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Hopperdhh(at)aol.com
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 Posted: Sat Jul 15, 2006 9:52 am Post subject: Nose gear failures (was new product announcement) |
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Its pretty normal to always think it happens to the other guy. In this case I'm the other guy!
I tore up my -7A pretty good when the nose gear got into soft dirt and failed. I slid on wet grass as I was making a turn and went off the side of my grass strip into some soft mud. I tried to add power to pull it back onto the runway. As the nose wheel came to a clump of dirt it dug in and stopped the plane. It almost went clear over. As it was, I needed to replace the prop, engine mount and gear leg, the firewall and lower skin, and rebuild the engine. Definitely an expensive mistake.
It was pilot error, but the design of the nose gear does not allow for much of a mistake. I have always taken good care of the nose gear as I was trained to do. These things happen quicker than you can think. Or, in this case, quicker than I could think.
The replacement gear is of the new design, but I imagine that it would have done the same thing. It was the fairing that caught the mud in this case. Once it starts plowing it is not coming back up. If it were pavement, the new design would probably help.
Please don't tell me what I should have done! I have had several weeks to reflect on all of that. I have the airplane nearly back together now, and am waiting on engine parts to get it going again. Should be back in the air in a month or so.
Oh yeah, for you tail dragger pilots: You would probably have just gotten back on the runway and been out of there. Something to think about.
Dan Hopper
RV-7A
In a message dated 7/15/2006 12:12:24 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time, steve(at)newtech.com writes:
| Quote: | --> RV-List message posted by: Steve Eberhart <steve(at)newtech.com>
Jim Sears wrote:
| Quote: | --> RV-List message posted by: "Jim Sears" <jmsears(at)adelphia.net>
> I fully understand where pilotage comes into the equation but I have
> two nephews and a wife who will be taking their primary flight
> training in my RV-7A flying off of a moderate length grass strip. I
> think the oleo strut gear would be a slightly more robust nose gear.
>
Steve, all I can say is you're one brave fella.  As for
the gear and primary training, having an instructor who
is good with RVs will lessen the need for concern. I've
bounced my nose gear over some humps in the runway
that made me wonder if I'd bent the gear. It's still fine, even
though it's the weaker one. It's a pretty springy
unit. I've seen a C150 nose gear pushed way back into the firewall.
Hey, one could let the students train in a C150/152 for a bit to get
past that initial learning
curve of reaching for the ground. Less risk on the -7A, that way.
Jim in KY
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Hi Jim,
That is the plan. Get them solo'd in a 152 and transition to the -7A
during the next ten hours or so. I am not that concerned about the
current castering nose wheel as that is what I am building. I just
haven't heard of that many oleo equipped nose gears going over on their
back while I have heard of RV's going over. One of the 152's I took my
primary training in had its nose gear jammed up into the mount by one of
the students. Tore it up pretty good but didn't go over on its back. I
agree with you, if you are trained from the start to keep the weight off
of the nose you shouldn't have any problems.
Steve Eberhart
RV-7A, Just moved the project to its new hangar and should be mounting
the wings in a month or so.
do not =========================es Day
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pitts_pilot(at)bellsouth.
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| Posted: Sat Jul 15, 2006 11:16 am Post subject: Nose gear failures (was new product announcement) |
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Hopperdhh(at)aol.com (Hopperdhh(at)aol.com) wrote: | Quote: | Its pretty normal to always think it happens to the other guy. In this case I'm the other guy!
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snip
| Quote: |
Oh yeah, for you tail dragger pilots: You would probably have just gotten back on the runway and been out of there. Something to think about.
Dan Hopper
RV-7A
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I'm one of those taildragger pilots (Pitts) ..... and it doesn't take much for them to end up with the tail in the air. I know of a Pitts S-2 that was doing it's run-up on hard pavement. The airplane started to move and the pilot applied more pressure to the brakes to stop eth movement. Even with the stick full back to nail the tail on the ground ..... yup, you guessed right ..... over on it's nose. Prop and teardown too. As you know, trying to power out of a predicament usually makes things worse. No, not always, but usually.
Sorry to hear about your unfortunate misfortune ..... it was a learning experience, I'm sure ..... and if it had ben a certificated airplane, the costs of repairs would be a lot more.
Linn
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