Definition
Long, flat runners fitted to an aircraft in place of, or in combination with, wheels to allow takeoff and landing on snow or ice surfaces.
Plain English
Special landing gear that lets an aircraft take off and land on snow or ice instead of using wheels on a runway.
Context Anchor
Seen in landing gear discussions and in planning for operations from snow-covered fields, frozen lakes, or remote winter landing areas.
Derivation
From the Norwegian word ski, meaning a long strip of wood used to glide over snow. The aviation use keeps the same idea: a smooth surface that slides across snow rather than rolling on it.
Why Pilots Care
Enables safe operations in snowy regions where wheels would sink or cause control issues.
Intuition Check
Skis here are not sports equipment carried in the airplane. They are part of the landing gear and carry the aircraft’s weight on snow or ice.
Example Sentence 1
The bush plane was fitted with skis for winter operations into a snow-covered strip.
Example Sentence 2
During winter training, the instructor demonstrated how to land with skis on a snow-covered runway.