----[Please read http://ercoupers.com/disclaimer.htm before following any advice in this forum.]----
At 02:18 PM 4/28/2004, Greg Bullough wrote: >My only nit with this is that the nose wheel has little to do with changing >the heading to match the direction of travel over the ground. Like other >tricycle gear planes, it's not such a hot idea to bring the nosewheel >down before or after the mains are down. I'm going to respond to my own post... Consider that the Ercoupe came about very early in the history of the nose-dragger. Through the early history of the configuration, the manufacturers were really pushing the 'drive it on' concept. As late as 1956, Cessna was promoting the 'Land-a-Matic' gear on the first 172s. http://www.airbum.com/pireps/PirepCessna1721957.html Over the years, as we began to learn to fly nosedraggers, we learned that there was really some benefit to the nose-high, full-stall landing. There was less energy in the plane, and a bunch of crunched firewalls and ruptured strut seals suggested that the benefits of the CG forward of the main gear could be realized without the pancake arrivals that were promoted early on. So, even though you may be able to dig up some vintage documents that suggest a three-at-a-time arrival in the Ercoupe, realize that we do know a little more about 'taming the nosedragger' than we did in 1946. The frequency of the crow-hop landing accident in the Ercoupe suggests that getting anywhere near a nosewheel first arrival is best for those with full hull insurance! Greg ========================================================================== ==== To leave this forum go to: http://ercoupers.com/lists.htm Search the archives on http://escribe.com/aviation/coupers/
<<attachment: winmail.dat>>
