Interested in guidelines/experience of operating on wheels off snow-covered runways - both hard and grass. For instance, what depth of snow on grass might it be considered safe to fly off of?
There are many different factors to consider, but you can always do a trial run to see how your aircraft handles on snow. If you don't pick up speed fast enough, you can always abort the takeoff. Landing on snow is more problematic. First of all, a snow cover dramatically changes the appearance of your aerodrome from above. Under a fresh show, in the absence of clear tyre tracks, the runway becomes much harder to discern, especially the threshold when you are on final. If possible, consider installing a couple of bright flags at the threshold. When landing on solid compacted snow or on anything that may be icy, beware of skidding - use wheel brakes very judiciously.
Besides this year, I have always taken off and landed on a snow covered grass runway in a PA28.
I'm no authority on this subject but check the snow is soft, and in my experience thicker fresher softer snow is better than a thin layer of snow with potential ice underneat.
Do a short field take off, and if your not building up speed, make sure you know where you want to make the decision to stop.
Dont carry more than 2 passengers. Even if the POH W&B has a factor for snow, err on the more cautious side and dont attempt to go fully loaded. I have taken off with 2 adults and on a 800 metre grass runway just fine.
On landing, land as slow as possible and try and avoid the use of brakes. If the snow is thick, it will slow you down anyhow.
I love flying over snow covered ground, its beautiful and outside CAS (at least in the UK), even on a Saturday morning, you hardly see another GA aircraft up in the air because most of the hard GA airport runways are inoperable. Navigation is interesting, though a GPS helps.
From a post I made here a while back:
If you are operating in loose snow, which fluffs up on the brakes, do not use the brakes at all! If the disks stay cold, the snow will not melt and refreeze the brakes solid. If you use the brakes just before or during? takeoff, prepare that you might have frozen brakes, and make your next landing on a very long and low friction surface, to assure that if a wheel is frozen solid, you can land with it locked. I have done this many times, and always carry a little alcohol to pour on a frozen brake. A sloppy landing on dry pavement with one wheel frozen locked is going to end badly.
Take the wheel pants (spats you call them?) off, they will pack up with snow, and freeze that way (in addition to just being heavy).
Do not land on a runway covered in unbroken snow unless you are certain about the depth, and have other visual cues. Show can be deeper than you think, and without a visual surface texture, judging height off can be very difficult. Many hard landings have resulted. This is very similar to the dreaded "glassy water" floatplane landing.
Also know that if the snow could have drifted, be weary of snow of changing densities on the runway. It can all look smooth and even, but some can be loose, and some densely packed in between, This can result in wild pitch excursions while operating at speeds with the nosewheel off, but the mains on - I got caught with this problem at night flying an Aztec once.
Got about 6 to 8 in of snow on the runway and want to fly, don't think trying it the way it is will work but was considering 2 options
1: snow ploughing it with the tractor but am concerned that the tractor may leave a deep hearing bone trail in the grass if its wet underneath,
Any thoughts
Exhausted with figuring out you might have meant a herring bone* rather than a hearing bone, I feel your option 1. to be a bad idea. But that's a mere feeling, not really a thought.
*for this once, my native language is more sensible, literal translation would be a "fish-bone" but that would be all too easy to confuse with a "wishbone" of course.
Piperboy,
ONLY because I think you're on tundra tires would I consider the rolling option. It is done, though the result can be semi compacted snow, which can be worse than loose snow. Rolling is great if you're on skis, and helps the ground under the snow freeze more quickly, if desired. Once rolled, driving a car up and down the runway lots can pack the snow so you can fly normal wheels from it. Still, some skill involved.
I have flown my 150 out of 8" of loose powder snow, but only because I knew that it was very light and fluffy, and had all fallen in on session. multi layers of fallen snow totaling 8" could be very different. Don't overlook my remarks about loose power snow freezing brakes. I've had it twice in the last few days.
Plowing is fine, if you know how to do it, and have the equipment. Yes, the wrong plowing equipment can herringbone the surface. You'll find that the plane probably handles this not too badly. It's natural frequency (harmonics of the suspension) will be very different to that of the plow, so you won't get a harmonic going, it'll just be bumpy. Again, tundra tires are good for this.
