REFLECTOR: main gear legs

[Jeffrey C Barnes]

Hi Alex, 
   
    Back a few years, Jean Prudhomme was flying show box at Sun-n-Fun on day with 90degree x-wind gusting to 27kt. Applying max rudder on touchdown also engaged brake. This caused gear leg to flex and cracked the carbon wraps, loud enough to get pilot's immediate attention. Carbon had to be sanded off and leg re-wrapped. There was no damage to underlying fiberglass. 
   
    There was another report on an early model velocity of an  non-carbon wrapped gear leg bending back and hitting fuselage on landing: same situation - brake engaged on landing. There was no apparent damage.
   
    Good case for toe brakes, VGs, TE fences, lower winglets and longer rudders.
   
  Regards,
   
  Jeff Barnes
  
Alex <alex157 at pwhome.com> wrote:
      speaking of carbon wrapped gear legs- has anyone ever had a non-heat related main gear failure? Seems most of the hard landing damage occurs to the bolts and bulkhead area.....

    
---------------------------------
  From: reflector-bounces at tvbf.org [mailto:reflector-bounces at tvbf.org] On Behalf Of MMurp16900 at aol.com
Sent: Thursday, March 29, 2007 10:26 PM
To: reflector at tvbf.org
Subject: Re: REFLECTOR: Fast Velocity


  
  The weight and balance that I presented the FAA at original certification was 3000 lbs. gross weight.
  Gear legs are wrapped with carbon fiber and max landing weight 2700 lbs.
  My useful load 1000 lbs
  We operate out of 5300 ft runway length at standard day felid elevation 4400 ft
  Mack   XL RG IO540 300 hp. 



    
---------------------------------
  See what's free at AOL.com. 
_______________________________________________
To change your email address, visit http://www.tvbf.org/mailman/listinfo/reflector

Visit the gallery! www.tvbf.org/gallery
user:pw Check new archives: www.tvbf.org/pipermail
Check old archives: http://www.tvbf.org/archives/velocity/maillist.html
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://www.tvbf.org/mailman/private/reflector/attachments/20070330/288e96d6/attachment.html