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The last storm we had a few weeks back, dumped well over 16 feet of snow in the Sierra Mountains.In Rocky Mountain National Park in Colorado, plow operators are dealing with some of the deepest snow seen in years. Above, 23 feet of snow on Trail Ridge Road.
From Record Snowpacks Could Threaten Western States (Published 2011)
Clear advantages of rear engined planes.Here's the end result of one...note where one set of main gear ended up, just next to the rear-mounted engine:
View attachment 655064
This one slid off the runway...but studded tyres wouldn't have made a blind bit of difference.
Here's the write-up: United Airlines Commuter Jet Slides Off Runway, Rips Off Landing Gear in Rough Maine Landing
The only approach I've seen, other than fitting skis, is using oversized tyres. I've only seen this on small, fixed-undercarriage aircraft that have a tailwheel. The larger tyres perform a similar function to the skis by spreading the load more:
View attachment 655066
Here's the end result of one...note where one set of main gear ended up, just next to the rear-mounted engine:
View attachment 655064
This one slid off the runway...but studded tyres wouldn't have made a blind bit of difference.
Here's the write-up: United Airlines Commuter Jet Slides Off Runway, Rips Off Landing Gear in Rough Maine Landing
The only approach I've seen, other than fitting skis, is using oversized tyres. I've only seen this on small, fixed-undercarriage aircraft that have a tailwheel. The larger tyres perform a similar function to the skis by spreading the load more:
View attachment 655066
United Express plane missed runway entirely at Maine airport, report indicates
A preliminary report Thursday indicates the 50-seat Embraer 145 landed between the runway and taxiway.www.foxnews.com
I don't think the United Express slid off the runway... I tried to find an aerial shot (have seen it) that makes it a bit more obvious. This one shows it a bit better.
Actual skiis (for people) have "tuning" for various applications.I wondered if there were "fins" or something for more straight line stability when sliding down a long narrow skating rink at illegal highway speeds.
I saw that in our national press with very similar pictures, I was actually searching for some from near here just after the war, people looking down on a locomotive in a corridor of snow. Or some very unspectacular pics of the land covered in perfectly flat snow, 'cept underneath is a field full of sheep surrounded by dry stone walls and a stone shelter.The last storm we had a few weeks back, dumped well over 16 feet of snow in the Sierra Mountains.
Not sure what the total accumulation is at the moment, but it's similar to that photo!
I wondered if there were "fins" or something for more straight line stability when sliding down a long narrow skating rink at illegal highway speeds.
I bet the contact patch on that wheel is less than my shoes, possibly smaller than the heel on my shoes.And this is what happens when the ice isn't strong enough to support the weight of an aircraft, even a relatively light one, on a wheeled undercarriage. This Noggie Glad was abandoned after it went through the ice on Lake Mjøsa:
View attachment 655107
I bet the contact patch on that wheel is less than my shoes, possibly smaller than the heel on my shoes.
This Noggie Glad was abandoned after it went through the ice on Lake Mjøsa:
Any chance this plane might be recoverable?And this is what happens when the ice isn't strong enough to support the weight of an aircraft, even a relatively light one, on a wheeled undercarriage. This Noggie Glad was abandoned after it went through the ice on Lake Mjøsa:
View attachment 655107