Airplanes on skis ? (1 Viewer)

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VA5124

Senior Airman
478
95
Apr 8, 2021
Is it true that the Norway,Finland , Russia and Sweden used skis on their planes ? Frist of all how do you stop on skis ? Second of all how do you make skis that can handle a 7,000 lb to 10,000 aircarft and Third why use skis just use snow tires
 
Canada used skis as well. The U.S. of A. also trialled them

 
Canada used skis as well. The U.S. of A. also trialled them

But how do you stop on skis and why not just use snow tires
 
C-130s are more than 10k lb
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It goes without saying that the 'skis' used by planes are not the same that hold a 100kg human :)

The main use of these is to distribute the weight over a much larger area than that of a wheel. The second use is not to make the plane sink in the snow/ice (even if it has been pressed and it's hard) causing an abrupt drop in speed, and that could have catastrophic consequences. About braking; as somebody with over 40yrs of skiing experience, I can tell you that if the ground is flat and you're heavy enough, you won't have any problem coming to a stop in no time!
 
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I think you put skis on planes for the same reason humans wear them, cars get stuck in snow, I presume a plane with wheels landing at even 50MPH on virgin snow would behave like it was landing on water.
 
Although I am in the southern U.S. my first ten years were in snow country. My recollection of sledding was not getting it to stop, but rather getting going. If stopping were an issue, why is there a market for ski wax? By the way, I just reminded myself of a tip for Grandpas. At the public playground slide kids would start down and come to a stop due to friction. I waxed the slide and all the kids lined up for the one we were using.
 
Ok But can you answer my questions this shouldnt be possible
A ski equipped (or even floats) aircraft will distribute the aircraft's weight better on snow than tires, especially if the snow's depth is such, that the tires cannot reach the ground beneath and would end up damaging the gear structure.

A ski equipped aircraft won't need any special means to brake upon landing, the snow will offer the resistance needed as the aircraft sets down.

Landing on ice (like a frozen lake), on the otherhand, would be interesting...
 
As others have pointed out, skis distribute the weight of the aircraft better than tyres when operating on snow and ice. Note that snow tyres are for grip because, in cars, the wheels propel the vehicle. Snow tyres would have no impact on an aircraft because there's no drive mechanism to the wheels.

The aircraft stop due to friction. Yes, landing runs would likely be longer on snow because you can't apply brakes. However, slightly roughing-up the snow of the landing surfaces would likely help increase friction and shorten landing runs.

Here are some examples of aircraft with skis.

Finland put pretty much all their WW2 aircraft on skis during winter.

Gloster Gladiator:

1642525859624.png


1642526170914.png



Brewster B239 (different types of skis):

1642525897264.png


1642526132103.png



Fokker D.XXI:

1642525935444.png



Bristol Blenheim (different types of skis):

1642526021632.png


1642526046412.png



Saab B17:

1642526085205.png




The Russians did similar sorts of things:

1642526257606.png


1642526279515.png



1642526331320.png
 
If stopping were an issue, why is there a market for ski wax?
Exactly. Without wax, a pair of skis would stick to the snow even on a mild slope.

Maybe the concept is a bit hard to understand because we're accustomed to see ice skaters gliding effortlessly. But skaters travel on a surface of perfectly polished ice; in the case of hard solid ice, independently of pressure or friction, there is always a microscopic liquid layer at the surface. This layer is what makes ice slippery even without skies or skates.

Interesting food for thought: skis were traditionally made from wood for centuries before plastic came into use. However, you will never find skis with a metal bottom. Metal usage in skis is limited to the edges and the inner core. Why is that? Because, on the snow, they would have higher friction than wooden ones, so the bottom is always coated with plastic or other similar material.
 
As others have pointed out, skis distribute the weight of the aircraft better than tyres when operating on snow and ice. Note that snow tyres are for grip because, in cars, the wheels propel the vehicle. Snow tyres would have no impact on an aircraft because there's no drive mechanism to the wheels.

The aircraft stop due to friction. Yes, landing runs would likely be longer on snow because you can't apply brakes. However, slightly roughing-up the snow of the landing surfaces would likely help increase friction and shorten landing runs.

Here are some examples of aircraft with skis.

Finland put pretty much all their WW2 aircraft on skis during winter.

Gloster Gladiator:

View attachment 655047

View attachment 655054


Brewster B239 (different types of skis):

View attachment 655048

View attachment 655053


Fokker D.XXI:

View attachment 655049


Bristol Blenheim (different types of skis):

View attachment 655050

View attachment 655051


Saab B17:

View attachment 655052



The Russians did similar sorts of things:

View attachment 655055

View attachment 655056

As others have pointed out, skis distribute the weight of the aircraft better than tyres when operating on snow and ice. Note that snow tyres are for grip because, in cars, the wheels propel the vehicle. Snow tyres would have no impact on an aircraft because there's no drive mechanism to the wheels.

The aircraft stop due to friction. Yes, landing runs would likely be longer on snow because you can't apply brakes. However, slightly roughing-up the snow of the landing surfaces would likely help increase friction and shorten landing runs.

Here are some examples of aircraft with skis.

Finland put pretty much all their WW2 aircraft on skis during winter.

Gloster Gladiator:

View attachment 655047

View attachment 655054


Brewster B239 (different types of skis):

View attachment 655048

View attachment 655053


Fokker D.XXI:

View attachment 655049


Bristol Blenheim (different types of skis):

View attachment 655050

View attachment 655051


Saab B17:

View attachment 655052



The Russians did similar sorts of things:

View attachment 655055

View attachment 655056


View attachment 655057
But how are skis holding up brewsters and bristols and IL-2s
 
But how are skis holding up brewsters and bristols and IL-2s

Again...the weight of the aircraft is spread over a larger area of the ski than the wheel/tyre of a traditional aircraft. It's not like they took skis for humans and just bolted them onto an aircraft. As you can see from the pictures in my post, the skis were specially designed, by aeronautical engineers, to be mounded onto the existing undercarriage leg. The skis were made of metal and were designed to carry the load stresses, not just of the aircraft at rest but the greater force applied when landing.
 

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