REFLECTOR: Nosegear Forks

[KeithHallsten]

I got my XLFG kit in late '99.  About a year later, I thought about
smoothing and polishing the nosewheel fork to maximize to maximize its
fatigue strength.  I closely examined the fork, and realized that the
surface finish was the least of the problem, because there was obvious
porosity in the casting.  I decided I would not fly with it.  I shipped it
back to Velocity, and Mark Machado looked it over and pronounced that I had
made a good call, and that he wouldn't fly with it, either.  However, he
said a replacement fork would have to be an upgrade (since they no longer
shipped the old style), and upgrades cost $50!  I thought this was kind of
an odd policy, if there was no dispute that the part was defective, so I
wrote to Duane Swing about it.  Duane wrote back and assured me that I
wouldn't be charged for the replacement fork.  A new-syle fork arrived via
UPS.  So it appears that I got lucky on this whole fork-upgrade matter.

Keith Hallsten

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Greg Poole" <gpoole at zeta.org.au>
To: "Velocity Aircraft Owners and Builders list" <reflector at awpi.com>
Sent: Sunday, July 04, 2004 1:19 PM
Subject: REFLECTOR: Nosegear Forks


I'm curious about the fork issue .....1. were all the ones that broke
installed on the XL models or were there just as many problems for the
Standard fuselage? and...... 2. was the problem the same for FG as opposed
to RG models?

I guess a small fuselage Velocity nosewheel can hit the ground just as hard
as a large fuselage under different circumstances.

When I think of all the landings the "Lanza Special" performed as the
factory "Multicolour" trainer- especially with such a large bunch of highly
inexperienced Velocity pilots (includ'g me) .....

- not questioning the value of the new forks or my life, just curious
again....

Greg in Sydney.
Early Fork Std RG Velocity
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