Three Recommended Winter Tie Downs for Ski Planes

Black Diamond Ice Screws

For remote flying in Alaska - which includes rural airports, private strips, and landing on frozen lakes and rivers, prudent pilots create means for tying down a plane to protect it from sudden wind gusts with quick release for departure.  We use the three methods described below: for tie downs elsewhere, we stow ice screws and rope in the plane. For the tie down on the frozen lake at home, we shove boards through holes in the lake, and for easy and fast departures, we park the plane's skis on slick covered planks.

Ice screw

ICE SCREWS:
In our plane, we keep a 75 foot length of heavy duty nylon rope and three ice screws, which are really designed for ice climbing.  Made of aluminum with a steel tip to shed weight but remain strong, they weigh less than one pound each.  Ours are about 8 inches long.  We paid about $55 each.

https://blog.weighmyrack.com/black-diamond-ultralight-ice-screws/

Once he has taxied to a stop, Bryan picks three points (under the U brackets on the wings for tie downs and near the tail), hand turns the screws (easily) into the snow and ice and then lashes the plane to these anchor points with the rope.

He has done this at transient parking spots, for example, at Willow Airport (in Alaska) that lack permanent tie downs, as well as off-airport locations.

plane plugged in and tethered with ice screws

They are a cheap, light, small, and easy tool for winter safety.

NOTE:  These screws are not appropriate for mud or soil.

We received this excellent tip from long time flyers, George and Dorothea Murphy, who used ice screws over decades of Alaska bush flying.

SUBMERGED BOARDS:
A  second tie down is one we use all winter at home.  Here, Bryan uses our 8 inch diameter ice auger to cut two holes through several feet of ice on either side of  where we plan to park the plane.  Into each of the open holes, we drop a board through which a thick nylon rope has been looped and knotted.  We poke and prod the board until it pops horizontally beneath the ice.  When the ice hole freezes solid, the rope is locked in place until spring.  We thread the above surface lines through a pair of orange traffic cones set over the holes, so they are easy to find after snow storms.  We learned this useful technique from Larry Schachle.  In May, the lake ice breaks up and the boards float to the surface.  We retrieve them by kayak.


Both of these techniques have been "field tested"in high winds over the past 7 years.  We recommend them. 

KIDS' PLASTIC SLEDS:
Tying down is important, but so is being able to taxi away!  Every winter, particularly after damp, sleety, rainy winter weather, our plane's skis tend to freeze to the underlying snow.  For years, we shoved two slim boards under each of the three skis, and then kicked them out before take off.  However, the boards often sank under the weight of the plane, so increasing surface area of the skis touched and stuck to the snow.  Many a departure was delayed as we endeavored to rock and swivel the plane from side to side to free the skis from clingy snow and ice.

Skis on plastic

This year, we heard an excellent suggestion from our A&P mechanic, Kurt Heller of Flying Machines in Willow.  We bought cheap plastic children's sleds.  These are not thick and rigid plastic, but more like 3.5 foot long tarps or yoga mats.  We staple the black plastic to overlap the front and rear ends of plywood sheets that are bit wider and longer than our skis.  When Bryan taxis to our tie down point, we pivot the plane and push it up onto the slick, plastic coated planks. The dark color repels snow build up and the size of the plywood keeps the skis above spring overflow and melting snow, which accumulate in a bowl beneath the body of the plane.  As a result of this simple suggestion, Bryan has experienced the fastest and easiest take offs in seven winters of Alaska bush flights.

In addition to challenges experienced in the air, bush flying requires pilot ingenuity on the ground, too.  These three solutions have been cheap, easy, and reliable for us.