Grass strip

[Nosrac]

How does the 7A stand up to grass strips
Im thinking of buying a 7a but will be on grass often

 

[AeroEngineer]

Just fine.

The nose gear made before 2019 was ok (Remember to pull back on the stick, don't come in too fast, install the Anti-Splat mod, and you'll almost certainly be fine) but the nose gear made since 2019 is much better, especially on unpaved runways while going at speeds where the elevator does not have quite enough authority to keep the wheel off the ground. I know of people who have done the retrofit.

 

[penguin]

There is nothing wrong with the original gear for grass strips except it is intolerant of poor landing technique. The gear can handle quite lumpy surfaces if the pilot uses flies appropriately.

 

[recapen]

My 6A is based on a less than optimal grass strip. The original nose gear wallowed out the single bolt at about 10 years and the conical bolt repair at about 8 more all with the NoseJob mod.
I have since upgraded to the elastomer gear - it is a significant improvement!

 

[jeffkersey]

How does the 7A stand up to grass strips
Im thinking of buying a 7a but will be on grass often

I have operated off grass for 9 years. No issues. Keep the nose gear off the ground as long as possible for both takeoff and landing...

 

[Cth6]

I use grass quite often. I would consider removing the gear pants or be prepared to clean them out often. I find a bunch of crud hardens up on the inside of the pants if you fly off damp surfaces (morning dew). I guess you could try to rinse them out.

 

[Pilot135pd]

I use grass quite often. I would consider removing the gear pants or be prepared to clean them out often. I find a bunch of crud hardens up on the inside of the pants if you fly off damp surfaces (morning dew). I guess you could try to rinse them out.

I agree. Unless you do a perfect job of rinsing them out, you'll still end up with some staying and it accumulates quickly. Take a look at your lawn mower for a real nice example of what will happen in the wheel pants.

 

[[email protected]]

How does the 7A stand up to grass strips
Im thinking of buying a 7a but will be on grass often

6A here and live on a pretty poor grass strip. My wheel pants do not get "cleaned out" and have never seen that much $^%@# much in them. It is wet on the north, gravelly/sandy in the middle, Has a rise of about 15 feet in the middle of 2500 feet but hey at least the south end is dry. After landing in the winter water always drips out of the pants in the hangar and mud on the flaps. Comes with the territory. I own the hangar and dirt so I'm not moving.
Yes I keep an eye on the pant brackets and have had to reinforce the mains, But that comes with it being an airplane with little tires
By the way I do not land on gravel bars.
Jump in the water is fine says the frog in the pot on a burner.
My luck varies FIXIT

 

[dwranda]

I use grass quite often. I would consider removing the gear pants or be prepared to clean them out often. I find a bunch of crud hardens up on the inside of the pants if you fly off damp surfaces (morning dew). I guess you could try to rinse them out.

This is what I opened my hangar to. After flying off my wet grass runway this is what fell out of my wheel pant. I take the pants off for winter. Based in NW Pennsylvania so rain and snow are a guarantee.

 

[Treekiwi]

My 6A is based on a less than optimal grass strip. The original nose gear wallowed out the single bolt at about 10 years and the conical bolt repair at about 8 more all with the NoseJob mod.
I have since upgraded to the elastomer gear - it is a significant improvement!

Hi there,
Very interested to know how much work the elastomer upgrade turned out to be for ya?
Cheers
Stephen

 

[recapen]

Hi there,
Very interested to know how much work the elastomer upgrade turned out to be for ya?
Cheers
Stephen

The hardest part was the time spent with Van's developing the link specifically for the 6A,since I was the first. Nobody else needs to go through that as there is a specific link for the 6A.
I had to re-do the throttle and mixture cable mounts as the space on the original tube was no longer available with the new link mount. The new mount moved the engine forward 3/4" from my original early non-standardized (van's words) engine mount meaning my original cowl was now too short.
Even with the price increase, I recommend this upgrade from a sturdiness perspective.

 

[Treekiwi]

The hardest part was the time spent with Van's developing the link specifically for the 6A,since I was the first. Nobody else needs to go through that as there is a specific link for the 6A.
I had to re-do the throttle and mixture cable mounts as the space on the original tube was no longer available with the new link mount. The new mount moved the engine forward 3/4" from my original early non-standardized (van's words) engine mount meaning my original cowl was now too short.
Even with the price increase, I recommend this upgrade from a sturdiness perspective.

Thanks so much for that information.
Stephen

 

[recapen]

You are welcome! Feel free to reach out if you have specific info requests...