General Aviation
Accident Prevention Program
U.S. Department of Transportation
Federal Aviation Administration
Tips On Winter Flying
FAA - P - 8740-24
AFS - 800 0879
A landing surface can be very treacherous in cold weather operations. In
addition, caution is advised regarding other hazards such as snow banks on the sides of
the runways and poorly marked runways. Advance information about the current
conditions of the runway surface should be obtained. If it is not readily
available, take the time to circle the field before landing to look for drifts or other
obstacles. Be aware that tracks in the snow on a runway do not ensure safe
landing conditions. Often snowmobiles will use runway areas and give a pilot
the illusion that aircraft have used the airport and the snow is not deep.
Ski Wheels - Ski wheel combinations are popular and very convenient; however,
forgetting to use the landing gear appropriate to the runway surface can be
embarrassing.
Skis - In level flight, due to their relatively dirty profile, skis will cut cruising
speed to some extent. In addition to some loss of aerodynamic efficiency, skis
have other disadvantages. They require more care in operating because bare
spots must be avoided to keep from wearing the bottom coating of the skis, although the
bottom coating must be renewed on some skis periodically. There is now an
anti-friction tape that is very useful for this purpose. Skis equipped with the
anti-friction coating do not freeze to the surface like those that expose bare metal to
the snow. Another method of keeping skis from freezing to the snow is to taxi
the aircraft up onto poles placed across and under the skis. This prevents them
from touching the snow for most of their length.
Extra care in use of skis during takeoff and landing is also
recommended. Rutted snow and ice can cause loss of ground control, even failure
of skis or landing gear parts. Deep powder snow can adversely affect ski
operation. Prolonged takeoff runs in deep powder are expected and it may be
deep enough that no takeoff is possible under existing conditions. In this
case, experienced operators pack a takeoff path with snowshoes, or taxi back and forth
until an adequately packed runway is available.