|
-
POSTING RULES

-
Donate yearly (please).
-
Advertise in here!
-
Today's Posts
|
Insert Pics
|

11-09-2007, 08:04 PM
|
|
|
|
Join Date: Oct 2005
Location: Melbourne, Australia
Posts: 1,868
|
|
Vans acts on nosegear woes
It has been raised in the Maintenance Section that Vans has just issued a Service Letter and a Mandatory Service Bulletin relating to all two seat nosegear RVs. I am elevating this issue into the General Discussions area because I feel that it is more than a "maintenance" issue.
For more info you may find the relevant thread here:
http://www.vansairforce.com/communit...ad.php?t=23379
__________________
You’re only as good as your last landing 
Bob Barrow
RV7A
Last edited by Captain Avgas : 11-10-2007 at 04:06 PM.
|

11-09-2007, 08:48 PM
|
|
|
|
Join Date: Dec 2005
Location: Mahomet, Illinois
Posts: 2,195
|
|
Hmmmm. Lotta silence out there. Then again, Mom always said to not talk with your mouth full. 
__________________
Terry Ruprecht
RV-9A Tip-up; IO-320 D2A
S. James cowl/plenum
(Dues paid thru Nov '18)
|

11-09-2007, 09:16 PM
|
 |
|
|
Join Date: Feb 2005
Location: Huskerland, USA
Posts: 5,862
|
|
Not sure why Captain Gas is building a 7A if the little wheel in the front bothers him.
I'm not sure which "brigade" I was in, but I'll join the one that Captian Gas was NOT in.
I'll eat crow if you boil it for 6 hours (feathers and all) in your kitchen, windows closed. Call me in a week, I'll bring the Tobasco sauce.
Does anyone know if the wheel pant / gear fairing needs to be replaced also?
__________________
RV-7 : In the hangar
RV-10 : In the hangar
RV-12 : Built and sold
RV-44 : 4 place helicopter on order.
Last edited by Geico266 : 11-09-2007 at 09:20 PM.
|

11-09-2007, 09:19 PM
|
 |
|
|
Join Date: Jul 2005
Location: Hubbard Oregon
Posts: 9,035
|
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by Captain Avgas
Vans states that they have received no reports of any failures of the new nose gear to date.
As for the "pilot error brigade"......time to eat crow fellas.....and lots of it.... yep, feathers and all. 
|
I fully expected that Captain Avgas would stir the pot....
It should be pointed out that at this time no one knows how many of the currently flying RV's are equipped with the new style nose fork...for this reason (at the moment anyway) the fact that no accidents have happened is of unknown value.
Maybe Van's has made a change to "protect us from ourselves".
One thing that has come to light for me in this year of 2007, as a result of this issue and many others....
is that within the pilot community as a whole, when we are self evaluating our piloting skills, we typically think we are a better pilot than we really are
(I lump my self in the same pot). This is not healthy.
BTW...I am having steak for dinner tonight, thank you very much.
__________________
Opinions, information and comments are my own unless stated otherwise. They do not necessarily represent the direction/opinions of my employer.
Scott McDaniels
Van's Aircraft Engineering Prototype Shop Manager
Hubbard, Oregon
RV-6A (aka "Junkyard Special ")
|

11-09-2007, 09:19 PM
|
 |
|
|
Join Date: Apr 2005
Location: KSLC
Posts: 4,021
|
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by Captain Avgas
As for the "pilot error brigade"......time to eat crow fellas.....and lots of it.... yep, feathers and all. 
|
Regardless....
The guy in the hangar next to mine, just passed 1200 hrs on his 6A, and not an inkling of nosewheel collapse. Perhaps he's just one of those "better" pilots!
L.Adamson
|

11-09-2007, 09:27 PM
|
 |
|
|
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: MKE
Posts: 1,519
|
|
Quote:
Originally Posted by rvbuilder2002
Maybe Van's has made a change to "protect us from ourselves".
|
Well put. Kind of like the ill-advised FAB SB from a few years ago. A small % of pilots did not know how to handle flying in snow, so we got stuck with a SB that ended up being worse than the original problem.
Or the ill-advised fuel pickup SB?
I'm a big fan and defender of Van's designs and his engineering. One thing I've learned from SBs, is that just because there's a SB, does not mean that there was a flaw in the original design.
__________________
Jeff Point
RV-6, RLU-1 built & flying
Tech Counselor, Flight Advisor & President, EAA Chapter 18
Milwaukee
|

11-09-2007, 09:40 PM
|
|
|
|
Join Date: Mar 2005
Posts: 5,685
|
|
Mine is staying as is
OK, do what you want. I understand why this change is coming about but I'm not going to change mine.
Bob Axsom
|

11-09-2007, 09:52 PM
|
|
|
|
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: EDVK
Posts: 323
|
|
Premature conclusion of success?
Quote:
Originally Posted by Captain Avgas
...Vans states that they have received no reports of any failures of the new nose gear to date...
. 
|
What percentage of RV trikes are flying the new nose gear? Perhaps when a large percentage of trikes are flying the new nose gear without any additional flip-overs, then it can be called a successful design change.
It might decrease the incidence, but probably won't eliminate the problem... for obvious reasons.
__________________
[color=SlateGray]Mark Andrews
RV8A N598X
|

11-09-2007, 10:23 PM
|
 |
|
|
Join Date: Jan 2005
Location: Victoria, Canada
Posts: 2,251
|
|
Folks, there is no longer any argument. The NTSB performed a careful analytical analysis and Van's has now followed up in response to correct a known deficiency in the design.
We have requested that Van's respond to this issue for a while, and now they have. Hopefully this eliminates the debate on pilot technique vs. design.
Digging through Van's information, I found that I need to have at least 30 lbs of baggage when fully fueled in order to conform to the recommended loading envelope on my 9A. This keeps the nose wheel loading below the maximum recommended.
This was quite a surprise, given that I routinely fly without baggage, and with full fuel. The pilot's weight is not significant in the calculations. Looks like I need a new placard!
__________________
===========
V e r n. ====
=======
RV-9A complete
Harmon Rocket complete
S-21 wings complete
Victoria, BC (Summer)
Chandler, Az (Winter)
|

11-10-2007, 02:10 AM
|
 |
|
|
Join Date: Jan 2005
Posts: 112
|
|
It is very interesting to see this new SB. Hopefully it will eliminate or reduce the number of tip over accidents. Whether the accidents were due to "pilot error" or uneven runway surface is debatable. I personally think that both factors played a part either individually or combined. There is no doubt that raising the clearance between the bottom of the leg and the ground can only be beneficial.
It was obvious that once the NTSB had come out with an opinion Vans had to do something or risk becoming game for Mr Wolk, see the recent postings on Carburetors.
It will be interesting to take a look at the numbers say a year from now and see hopefully if this SB has made a significant improvement.
As side issue it also seems to have made our friend Captain Avgas's day and cheered him up considerably so that is something to which we can all be thankful.
Barry F-PRVM RV6A
|
| Thread Tools |
Search this Thread |
|
|
|
| Display Modes |
Linear Mode
|
Posting Rules
|
You may not post new threads
You may not post replies
You may not post attachments
You may not edit your posts
HTML code is Off
|
|
|
All times are GMT -6. The time now is 05:17 AM.
|