 rpm on the brakes during the pre-flight mag checks and had to make do with 1500 rpm instead. The cold, dense and dry air must have compensated for the extra snow drag because take-off wasn't noticeably shorter than usual but the landing roll was very short with no bakes needed - or desired.





Which reminds me I need to post a comment on the cold oil temp discussion

Jim Sharkey
RV-6 Phase 1

[Norman CYYJ]

Be very careful landing in that depth of snow if it warmed up and re-froze. You could possibly flip over when you break through the crust. Have fun in the cold, great performance numbers.

[Ron Lee]

Another concern is getting snow in the wheel pant area, freezing then causing problems upon landing.

[Geico266]

I'm going flying in the am to test out my cold weather mods on the -12. Should be around zero F. Thanks for the tips.

It's fun to be the first one to land on fresh snow. Do a T&G and see if you can get the wheel in the same tracks next go around. That will keep you humble. OH! and watch out for the snow plow!

[terrykohler]

It's fun to be the first one to land on fresh snow.
Larry:
While you probably have a great deal of experience with winter flying, many of the readers of these forums may not have that advantage. Around the Great Lakes, it's not unusual for snowfall to vary more than six inches over a distance of less than 25 miles. Taking off from an uncontrolled airport and making tracks in an inch of (known) dry powder is a lot different than dropping into a field with four to six inches of wet snow on the pavement. Not recommended. Even on relatively "clear" pavement, it's not unusual to have very poor braking action - a potentially big problem, especially in a crosswind.
Winter takeoffs and landing from any field where there's limited snow removal, sanding, and braking action reports is a high risk proposition. Throw in torque, p-factor, lack of ABS, lack of reverse thrust, and a single engine and the risk is even higher.
Call ahead, ask for runway conditions, and ask what type of AC have been taking off and landing. Then assess your own skills. Just trying to keep everyone safe.
Terry, CFI
RV-9A N323TP

[videobobk]

I remember my first landing on a frozen lake. Phantom U/L, touched down nice (hey, you know it's level and smooth) and was feeling pretty good rolling out. Then I figured out I had to stop before I hit the rocks on the shore. No brakes, it won't steer, nothing worked. Finally I kicked full right, gave a blast of throttle and spun around. Another blast and I was stopped. From then on I shut off the engine when I touched down. Nothing would stop it with the engine running! Won't be trying that in the RV...

Bob Kelly

[Andrew M]

The other risk of using brakes is melting and refreezing water, locking the wheels. I fly on straight skis in the winter, sometimes I have had to keep flying/take back off for better crosswind control. Landing in my own tracks is mandatory, first landing to drag the lake and see if there is overflow for the next time arround, and tracks to take off in if the snow is much over 20 inches.
Yesterday I was trying to get the pre inspection power run numbers on a Caravan (650HP). Dragged the ice grates 300 ft brakes locked, steering with rudder mostly. FUN!

AWM

[rocketbob]

I don't remove my wheelpants in the winter, and frequently fly of our grass strip with 2-3" of snow. If there aren't any drifts I can fly, otherwise I work on the rocket. I've had the wheels freeze up and its a non-event, they break loose easily.

[jsharkey]

Originally Posted by Norman CYYJ

Be very careful landing in that depth of snow if it warmed up and re-froze. You could possibly flip over when you break through the crust. Have fun in the cold, great performance numbers.

Thanks for that one.

Jim