REFLECTOR: grass strip

[Mark Magee]

Another factor to consider: not all prop FOD comes from the nosewheel. When your MT is pitched for take-off and pushing 300HP, and your moving slow,  that is a mighty big Hoover vacuum cleaner back there and a main mount flipping something up off the ground could easily gravitate toward that large low pressure area with good probability of a prop strike. So the mains can give us issues as well. All considered: canard pushers were designed for improved surfaces. We get enough FOD-to-prop issues there.
Tractor configurations: no problems. Canard pushers: WARNING WARNING WARNING

I hope I've fully crystallized my views on this topic :)

Mark B. Magee
Sent from IPhone 4

On Mar 22, 2012, at 11:31 AM, "Brett Ferrell" <reflector at velocityxl.com> wrote:

> I have to say that I'm very curious, not that I want to do it, but interested...
> 
> * What  length of grass runways folks have used?
> * At what density altitudes (approx)?
> * At what take-off weight?
> * HP?
> * Prop?
> * How much of the runway did you use up?
> 
> Brett
> 
> > I've made dozens of TOLs on grass strips.  The key word is grass.  If there are bare spots, stones can be kicked up and damage the prop, but for me that was just minor nicks.  There is a lot of bug spatter on the prop, wings, and canard.
> > 
> > John
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