Tail ski

[Good old number 29 158]

Just tried out my prototype tail ski. I’m happy with it. After fifteen minutes of typing a detailed description on Facebook, the page reloaded and deleted everything. Here are some pics. I’ve identified improvements, but am only happy with the results. 2.25 pounds without paint, fiberglass over foam. Turns sharper than with the steerable tailwheel, but lighter rudder feel, and no loss of steerability or rudder authority. Solid success. 

[Good old number 29 158]

[Buckchop 479]

Right on always good to b able to steer well that y im buildin one for the pa12 also. Here is pic of mine. 

[Good old number 29 158]

That looks good. I was originally thinking of doing a penetration ski, but decided that it made more sense for me to use a straight tail ski, since I have straight skis in the front. I’m planning to make a set of penetration skis to go all the way around, in the long term. This tail ski was a kind of pilot project to test the structure and see how it worked. 
After I decided on a straight ski, I was considering how to mount it, possibly using a Matco or Maule tailwheel assembly. I had some concerns about the pivot unlocking. Maybe unfounded, because a lot of guys run these, but imagine what would happen if it spun around. You’d want to be careful that there was enough ski in the back, behind the pivot point, that it could straighten itself out, and not just run backwards, and also that it wouldn’t dig in if it spun around. 
So, I settled on using a fixed ski, bolted directly to the tail spring. I set it in glass, so the mount is formed to the spring, holding the ski perfectly straight. And, it works. It actually turns much tighter than it did with the wheel in back. The tail lifts easier, being over five pounds lighter, and it has a higher angle of attack, in a three point stance, since the ski is several inches shorter than the wheel. No cables or rigging, just one nut on the bolt that’s glassed into the ski, and off you go. 
As an added bonus, I also found that the tailwheel springs had nearly worn through the holes on the rudder horn, as Alaskaflyer also recently saw on his Avid, so I get to fix that without the pain of finding it the hard way. 

[Good old number 29 158]

Good turning radius, especially in soft snow. I could turn sharper, but wouldn’t want to twist an axle. The lighter tail makes it easier to lift with the elevator, and swing around. Tracks straight with the tail down, with proper surfaces.