Damage expected from tow bar

What kind of damage might be expected to reasonably occur if flight were attempted with a standard tow bar on a nosewheel RV?

Got picture?

Don't know, why do you have a picture to show us?
I only use my tow bar to push the acft. into the hanger, then remove it. I pull the acft. out by as close to the hub as possible. That eliminates the chance of leaving it on.

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flightlogic said:

What kind of damage might be expected to reasonably occur if flight were attempted with a standard tow bar on a nosewheel RV?

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There's likely a whole lot more data on Cessna's etc. with this occurring.....call your insurance broker!?
I think if it survived the taxi & take-off roll, it would dangle harmlessly.
......landing, of course, it's going to trail until forced into the rear of the pant...then all bets are off where it's going to fly when it breaks loose! worst case? 37 punctures in the belly, tanks, flaps, stab, ....and the Learjet holding short!

let's not do this.....'tow-bar, stowed' should appear at least once on your preflight & prestart checklists...I look into my baggage area and confirm it's there, or for a local flight, I lean it in a conspicuous place I can see prior to startup! I put lots of reflective stuff on it so it's easily seen in the grass etc.

Wheel Fairing

Friend that bought my RV7A took off with Bogi tow bar attached. He told me after airborne it sound like a shotgun went off inside when the bar handle hit the bottom right in seat area. The front fairing broke into upon landing. No other damage except a change of shorts. ;-))

How Bad Can It Get?

Hard to believe, but this past winter, a Baron took off at Oakland Pontiac Int'l with a gas powered tug attached to the front wheel. Two pilots on board and neither remembered to disconnect the tug. Apparently snow on the apron and taxiways helped prevent them from "feeling" the addition and, high snow banks hid the lower part of the aircraft from the tower's view. With little other traffic at the time to spot the problem, they rolled for takeoff and selected gear up. Tower spotted the appendage and alerted the crew. Too late, the pins from the tug jammed before the gear was fully home and the hydraulics kept running until the nose linkage failed. With the tug hanging from the failed nose gear, the plane circled for landing. Pilots kept the engines turning until touchdown. Nose came down before engines came off line and both props bit the pavement turning.
No injuries save some bruised egos. Interestingly, the decision was not to total the plane. Anyone buying a used Baron from Michigan needs to look closely at the logs...
Terry, CFI
RV9A N323TP

Good replies so far. I like the idea of bright colors on it.
And adding to the checklist. I use mine for parking when I get back. Have not used it much so far... to pull the plane forward. Backing up, with the full caster nose seems to be the challenge.
Compared to my old 182 (which did get taxied with a tow bar once) it is a light and easy plane to pull around. I learned the hard way not to get aggressive pushing the tail down and rolling it back. Hit a standard size chock and cracked the pant. That was dissapointing...
Thanks for reading and replies.

My rule......never.....ever.......turn loose of the towbar with it connected to the plane.

Similar to my thoughts on the canopy (lock it if it touches the rail), my hands go from attaching the tow bar, to using the tow bar, to detaching the tow bar (possibly laying it in front of the nose wheel if anticipating needing it relatively soon again) every single time. Method has worked well for the first hundred hours of ownership, call me again in a year after another couple hundred. I see Sam agrees.

Definitely

Yes... If not moving the plane, the tow bar goes back in the hangar immediately or in the plane if traveling.

Towbar: in your hand or stowed.

Be nice to have towbars designed so that you can't get into the plane unless they're stowed.... But then someone would whine that he loaned his to a friend and now he can't go flying.

Huh. Maybe make a towbar that's also a boarding step.

Dave

No Hydraulics

terrykohler said:

...before the gear was fully home and the hydraulicskept running until the nose linkage failed...
Terry, CFI
RV9A N323TP

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Just a minor correction, but I'm pretty sure Baron's have the same retract system as Bonanza's which are not hydraulic. They have a purely electric gearbox/pushrod system.

Skylor
RV-8

"Towbar: in your hand or stowed"

That's well worth my subscription; sending Dougie another contribution...

confession time

I had been flying only a taildragger for 10 years including an RV-8. I ended up getting an RV-7A. One day, after having it for only a few weeks, I pulled it out of my hanger and up the hill where i live. First big mistake was not taking off the tow bar as soon as I was done pulling up the plane. Second was not doing a final walk around before taxiing the plane.

I did look at the plane but I was so used to a taildragger that I didn't see the tow bar still connected to the nose wheel.

I taxied down our grass strip and took off. Went to a nearby airport to hang out and a person who just wanted to look at my plane said "hey, what happend to the nose wheel pant?". Well, it was all torn up. I though that maybe I taxied into a hole or something and then I saw the red paint (from the tow bar) on the wheel pant. My heart sank. How could I have taxied and taken off with the tow bar still attached? how did it not bounce up and hit the prop?

Well, this started some conversation of those that had done this with much worse consequences. I flew home and sure enough, the tow bar was half way down the runway. It looks like I actually took of with it and it fell of after take off.

I had to have my wheel pant repaired and repainted. Could have been way worse.

Major lesson learned. Now I ALWAYS walk around my plane again just before getting in.