REFLECTOR: Nose gear fork

Alex Balic alex157 at direcway.com
Wed Jun 16 09:33:12 CDT 2004


I vote for a heavy, expensive one that does not fail.......  :)
I'll bet that $250 of that $280 for the flap goes for Cessna's liability
insurance- damned law-whores- (no offense Chris)

-----Original Message-----
From: reflector-bounces at tvbf.org [mailto:reflector-bounces at tvbf.org]On
Behalf Of Ronnie Brown
Sent: Wednesday, June 16, 2004 6:37 AM
To: Velocity Aircraft Owners and Builders list
Subject: Re: REFLECTOR: Nose gear fork


Or how about $280 for a little flap that goes on top of the nose wheel pant
for a Cessna 172.  It is just a little piece of stamped aluminum.  But
Cessna gets $280 for it.

I'm tickled to death to be able to get a new, improved replacement nose gear
fork complete with axle for $50.

As a registered professional mechanical engineer, I can tell you that
engineering on a nose gear fork is a compromise.  You can make it real
strong, you can make it really light, you can make it really cheap, but take
your pick - can't get all three.  So then you start compromising on all
three to come up with a suitable design.   If it doesn't work out in ALL
applications, then you start working until you get an acceptable level of
performance versus cost versus weight.  Fact of life!!!!

THANKS Velocity!!!!

Ronnie Brown



----- Original Message -----
From: "KeithHallsten" <KeithHallsten at quiknet.com>
To: <Jim_Agnew_2 at yahoo.com>; "Velocity Aircraft Owners and Builders list"
<reflector at tvbf.org>
Sent: Tuesday, June 15, 2004 10:10 PM
Subject: Re: REFLECTOR: Nose gear fork


| Alex & Jim,
|
| In an airplane, almost ANY part can kill or injure you in a particular set
| of circumstances.  However, if you expect rigorous engineering analysis of
| every part, you will either have to do such analysis yourself or buy only
| high $$ certified aircraft parts that are type certificated for your
| certificated airframe.  In other words, stay away from experimental
aircraft
| unless you bring the engineering horsepower to the project.  According to
| the FAA rules, the Builder is responsible for the design and fabrication,
| not the kit supplier.  It is highly unrealistic to expect a kit
manufacturer
| to provide the same level of engineering assurance that you would get with
a
| new type-certificated design.  However, we are offered a reasonably
| well-proven kit design at a reasonable price, compared to the
| type-certificated world.
|
| If Raytheon were to come up with an improved gear fork design for the
| Bonanza, do you think that they would sell the new part to Bonanza owners
| for $50?  How about $100?  $200?  $400?  I would be very surprized if the
| STC, part, and shop labor to install such a part would leave you any
change
| from a $1,000 Bill!  In that light, Velocity's policy looks mighty
| customer-friendly!!
|
| Keith Hallsten
|
|
| ----- Original Message -----
| From: "Jim Agnew" <jim_agnew_2 at yahoo.com>
| To: "Velocity Aircraft Owners and Builders list" <reflector at tvbf.org>
| Sent: Tuesday, June 15, 2004 2:15 PM
| Subject: Re: REFLECTOR: Nose gear fork
|
|
| > "The old fork was designed and thought to be up
| > to the task."
| >
| > When designing things that can kill or injure your normal
| > engineering is not based on "thought", rather actual
| > destruction testing!  The real question is here does
| > guessing stop and engineering begin?
| >
| > Jim
| >
| > --- Scott Derrick <scott at tnstaafl.net> wrote:
| > > Alex,
| > >
| > > I agree and disagree.  The old fork was designed and
| > > thought to be up to
| > > the task. And from what I know many a bird is still
| > > flying with many hours
| > > on that older design.  Velocity wasn't selling something
| > > they thought would
| > > fail..  When it proved to have a weakness a new fork was
| > > produced and from
| > > the prices I've seen it is being sold for close to their
| > > cost as an
| > > upgrade.  A pretty good deal in my mind.
| > >
| > > I don't know how many airplanes you've owned, but I never
| > > had an AD paid
| > > for by the factory, ever.  I paid for them, 100%.
| > >
| > > Scott
| > >
| > > At 09:13 PM 6/14/2004, you wrote:
| > > >Yea, about that- a LOT of us are having to call up the
| > > factory and pay for
| > > >a properly engineered and constructed fork after paying
| > > already for the
| > > >old style, improperly engineered fork- kind of sits
| > > badly with me- this is
| > > >not like the improved stuff like toe brakes, and ball
| > > bearing seat rails,
| > > >this is an issue that should be addressed like an AD and
| > > paid for by the
| > > >factory, not us..... oh well, I am not going to start a
| > > pissing match over
| > > >it, so I will patiently wait for their machinist to get
| > > mine done (another
| > > >2 weeks I am told)
| > > >-----Original Message-----
| > >
| > >
| > > "Those who sacrifice freedom to get security, deserve
| > > neither."
| > > - Benjamin Franklin
| > >
| > > _______________________________________________
| > > To change your email address, visit
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| > >
| >
| >
| > =====
| > James F. Agnew
| > Jim_Agnew_2 at Yahoo.Com
| > Tampa, FL
| > Velocity 173 Elite Aircraft Completed & Flying
| > _______________________________________________
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|
|
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