Ahh, ol’ man winter is upon us again. If it isn’t your cup ‘o tea to risk frostbite on your hind quarters while perched atop a frozen sea awaiting a stray fish to fall prey to your frozen leech, perhaps cross-country skiing or snowshoeing a glacier has been on your list. For my kind of pilot, a heated seat with a bird’s-eye view of the glistening ice-topped trees at dawn sounds a little more enticing. Either way, Wipline Airglide Skis can free you from what otherwise might be another boring hangar-bound winter to limitless winter
exploration and recreation! (As for the heated seat, I’ll have to check with our interiors department… but so far they’ve claimed that if you can contrive it, they can derive it!)

Needless to say, it’s time to store the floats, and strap on the skis. For those of limited time or an unheated hangar, Wipaire can help with both of thosetasks. Our indoor storage facility accommodates all sizes of Wipline floats, stacking them as high as three deep with our special piggy-back racks.

To accommodate your rugged winter flying needs, we offer the complete line of Wipline Airglide skis. Wipaire owns and manufactures what were formerly known as the Federal Fluidyne skis, an already proven and reliable aircraft ski. As is our custom though, we designed several enhancements into the new skis. Some of the improvements include:

1. Aluminum fittings are now CNC milled as opposed to sand cast.
2. Sheet metal parts are laser cut formed and drilled using the latest tooling technology, ensuring a precision fit now, and for future replacement parts.
3. Aluminum parts are anodized and/or epoxy primed ensuring corrosion resistance.
4. The exterior surface of the skis is finished with a polyurethane paint system.
5. The ski tunnel brace (which was prone to cracking due to metal fatigue) has been doubled in thickness from .062 to .125.
6. 1/8” thick teflon bottom skins deliver high performance in slush and prevent freeze-down.
7. The hydraulic system features a panel mounted selector-head for ski extension and retraction. The skis are operated by an electric hydraulic pump with a manual hydraulic back-up pump.
8. The ski hydraulic system is compatible with Wipline amphibious floats. Making the seasonal switch from skis to amphibious floats less complicated and more cost-effective.

Also, Wipline Airglide skis do not compromise performance. When the skis are selected down, they are in fact, only a ski, and not a compromised penetration ski where the wheel and tire drag along with the ski. Wipline skis are the answer for the best performance off the runway in the winter weather.

At this writing, we have most current-production ski models (C2200, C3000, C3200, C3600) in stock and ready for installation. Wipaire’s parts department stocks parts for these as well as CT3000 & CT2000 tail skis. Visit www.wipaire.com and follow the “Skis” link for a list of which model fits your aircraft. Call for parts availability on out-of-production models. And finally, don’t forget to pack the gas stove for your shore lunch!