If you're going to try it, taxi around first, full length of the runway. If you can taxi it, you can takeoff and land. Avoid landing back into unbroken snow when you return, so at least make wheel tracks in it. It can be very hard to judge your height off unbroken snow - light a "glassy water" floatplane landing, can be very bad if you flare too late.
I was flying two days ago, thinking about this thread, and how much more there is to say about winter flying.
Always take the gear and clothing you would want to have if you were suddenly on the ground down there - Do you have what you would want to be wearing to walk to help? Can you reach enough warm stuff, from the pilot's seat (blankets, at least) from the pilot's seat, in case you crash, and cannot get out - that happened to a friend. Into the trees, over night in the seat with a broken leg. All the gear in the back where he could not get to it, and he got frostbite.
What makes you easily seen from the air? Many planes are mostly white, very hard to see from above during a search. Carry something which will make you seen.
Have a safe way to preheat your engine from beneath. In particular, you want the oil in the sump, and the case of the engine warm. Cylinders warm is nice too, but not as vital, other than if the oil is too stiff, it just won't turn over.
Assure that if there is a winter kit for your plane, it's installed.
In accordance with the flight manual, put alcohol in the gasoline, if there is any chance of ice in the fuel. It's not just what you could not drain, but crystals floating in the fuel. Twice I have force landed due to ice crystals in the fuel blocking the carb jet (once in an alcohol prohibited aircraft (I had the prohibition rescinded).
Do not fly with any wing or tail contamination, even frost makes more difference than you expect in stall speed.
I'll probably think of a few more winter flying pointers, but that's a start. I flew to work and back two days ago. I took off in -26C, and flew home in -23C. My personal record is flying a 172 back from central Quebec, -41C on the ground at takeoff. Density altitude is wonderful, so great performance, but the hazards luck and the negative affect is much worse. I have just lost two acquaintances in Antarctica, It can happen to any winter flyer, even close to home.
I have successfully rolled snow with a light roller, not this year. Has to be the 'Right kind of snow'.
Well I went out today and tried it, (I even make a vid but the camera packed up which is a pity)
I started out thinking of just rolling it, but my roller is 5 ton and about 8ft wide and just pushed the snow in front of it and skidded.
I put the plough on the tractor and let it free ride on the surface which left about an inch of snow on top of the grass and in parts i got the herring bone down into the grass but nothing to deep or severe. My biggest concern was that the snow was melting and it got kinda sticky and boggy.
Drove up and down the strip with the quad seemed fine but a bit sloshy and sticky, taxied the plane up and went to swing her round at the end and as i had only done 3 rows with the plough (8ft each) i never made the 180 and had to jump out and push her back, during this i noticed just how much the remaining snow had melted and the tailwheel was deep in mud and slush.
Lined up and ready to go, now this is where I learned a something, and that is the planes capabilities exceed my piloting skills. Anyway, full power and off she goes dragging a bit but not to bad, at about 200ft down the 1700ft strip i start drifting/bouncing to the left and based on the heading i would have hit the left snow bank before 1/2 way. Now i don't know why but I never put in heavy right rudder like i should have and as crazy as it sounds I was trying to "wish" the plane back to centre line, I have no idea why I did this but i did. About 350 to 400ft with the left bank getting closer i lifted the nose slightly and the stall light came on so i eased forward, now the left snow bank is really approaching fast (and still no damn full right rudder, still cant figure that one out) and i ease the nose up again and as soon as airborne the stall comes on again, eased the nose forward and just cleared the snowbank , lowered the nose gained speed and regained centerline and climbed out as normal, used about 600ft of the strip.
Landing was pretty straight forward apart from picking up a bunch of mud on the wings and tail, taxied back to the hangar and shut down. Walked the strip to see my TO and landing tracks and realised just how slushy muddy the field had become.
All in all a great experience and learning curve and pissed at myself for making the TO more dangerous than it needed to be by not being more proactive and firmer on the rudder.
Live and learn
Oh and sprayed de-icer stuff on the disks before starting out
