REFLECTOR: XLFG Flying side ways

Karl J. Warner karljwarnerpa at earthlink.net
Tue Mar 6 06:58:06 CST 2012


It was the wheel pant for me too (SEFG).  A couple of things helped.  Crank down the resistance on the nose-wheel nut, fly the nose off at low speeds and straight ahead letting the mains follow when they're ready.  I theorize that higher then needed rotation speeds together with a fairly aggressive rotation may give the spinning gyroscopic effect even more reason to exacerbate a crooked wheel pant - my ball was always cocked to the same side telling me the nosepant had twisted in the same direction.  
Karl
On Mar 6, 2012, at 7:22 AM, reflector-request at tvbf.org wrote:

> 
> 
>   1. Re:  XLFG Flying side ways (KMis178813 at aol.com)
>   2. Re:  XLFG Flying side ways (velocityoner at yahoo.com)
>   3. Re:  XLFG Flying side ways (Scott Baker)
> 
> From: KMis178813 at aol.com
> Date: March 5, 2012 11:41:50 PM EST
> To: reflector at tvbf.org
> Subject: Re: REFLECTOR: XLFG Flying side ways
> Reply-To: Velocity Aircraft Owners and Builders list <reflector at tvbf.org>
> 
> 
> Ron
>  
>    Been there!!!  A story I wrote years ago:
>  
> Upon taking off at Sebastian, Florida, Runway 22 and going over crossing runway the nose floated up then retouched one more time before going airborne.  At about 15 feet above runway the plane started a left bank; trying to adjust for level flight, I found myself at full right aileron still while making a hard left turn and climbing.  At 400 ft and 100 degrees into the turn, a mental check was done of construction.  Every nut, bolt, and washer and, oh yeah, look outside “are both wings still on”?  I remember thinking “newly installed front wheel pant” (not quite in those words).  I lowered the nose to pick up speed and it started to get a little better.  At 140 knots I felt it change.  Whew, it then flew just like it always had for the past 400 hours.  Upon landing, nose wheel shimmy that no one should ever have.  No one hurt--equipment saved--now what?  Well, we’re not coming back out of the hangar until we’re sure this will never happen again.  Thus, the birth of the nose wheel lock.  A long story for one of the scariest ten seconds of my life.
>  
> What I think happened was that the nose wheel, upon retouching the runway, turned about 25 degrees to the right.  Acting like a big rudder, turning the bottom of the plane right and the wings made a left turn.  Speed helped the ailerons become more effective and when fast enough, straighten up the nose wheel pant slightly, but still shimmied on touch down. 
>  
> In a message dated 3/5/2012 11:32:30 P.M. Eastern Standard Time, flykb at verizon.net writes:
> Hi Ron,
> I think you are right on the money.
> I have an Elite FG LW and my nose wheel pant would kick to the side (not as bad as yours) but it did cause the ball to be way off center.
> We took the front wheel pant off and it flew straight as an arrow. Something with the way my wheel pant was made (mine was way heavy in the aft end of the pant. 
> I'm not flying with the nose wheel pant and plan to get one from velocity and build one to see if I can get it to fly straight.
> I even got it on a pic I'll attach. This was a series of pictures and you could see that the nose pant aft is pointing at the lt main. We also picked up some speed when we took the nose pant off.
> 
> Thanks,
> Kevin Baker
> N164PS
> 
> On 3/5/2012 9:42 PM, Ron Velocity XLFG wrote:
>> 
>> Today I did two  flight in my plane the first flight was fine no issue to discuss here.
>> but on my second flight right at take off the plane wanted to turn left real hard.
>> By that I mean Full right deflection to keep the plane from rolling over. I went around the pattern
>> with almost full right input and got the plane back on the ground. The turning seemed to slightly
>> reduce as I went around the pattern .  I had a similar issue on my last test fight. The plane flew with a severe crab
>> all the way around the pattern . So this is the second issue I have had since putting on my front wheel pants on .
>> My guess is the front wheel is kicking to the side right at lift off causing the plane
>> to want to turn. I checked all of my rigging and nothing looks wrong. Has any one
>> else had this happen? This make me real nervous to use my wheel pants or just  fly the plane
>> again.  It could be a winglet getting stuck out I suppose ,I wish I had look around more closely but
