Skiplane Groundloop

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Lotro
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Skiplane Groundloop

Post by Lotro »

Pardon me if this is a dumb question, but can you groundloop a skiplane?

Or more specifically, do skiplanes have the same tendency to groundloop that wheeled taildraggers do?

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phillyfan
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Re: Skiplane Groundloop

Post by phillyfan »

I have a fair bit of ski time and it really is unlike wheel flying once the airplane touches the snow. Misuse of brakes and not touching down straight are the primary cause of ground looping on wheels. The lack of brakes takes that risk out of the equation in ski flying and the greater degree of sideways touching forgiveness takes much of that risk away as we!l. The risks of ski flying tend to revolve around snow surface conditions.
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Antique Pilot
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Re: Skiplane Groundloop

Post by Antique Pilot »

Yes you can ground loop a ski plane.

AP
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phillyfan
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Re: Skiplane Groundloop

Post by phillyfan »

That picture looks like somebody who did not leave themselves enough room to turn? That is very common in ski flying. I would have to see the tracks further back. I suppose somebody could groundloop a skiplane. It would take some work, but I suppose some pilots would be able to pull the maneuver off?
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Antique Pilot
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Re: Skiplane Groundloop

Post by Antique Pilot »

Well I certainly wasn’t trying to turn.
Narrow hard packed strip with a x-wind
from the right. As soon as the tail came
down it was gone. The deeper snow that I
ran into probably stoped it from doing a
complete loop.
AP
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Siddley Hawker
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Re: Skiplane Groundloop

Post by Siddley Hawker »

Pardon me if this is a dumb question, but can you groundloop a skiplane?
You can with a 185.

The first time maybe couldn't be called 'skis' as I was landing with the skis up on glare ice after a rainstorm and refreeze. The braking action was basically nil, but there were snow ridges sticking up through the ice. I saw that I wasn't going to get stopped before reaching an area of rough ice, so I waited until I hit one of the snow ridges, pinned the left bake and added a shot of power. She went around right slick, I added power, stopped and taxiied back. The second time was on skis, landing on snow that had been topped by a layer of heavy freezing rain. The wind was about 15 kt from the NW where I had taken off 50 miles away, and there was no way to determine the wind where I was landing - it was NE - so I inadvertinently landed downwind. As soon as the tail touched down she swapped ends. My three pax were mightily impressed how short we'd stopped with a 185.
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oldtimer
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Re: Skiplane Groundloop

Post by oldtimer »

Back in the good old days I was flying a Norseman on Elliot boards. One of the boards broke so they were replaced with some other brand of skis that were much narrower. On the Elliot boards the airplane handled like any other airplane which is to say directionally stable but on the new narrower boards, that airplane became a real ground (snow)looper. So yes, you can snow loop a ski plane but you usually have to work at it.
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Heliian
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Re: Skiplane Groundloop

Post by Heliian »

I believe it is purposely done on occasion. But that's more of a sliding 180 on a harder surface.
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