Winter Storch on skis!
- Thread starter Arcfyre
- Start date
Paracodespoder
Elite member
Looks good! A word of advice here, if those skis are fixed in place and can’t rotate you may have some issues with flipping over when you hit bumps. To avoid this, use rubber bands or similar to pull the front of the ski up with a non-stretching string at the back to keep it from going to far. I don’t remember who it was but someone else put skis on the storch here on the forums and they showed how they did it, let me see if I can go find it. Good luck 👍.
Arcfyre
Elite member
Yes, aluminum gear bracket. I like it much more than the stock Storch setup. The skis are... Legacy. Left over from when my father flew RC 35 years ago.
Paracodespoder
Elite member
Okay, that should be enough movement, I would still use a band in the front so when you come in for a landing they don’t rotate back and catch on the snow. Now let’s see some tracks in the snow 
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Michael9865
Elite member
Do you have pictures to show how you set yours up?
BS projects inc.
Elite member
*snow storm approaches*
normal people: *buys emergency supplies*
hobbyists: *3d prints snow ski's for rc plane*
normal people: *buys emergency supplies*
hobbyists: *3d prints snow ski's for rc plane*
PsyBorg
Wake up! Time to fly!
Or quick edits a new video and gets it uploaded before power goes out hehe.
Already have a foit of snow hete and the heart of it all is just getting to where I am.
Yes, you need to keep your eye on the priorities.
Arcfyre
Elite member
Ok so my wife is a wimp and refused to take video for me. Also the wind today is gusting to 35 and the temps are 1°F.
Do I let that stop me? Of course not!
The snow was very deep and extremely powdery. If I didn't maintain speed and full up elevator while taxiing, the skis would sink into the snow. Otherwise it worked extremely well!
Do I let that stop me? Of course not!
The snow was very deep and extremely powdery. If I didn't maintain speed and full up elevator while taxiing, the skis would sink into the snow. Otherwise it worked extremely well!
BS projects inc.
Elite member
I have my floats on my tundra and I'm waiting for a good chance to fly. Winds are high right now.'
Headbang
Master member
I do not have pictures of it done right. The concept is just something on the front to stop the ski from aiming down(worst case), and something behind the axle to limit the ability to aim up too far (not so bad for landing, but causes hard to fly drag).
Other solution is heavy spring loaded skis held with a flat spot on the axle for a large set screw held with loctite.
This was last winter's snow plane.
This year is a sea duck and an explorer. Much better solution, no skis getting stuck in soft powder.
Captain Video
Well-known member
Tie a rubber band to the front of the skis and attach the other end to the plane and stretch it with moderate tension to keep the tips up.
Just a thought.
Just a thought.
kilroy07
Legendary member
Your (much) more dedicated than I am!!
Your experience makes me second guess the skies I made for MY storch...
They aren't nearly as large as yours are and how cool flying with a bit of history!
Back to the drawing board!
Arcfyre
Elite member
Your (much) more dedicated than I am!!
Your experience makes me second guess the skies I made for MY storch...
They aren't nearly as large as yours are and how cool flying with a bit of history!
View attachment 122557
Back to the drawing board!
Those would likely work on older, harder packed snow. I was flying on extremely fresh, very cold snow so it was extremely powdery. Nothing to do but try it!
Bayboos
Active member
Wow, I somehow missed this thread until today. Great job, guys!
I built my skis for the Storch 4 years ago. At first, I wasn't using any retention mechanism at all, the skis were hanging down from the LG axles. I made sure to make them slightly tail-heavy, and that was more than enough to keep them stable in the air. I think the Storch is flying too slow to cause any weird behavior of the unsupported skis; but I also have to agree it doesn't look very nice. You can read all about the design and see how the skis actually look and behave in this article: WINTER SWAPPABLES PART 1: SKIS.
In this article, you may also notice a very over-engineered way to support the skis: a custom-made spring that is supposed to be winded over the landing gear leg. It seemed to be a very brilliant idea at the time; and it does work as expected. I have to admit I wouldn't do that again but on the other hand, supported skis look much better. You can see it (along with some additional lights) in the video attached to this article: WINTER SWAPPABLES PART 2: LANDING LIGHTS
About the ski size vs snow type: my skis are slightly smaller than Arcfyre's, and they work perfectly fine on anything other than the very fresh powder-like snow. It's enough to have the snow sit for one day (or even just the night) and it gets "hard" enough to fly. I had more problems flying from "wet" snow (just below freezing point) because it had a tendency to stick to the skis; but other than that I never had to stop flying due to underperforming skis.
Good luck, and have fun!
I built my skis for the Storch 4 years ago. At first, I wasn't using any retention mechanism at all, the skis were hanging down from the LG axles. I made sure to make them slightly tail-heavy, and that was more than enough to keep them stable in the air. I think the Storch is flying too slow to cause any weird behavior of the unsupported skis; but I also have to agree it doesn't look very nice. You can read all about the design and see how the skis actually look and behave in this article: WINTER SWAPPABLES PART 1: SKIS.
In this article, you may also notice a very over-engineered way to support the skis: a custom-made spring that is supposed to be winded over the landing gear leg. It seemed to be a very brilliant idea at the time; and it does work as expected. I have to admit I wouldn't do that again
but on the other hand, supported skis look much better. You can see it (along with some additional lights) in the video attached to this article: WINTER SWAPPABLES PART 2: LANDING LIGHTSAbout the ski size vs snow type: my skis are slightly smaller than Arcfyre's, and they work perfectly fine on anything other than the very fresh powder-like snow. It's enough to have the snow sit for one day (or even just the night) and it gets "hard" enough to fly. I had more problems flying from "wet" snow (just below freezing point) because it had a tendency to stick to the skis; but other than that I never had to stop flying due to underperforming skis.
Good luck, and have fun!
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