REFLECTOR: Paul Calhoun's nose gear incident

[jmbmitch33]

On my retract...the guides are positioned at a slight angle so when the wheel is coming up, if it is slightly turned, the force of the hydraulic pulling the gear up...automatically straightens the wheel due to the slight angle the guides are in.  (( Its bigger at the bottom than at the top)) so even if the front gear is more than a 45 degree angle, the guides will straighten it.  When the time comes to put it down, theirs nothing under the wheel but a wider space for it to fall through.  Also...just make sure the top angle is not so much that it "squeezes" the tire when in the full UP position.

Mitch
Rome, Ga
N648CH
  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Phil Hooper 
  To: 'Velocity Aircraft Owners and Builders list' 
  Sent: Tuesday, August 15, 2006 7:59 PM
  Subject: REFLECTOR: Paul Calhoun's nose gear incident


  I just talked to Paul.  He's pretty discouraged.  He had put his wooden Catto back on and was flying from Modesto, California to Coeur D'Alene Idaho with a stop in Carson City.  He had a pretty strong cross wind at wheels up leaving Carson City and theorized that that the wheel was at an angle when retracted.  It wedged somehow between the nose gear guides/lip of the opening.   He tried all the usual stuff to get it down without success.  When the fire department lifted the nose, he could see the tire was wedged in there, pressed on the edges.  He reached in and with a twist (not much force) it turned, unwedged and dropped readily.  His tension on the nut, for anti-shim, was 19 pounds and was checked a few days earlier.  He also believes that the gas spring could have been a factor and was due for replacement, a mother bear job.  I've heard they are only good for a few years ???  

   

  Paul plans to try to simulate what happened, take photos and advise.  The picture in my mind is pressed rubber, tight against edges, like a bad parking job against the curb.

   

  I'm about to build the nose gear guides and wonder if beveling them (concave, eliminating the edges) would still help get the gear up into position, but provide some strain relief if it tried to go in wedged, letting it free up more easily on dropping the gear.    Paul feels that Mack's warning, mentioned in an earlier post, probably was not a factor.

   

  I've not followed any discussions, but if the anti-shimmy cylinders are effective (I saw one or two at the symposium), does that eliminate the need for tightening the nut so much that the tire might get wedged.

   

  Comments welcome to all of the above.especially from Sage Baker. 

   

  Phil Hooper



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