It is the middle of November and I am contemplating the arrival of snow. Not unusual for being in Wisconsin, a week away from deer hunting season and Thanksgiving. Besides these and other fun winter activities, a few of us are privileged to be able to go ski flying. Yes, ski flying. You don't have to store your plane away for the winter.

Let's go back to this last winter. I am learning how to fly a tail dragger, on skis no less. It's an Aeronca Chief with an eighty-five HP engine, equipped with Trick Air skis.

I start by taxiing around the airport. A grass strip is not plowed in the winter. I thought I was doing pretty good until I found out it is much easier to turn with your tail a little in the air, otherwise you can find yourself pointed in the wrong direction. While getting the hang of it, especially with the wheel penetration, I was able to do tighter turns using the brakes without any problems. Going straight was easy, too.

Though nervous, my first take-off was uneventful. As I came around the pattern, I noticed that my take-off run was only about three hundred feet. My three-point landing was fantastic because it felt like I had landed on a giant pillow. Upon landing, there's not much 'roll out'.

After considerable practice, it was time to go have fun landing on the nearby lakes. It's best to pick out lakes without ice fishermen on them. With these skis I was doing touch and go's quite easily. Snowmobilers would stop and watch. While taxiing and making turns, I would have to get on the opposite pedal right away to prevent turning too far. I had a blast leap frogging from lake to lake. On a lake you can generally land into the wind. By the end of the season, I accumulated almost a hundred landings until the snow disappeared.

If you've never ridden in a plane with skis, give it a try. It's fantastic! Oh, by the way, snow is in the forecast.

Butch Prillwitz