AOPA Pilot Magazine - November 2019 - 81

don't have any brakes, so taxiing isn't the
same as it is on wheels."
There's no way to know the thickness of
the ice on a body of water by looking at it
from the air-but pilots do have clues. They
find comfort in recent snowmobile tracks
and ice-fishing shacks as telltale signs that
the surface may be solid enough for an
airplane.
A swift current prevents water from
freezing at the same temperature as a still
lake or pond, and some rivers stay liquid all
winter-even when the surrounding lakes
are topped with thick sheets of solid ice.
In general, the ice must be at least four
inches thick to safely operate light, singleengine skiplanes. "Four inches of solid, black
ice is enough," Willard said. "You want at
least that much."
In 2019, because of multiple polar
vortices sending low-pressure systems down from the arctic, the ice on
Moosehead Lake in late February was
more than 30 inches thick. That's enough
for heavy equipment-including trucks-
and Willard took advantage by using a
groomer to smooth an area in front of his
lodge into an ice runway. (He normally
uses the groomer to make cross-country
skiing or snowmobile trails.)
"It's hard and smooth enough to land a
wheel airplane," he said of the 1,500-foot
surface.
As with seaplanes, sunlight-or the
absence of it-dramatically affects ski flying.

A sunny day shows surface conditions
in sharp relief, and it's easy for pilots to see
how far they are above the surface. But a
gray sky can make it impossible for a pilot
to distinguish the horizon, or to judge an
airplane's height above the surface.
During "flat light," ski pilots are
taught to land by setting up for a long final
approach, holding a constant pitch attitude, and adjusting engine power for a
slow, steady descent all the way to touchdown. "The procedure is much the same
as a glassy water landing in a floatplane,"
Willard said.
Another seaplane similarity is the variety of equipment. Some seaplanes are
amphibious and provide the flexibility to
land on water or land. Some skiplanes have
retractable wheels that allow them to land
on land or snow.
Moosehead Lake is best known
among aviation enthusiasts for the annual
International Seaplane Fly-In held here in
summer, which draws thousands of pilots
and spectators to the seaplane-friendly
town. But Maine pilots keep at it all year.
They winterize their airplanes with heavy
engine oil, cabin heaters, and duct tape to
cover air vents and door seals.
The biggest difference between winter and the rest of the year is the amount of
effort, time, and special equipment that goes
into each flight.
If an airplane has been left outside, it's
likely to require preheating the engine with

a forced-air heater or a camp stove. Pilots
typically cover their engines (and sometimes
propellers) with quilted blankets and cowl
plugs to retain heat.
Plug-in engine heaters for oil sumps or
entire engine blocks are standard equipment
for piston airplanes.
If flying over remote areas-and most
of this region is rugged and remote-satellite messengers and survival equipment are
standard equipment on every flight. And
pilots flying recreationally often go places
together or at least update each other via
radio during flight.
"You've really got to want it to fly in this
area during winter," Willard said. "Nothing
about flying this time of year is easy or quick.
"But the rewards, to me, are definitely
worth it. Landing in a frozen bog and going
cross-country skiing; seeing moose, deer,
and other wildlife from the air; exploring
millions of acres of wilderness-there's
really nothing quite like it."
AOPA
EMAIL dave.hirschman@aopa.org

A PIPER PA-12 is exceptionally light but with

straight skis is limited to snow surfaces for
takeoffs and landings (facing page). Swapping flying tales at The Birches lodge is an
effective way to stave off the winter chill.
A quilted engine cover preserves heat in
the engine compartment for the next start.
A metal prop typically gets covered, too,
to prevent transferring cold temperatures
to the engine block.

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AOPA Pilot Magazine - November 2019

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