REFLECTOR:Gear Speed

Chuck Jensen reflector@tvbf.org
Wed, 24 Dec 2003 09:07:01 -0500


Scott,

If I understood your description, you were going to leave the mains down as
well as the (now fixed) nose gear down?  As you noted, there's not much
hardware left to blow off the front so why don't you retract the mains and
have at it.  At some point, the nose gear may impart nose down drag but it
can probably be overcome with some elevator trim and maybe a little
encouragement on the stick.

When you figure out the cause (if you haven't already), how about sharing?
Be assured, we're not celebrating in your misfortune but I would hope you
wouldn't begrudge the rest of us an opportunity to learn from it.  

Have a safe, if somewhat slower flight home for Christmas.  When you put it
back together, it'll be an ideal opportunity to make all those little
improvements you've been thinking about.  End product; better, faster,
prettier!  Not all bad.

Despite all this, have a good holiday.

Chuck Jensen


-----Original Message-----
From: reflector-admin@tvbf.org [mailto:reflector-admin@tvbf.org]On
Behalf Of scott@tnstaafl.net
Sent: Wednesday, December 24, 2003 12:38 AM
To: reflector@tvbf.org
Subject: REFLECTOR:Gear Speed


I landed at CXP yesterday with my nose gear up.  I tried for 1/2 an hour
to get it to come down but it refused. Long story I will tell later when
I'm a home.

Nobody was hurt, me and my wife.  Though she was shaken up quite a bit by
the event.

The plane handled it well.  Its truly amazing how far the nose drops
without a nose gear. A considerable amount of the nose was ground off, and
of course the nose gear doors were trashed which were open.  It ground off
a couple inches of the speed brake as well though it still functions.

My question is about gear extended speed. I'm going to have to fly home
from Cason City, NV to Grants NM with the gear down.  About a 3.5 hour
flight at normal speeds.

I've installed a temporairy aluminum plate over the gaping hole where the
geard doors and some of the surrounding fusalage usde to be.  I've removed
the main gear doors and taped the brake lines to the gear legs.

I'm assuming the speed limit was done to keep the gear doors on and since
i"m flying without them I can now go as fast as I can peddle.

Anybody see anything wrong with that?  I'd call the factory but I'm pretty
sure they are closed for the holidays.

Scott
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