A data recording disk file of the liquid-bearing type has an improved head-disk interface provided in by a transducer carrier with new properties. The carrier supports a conventional head for reading and writing data to the disk. The carrier has an air-bearing surface near its front end, a ski pad near its rear end, and a plurality of ski feet or struts which support the air-bearing surface off the liquid film of the disk when the disk file is not operating. The air-bearing surface is in the form of a pair of air-bearing rails located outboard of the rear ski pad so that no air-bearing effect occurs in the rearward region of the carrier to assure the skiing action of the rear ski pad. As operational speed is approached the air-bearing lifts the struts off the disk and the rear ski pad is the sole ski foot on the liquid film. The rear ski pad has a convexly shaped leading edge which is wider than its trailing edge to minimize static friction and lubricant thinning during skiing, and the angle between the leading and trailing edges of the pad is selected to enable the pad to ski over the wide ranges of carrier-disk velocity which occur as the carrier moves from disk ID to OD.