>> I was most concerned about getting on the ground first.
>>  
>> Ron
>>  
>>  
>>  
>>  
>> 
>> 
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> 
> 
> 
> _______________________________________________
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> 
> 
> From: velocityoner at yahoo.com
> Date: March 6, 2012 2:59:56 AM EST
> To: Ron Velocity XLFG <Velocityxl at fastmil.fm>, Velocity Aircraft Owners and Builders list <reflector at tvbf.org>
> Subject: Re: REFLECTOR: XLFG Flying side ways
> Reply-To: Velocity Aircraft Owners and Builders list <reflector at tvbf.org>
> 
> 
> Tighten the nose gear. It's happen to me also. 
> Victor
> N93DV
> 
> 
> 
> On Mar 5, 2012, at 9:42 PM, "Ron Velocity XLFG" <VelocityXL at fastmail.fm> wrote:
> 
>> Today I did two  flight in my plane the first flight was fine no issue to discuss here.
>> but on my second flight right at take off the plane wanted to turn left real hard.
>> By that I mean Full right deflection to keep the plane from rolling over. I went around the pattern
>> with almost full right input and got the plane back on the ground. The turning seemed to slightly
>> reduce as I went around the pattern .  I had a similar issue on my last test fight. The plane flew with a severe crab
>> all the way around the pattern . So this is the second issue I have had since putting on my front wheel pants on .
>> My guess is the front wheel is kicking to the side right at lift off causing the plane
>> to want to turn. I checked all of my rigging and nothing looks wrong. Has any one
>> else had this happen? This make me real nervous to use my wheel pants or just  fly the plane
>> again.  It could be a winglet getting stuck out I suppose ,I wish I had look around more closely but
>> I was most concerned about getting on the ground first.
>>  
>> Ron
>>  
>>  
>>  
>>  
>> _______________________________________________
>> To change your email address, visit http://www.tvbf.org/mailman/listinfo/reflector
>> 
>> Visit the gallery!  www.tvbf.org/gallery
>> user:pw = tvbf:jamaicangoose
>> Check new archives: www.tvbf.org/pipermail
>> Check old archives: http://www.tvbf.org/archives/velocity/maillist.html
> 
> 
> 
> From: Scott Baker <scottb33333 at gmail.com>
> Date: March 6, 2012 7:16:21 AM EST
> To: Ron Velocity XLFG <Velocityxl at fastmil.fm>, Velocity Aircraft Owners and Builders list <reflector at tvbf.org>
> Subject: Re: REFLECTOR: XLFG Flying side ways
> Reply-To: Velocity Aircraft Owners and Builders list <reflector at tvbf.org>
> 
> 
> Prior to take off, visually check to see that the rudders are in trail.  Wind gusts might have moved the rudder and allowed the rudder cable to kink around the rudder horn in such a way that the rudder becomes deployed.  Not good.  Even a small deflection of the rudder will cause the turning force you describe.
> Scott B.
> 
> On 3/5/2012 10:42 PM, Ron Velocity XLFG wrote:
>> 
>> Today I did two  flight in my plane the first flight was fine no issue to discuss here.
>> but on my second flight right at take off the plane wanted to turn left real hard.
>> By that I mean Full right deflection to keep the plane from rolling over. I went around the pattern
>> with almost full right input and got the plane back on the ground. The turning seemed to slightly
>> reduce as I went around the pattern .  I had a similar issue on my last test fight. The plane flew with a severe crab
>> all the way around the pattern . So this is the second issue I have had since putting on my front wheel pants on .
>> My guess is the front wheel is kicking to the side right at lift off causing the plane
>> to want to turn. I checked all of my rigging and nothing looks wrong. Has any one
>> else had this happen? This make me real nervous to use my wheel pants or just  fly the plane
>> again.  It could be a winglet getting stuck out I suppose ,I wish I had look around more closely but
>> I was most concerned about getting on the ground first.
>>  
>> Ron
>>  
>>  
>>  
>>  
>> 
>> 
>> _______________________________________________
>> To change your email address, visit http://www.tvbf.org/mailman/listinfo/reflector
>> 
>> Visit the gallery!  www.tvbf.org/gallery
>> user:pw = tvbf:jamaicangoose
>> Check new archives: www.tvbf.org/pipermail
>> Check old archives: http://www.tvbf.org/archives/velocity/maillist.html
> 
> 
> 
> _______________________________________________
> Visit the gallery!  tvbf:jamaicangoose

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