Amazing video of RV nose gear collapse shot with GoPro

[Sam Buchanan]

Originally Posted by flion

I agree with this wholeheartedly. Having suffered a collapse on my -6A, I have learned. Proper technique is to keep that nosewheel up, which means airspeed control on final. I noticed that the landing in the video of the AOPA sweepstakes RV-10 was also very fast and flat, with the nosewheel on pavement much too quickly. I'm not sure why this is so common; even in my case I'm not sure where I picked up that habit.

I don't know why it is so common either. I sit in front of my hangar and watch landings and at least half of the nose wheel aircraft landings are too fast and "three pointers". Sometimes you can hear the nose wheel shimmying....

[airguy]

Just a datapoint on the Antisplat brace effectiveness since the question was asked. On my 9A I have the brace installed, and in the early hours of its life my uncle was flying it and attempting his first landing (on a paved runway) and completely botched it. I tried to correct it but too little, too late and we bounced HARD on all three - hard enough that we left half of the nosewheel fairing on the runway and chewed up the other half. Upon inspection I found no plastic deformation of the nosegear leg or mounts, the nosewheel itself and bearings were good, and the breakout force was still good. The nose gear leg had contact "witness marks" in the powder coat where the brace had made contact with the leg during the incident. The "lip-skid" device from AntiSplat also displayed scratch marks, and the front edge of the recovered fiberglass fairing was significantly ground down under the lip-skid from contact with the runway.

I don't know if that would have resulted in a bent gear leg and subsequent nose-over or not, but in my opinion I think I was in that Gray Zone where the brace was able to lend some strength to avoid it. It counts as a save in my book, YMMV.

That same landing on a dirt runway would have resulted in a nose-over, I'm certain.

[philip_g]

Man, guess I'll scratch all -a models off my list.

[Kyle Boatright]

Originally Posted by philip_g

Man, guess I'll scratch all -a models off my list.

Van's has a new nosegear design you can purchase for your new-build or which you can retrofit to existing aircraft. The new design is more robust.

[N941WR]

Originally Posted by philip_g

Man, guess I'll scratch all -a models off my list.

This brings up an interesting question, do the taildraggers suffer more ground loops than tricycles flip-over?

The flip-overs get all the press but I rarely hear about ground loops and I'm sure they happen. I suspect the insurance companies might have statistics on this because if the A's were such a risk, they would have higher initial insurance rates.

[Warrior's Lance]

Originally Posted by N941WR

This brings up an interesting question, do the taildraggers suffer more ground loops than tricycles flip-over?

The flip-overs get all the press but I rarely hear about ground loops and I'm sure they happen. I suspect the insurance companies might have statistics on this because if the A's were such a risk, they would have higher initial insurance rates.

Not JUST ground loops. Here is a damage report from a gusty crosswind landing mishap. http://www.mattsrv8.com/users/displa...040&log=173542

It has been some time since read Matt's RV-8 stories, but I believe he junked the fuselage and got a QB fuse from Van's and rebuilt the airplane.

Lance

[philip_g]

Originally Posted by Kyle Boatright

Van's has a new nosegear design you can purchase for your new-build or which you can retrofit to existing aircraft. The new design is more robust.

Yes, I've seen reference to it, but in the case of the -8 I was reading about, it was about 5k and you have to remove the engine mount, not the end of the world but it's cheaper to just get a taildragger and a tailwheel add on, I think. The problem is getting a tailwheel add on as a big guy, most of the citabria-ish tailwheel trainers around here I need about an 80lb instructor

[philip_g]

Originally Posted by N941WR

This brings up an interesting question, do the taildraggers suffer more ground loops than tricycles flip-over?

The flip-overs get all the press but I rarely hear about ground loops and I'm sure they happen. I suspect the insurance companies might have statistics on this because if the A's were such a risk, they would have higher initial insurance rates.

the tailwheel pilots will be along shortly to say that they're just better pilots.

what I find interesting is I can't say I've seen a sr20/22 collapse the nose gear. I have balked our 22 and had it resonate similar to what this aircraft did, you can really feel it. Sometimes it'll do weird things when the nosewheel is cocked a little when you touch down too. Wind I assume, I don't even know how that happens. I consider it to be of a similar design on the g3 and older sr22.

[RVDan]

I have been based at airports with long paved runways. Saw plenty of C-150?s with destroyed nose gear from touching down or bouncing with nose wheel first. In discussing the issue with instructors, they indicated that it is always caused by improper airspeed control on short final. Being to fast, tends to result in pilots leaving the nose low to prevent the extended float. In the end, a pilot technique issue.

The unique aspects of all RV?s is the resultant flipping due to the short coupling. This greatly increases the possibility of personal injury if the seat belts aren?t secured properly, meaning being tight. The 5th point is also very valuable in keeping the lap belt down on the pelvis where it belongs.

[Kyle Boatright]

Originally Posted by Warrior's Lance

Not JUST ground loops. Here is a damage report from a gusty crosswind landing mishap. http://www.mattsrv8.com/users/displa...040&log=173542

It has been some time since read Matt's RV-8 stories, but I believe he junked the fuselage and got a QB fuse from Van's and rebuilt the airplane.

Lance

It got sideways, drug the wingtip, and damaged the gear. That's a groundloop by my definition.