Replies to This Discussion

Permalink Reply by Aaron May on December 18, 2012 at 3:13pm

What about filling the tube with some type of spray foam?  I imagine that would help it absorb any loads short of a crash.

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Permalink Reply by Christopher Braun on December 18, 2012 at 3:30pm

That's not a bad idea. Although wouldn't a lightweight sleeve act as a doubler for the tube? Whereas the foam would resist mild side loads and "bending", wouldn't a sleeve prevent a sharp single point crimp from failure better? Plus it could be replaced by cutting the sleeve off with a dremel tool or something similar. 

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Permalink Reply by Bob Pustell on December 18, 2012 at 4:19pm

Or, you could trust the designer. Chris H. is a brilliant man. He designs in enough strength but no more. As you point out in your original post, beefing it up would add weight. Unless you plan to abuse the nose gear horribly, what Chris did should be fine. Respect the design, do not abuse the nose gear (or anything else, for that matter) and life will be good. Just a suggestion.

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Permalink Reply by Dennis Hutchinson on December 21, 2012 at 5:02am

Chris,

 

I agree wholeheartedly with Bob, the design as it stands is fine. The great majority of the nose gear failures that I am aware of have been the result of side-loading the nose gear on touchdown, generally followed by the collapse of the wheel fork. It is very important to get the nose wheel aligned with your direction of travel before contact is made with the runway surface. This is true of any aircraft.

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Permalink Reply by John Austin on December 21, 2012 at 9:32am

Dennis' observation makes the most important point about the nosegear design. The original design fork is marginal - especially with heavier engines. The new fork design is substantially stronger ... has anyone heard of a problem with it? I haven't! Is it standard equipment on new kits?

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Permalink Reply by Christopher Braun on December 18, 2012 at 6:06pm

That's true. I was just thinking out loud. The fun of the hobby for me, is to build the plane per plans, but also think of ways to improve things, whether or not they actually come to fruition. If I wanted a design or a plane that no modification could ever be made to, I would go certified.

 

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Permalink Reply by John Austin on December 18, 2012 at 6:25pm

Remember that stiffening the nose gear just transfers the forces to the firewall.

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Permalink Reply by Bob McDonald on December 19, 2012 at 6:29am

Build as per the plans. Use the parts in the kit as there was design and thought put into the materials used. Then get type training on type so you won't bend the gear in the flight test phase. If you strengthen the tube the forces will just bend the firewall.

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Permalink Reply by Christopher Braun on December 19, 2012 at 3:07pm

Yep. True. Firewall would be the last place I want a crinkle.

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Permalink Reply by Robert Stacey on December 21, 2012 at 4:04pm

Christopher. 

I like many have had the experience of a bent front wheel... on my first landing. 

As others have advised, respect the design and do not abuse the the front wheel.  This is easy to say  once you have mastered the landing.... but for the first few times it would be nice if the design was a little more forgiving. 

As they say hindsight is 20-20. Little comfort when you'r sitting nose down with the fork and prop damaged. 

To help other new 701 owners  this is my experience. 

My first landing was a little too fast, maybe 50-55 with a 20 mph crosswind 30-40 degrees off the runway.  Nothing too difficult.  I flared and touched down just over the numbers. After landing I used some rudder to keep straight and I killed the power to idle because I was solidly on the runway and all I had to do was roll to a stop. Simple...

 This was my first landing in a wheeled 701 and I had kept reading about others who had damaged their front wheel so I pulled the stick back just to take a little weight off the front. In a split second I was back up in the air , maybe 4 or 5 feet. What happened??  I lifted the front enough for the slats to grab some air and the plane literally jumped into the air.  My reaction to this was to shove the stick forward as fast as I could and the nose immediately slammed into the runway where the gear collapsed and the plane slid to a stop in 20-30 feet. When I examined the nose gear it was plain to see the tire had rubbed on one side of the fork which would have stopped it from rotating.  This was a result of the wheel not being pointed straight down the runway because I had rudder input and the rudder and front wheel are locked with solid steering rods.  Others have experienced this and several people have added springs on the steering rods, which If I had them at the time  the wheel could have straightened itself enough to keep the wheel rotating. This would have resulted in a hard landing without damaging the front tube.

The 701 is a great little plane plus on floats there's  no way I'm  bending my front landing gear!!! 

Hope this helps. 

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