Carrying snow skis

[1SeventyZ]

My second favorite pasttime is snow skiing, and while good skiing and good flying are usually mutually exclusive, I would still like to be able to fit my man-size skis in my 170 for a trip to Tahoe or Mammoth.

Is the extended baggage STC that is available provide enough length back into the tail to accomodate 72"(185cm) skis (without the rear seat installed) ?

Somebody on another site mentioned a "ski tube," but I can't find any mention of such a carrier just by Google searching.

Thanks,
Zane

[jrenwick]

Hi Zane,

I don't know if this will help or not, but here goes. My 170 has an extended baggage compartment, installed by field approval. You can download the 337 from http://members.iphouse.com/jkr/N4401B/E ... ge_337.pdf.

The mod extended the baggage compartment almost 32" aft of the original bulkhead, with a flat floor 4"-5" higher than the original baggage compartment floor. In other words, there's a "step up" into the extended area. The extension is placarded for max 20 pounds capacity, which makes it good for bulky things like sleeping bags and cowling covers.

With a mod like this, I think you could carry skis.

Best Regards,

John

[ak2711c]

I have the Selkirk extended baggage. I love it. No riviting to install. It is all fiberglass and gets most of its strength from its own structure, it doesn't require any stringers. It installs in less than an hour. It extends back to the next bulkhead which must be an additional 3'-4'. It is rated for 50 lbs. I think it costs about $500 and it is STC'd. I highly recomend it. I have carried lots of 8' lumber with ease. One time I even carried a Go-Devil outboard boat motor that was almost 12' long. I did have to remove the passenger seat and the little rear bulkhead cover to get it in though. As I recall there is about 10' from the rear bulkhead to the front of the door frame. I am sure you could fit your skis in there.
Shawn

[denalipilot]

I had extended baggage installed in my 170B last fall after flying around the previous winter with my skis in less-than-appropriate stowage configurations. My mechanic in Anchorage did a real nice installation, and it was field-approved with a 337. A floor pan and mounting structure was installed between stations 108.0 and 140.0. A new rear barrier was installed at station 140.0, and several commercially-made cargo tie-downs were installled in the new floor pan and the existing baggage compartment floor. A couple of pulleys were added further aft to help with control cable routing. Unlike the installation in a previous post, the floor pan is approximately level with the height of the factory bulkhead opening. I'm guessing it is the addition of the pulleys that makes this possible. Weight rating for the new compartment is 40 lbs, and there is plenty of room for skis. Two considerations are that the ELT- formerly aft of the factory bulkhead- was moved forward to just behind the left door, and that cargo- skis, 2x4s, etc... can potentially now dent the skin of the aircraft. I carry a couple of foam camping pads as part of my survival gear, and I use these to line the walls of the extended baggage to guard against such damage. Good luck in your quest. Any day you're taking of from fresh-tracked snow with an avalanche beacon still on is a good day!

[ak2711c]

My baggage from Selkirk is actually flat level with the floor. They sell it ether way in case you have a rear mounted battery. There web site shows some pretty good pictures of it. They also offer interior panels to protect the side walls as an option. I didn't have to do anything with the cables or pulleys. I chose to move my ELT aft to behind the next bulkhead back mainly because I new I was going to be nose heavy with the new motor. As far as the install of the baggage, it requires one #10 machine screws and nut on each side at the rear bulkhead, and two #10 rivnuts with machine screws at the forward bulkhead. With that the floor is done. The rear bulkhead cover installs with 4 #8 sheet metel screws and you are done.
Shawn

[blueldr]

In view of the fact that skiis are likely to be carried only a couple of months of the year, I can't see going for a relatively expensive extended baggage compartment for that exclusive use.

Why not just pull the soft rear baggage compartment bulkhead aside, put a block under the skiis to keep them well above the rudder cables and tie them down securely with them extending into the rear fuselage. You'll probably have to have the rear seat removed, in any event.

It would probably make loading a good deal easier if you were to install pull pins in the door hinges so they can be completely removed for loading long or bulky items.

[futr_alaskaflyer]

I had extended baggage installed in my 170B last fall after flying around the previous winter with my skis in less-than-appropriate stowage configurations. My mechanic in Anchorage did a real nice installation, and it was field-approved with a 337. A floor pan and mounting structure was installed between stations 108.0 and 140.0. A new rear barrier was installed at station 140.0, and several commercially-made cargo tie-downs were installled in the new floor pan and the existing baggage compartment floor. A couple of pulleys were added further aft to help with control cable routing. Unlike the installation in a previous post, the floor pan is approximately level with the height of the factory bulkhead opening. I'm guessing it is the addition of the pulleys that makes this possible. Weight rating for the new compartment is 40 lbs, and there is plenty of room for skis. Two considerations are that the ELT- formerly aft of the factory bulkhead- was moved forward to just behind the left door, and that cargo- skis, 2x4s, etc... can potentially now dent the skin of the aircraft. I carry a couple of foam camping pads as part of my survival gear, and I use these to line the walls of the extended baggage to guard against such damage. Good luck in your quest. Any day you're taking of from fresh-tracked snow with an avalanche beacon still on is a good day!

Nice to see you on here