REFLECTOR: Runway Rash

[Laurence Coen]

John,

>From your description, it sounds like your nose gear break-out force is very 
high.  I may have a solution for you.  I've held my tongue up till now 
because my device was untested.  Yesterday I had the opportunity to do some 
high speed taxi tests and experienced none of the difficulties that you 
described.  At 70 Kn I had no problem holding the nose wheel on the center 
stripe with the tiniest rudder inputs I could manage.  My standard elite RG 
is very easy to maneuver at all speeds.

Let me describe my "Oreo" friction damper.  I have two bevel washers (the 
cracker part)  with a nylon washer making up the creamy filling.  I made the 
nylon washer from 1/8" flat stock using a couple of hole saws.   The science 
behind the idea is that nylon is self lubricating so there is no grease to 
squeeze out or attract dirt.  My experience to date with ground handling has 
gone slicker than snot on a brass doorknob.

Larry Coen
N136LC

----- Original Message ----- 
From: "John Dibble" <aminetech at bluefrog.com>
To: "Velocity Aircraft Owners and Builders list" <reflector at tvbf.org>
Sent: Monday, May 15, 2006 10:01 AM
Subject: Re: REFLECTOR: Runway Rash


> Actually it was on TO.  I was fighting the &(*&^ friction steering trying 
> to keep a straight line and had a lot of rudder and alerion in the same
> direction at rotation.  I've really got to figure out a better way to 
> control shimmy.
> Unfortunately the crowd's attention was diverted by a (presumably drunk) 
> person in the parking lot.  A policeman was trying to talk him out of
> the car and the next thing I heard was squeeling tires as the car jumped a 
> curb and landed in a ditch.  Just another routine day in MS.   lol
> John
>
> Scott Derrick wrote:
>
>> That must have been some landing!  Was there a crowd to nearby to signal
>> their appreciation? :-)
>
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