----[Please read http://ercoupers.com/disclaimer.htm before following any advice in this forum.]----
Maybe I should ride a few with you sometime ddw -----Original Message----- From: Jason J. Ellingson [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Wednesday, March 14, 2007 10:15 AM To: [email protected] Subject: RE: [COUPERS-TECH] nose wheel linkage ----[Please read http://ercoupers.com/disclaimer.htm before following any advice in this forum.]---- From: David Douglas Winters [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Sent: Wednesday, March 14, 2007 9:08 AM To: [email protected] Subject: [COUPERS-TECH] nose wheel linkage ----[Please read http://ercoupers.com/disclaimer.htm before following any advice in this forum.]---- My bird is in the shop (the annual bank account flushing system) The rudder pedals are coming out. QUESTION: When the nose wheel is fully extended, is it still linked to the steering system? Yes, the nose wheel, ailerons, and rudders are always linked when configured without rudder pedals... both in air and on ground. QUESTION: Without rudders, what is the technique for cross-wind TAKE OFFS? You keep a little forward yoke (just enough) to maintain positive steering control (as the plane will want to weathervane) until you've reached safe takeoff speed... then rotate decisively and takeoff into ground effect... slowly adjust for the wind (crab into it) until enough speed to assure leaving ground effect won't result in a rapid return to Earth. For me at least, I'm in ground effect for just a few seconds at most. I prefer to stay on the ground in strong crosswinds until I have good speed. Seems like one would hold the nose down, steer with the yoke, and rotate at take off speed BUT How do you handle short field and soft field take-offs where the nose needs to come up early and the plane needs to get off at minimum speed so it can accelerate in ground effect? For short field, you just pay closer attention to your speed and try to rotate as early as possible. Again, do it decisively... otherwise you'll start bouncing around as the plane can't make up its mind to turn because of weathervane, or to follow the nose wheel... it can get scary. No need to "snap it back" either... I've tried that once and found that I didn't maintain ground effect with correct angle of attack and made at least two bounces on the runway (thankfully a WIDE runway). Soft field is the easiest. Depending on how slippery the surface is, you just do like normal airplanes and pull that yoke back. Until you get some speed, the nose wheel will still have the engine weight on it, so it'll steer for a while... you just keep steering into the wind a little and you'll do a little sliding on the grass/sand. As the rudders become effective, they'll do the same for you as the nose wheel... keep using small control inputs (don't want to accidentally raise a wing) to keep you going down the center of the runway... you will be sliding sideways (more if there is more wind). Then, as the plane takes off... stay in ground effect until you are sure you can climb. Of course, I'm not the book on this topic. I hope others will contribute as well. They may have better techniques, but this is how I've been doing it. - Jason Dave W ============================================================================ == To leave this forum go to: http://ercoupers.com/lists.htm ============================================================================ == To leave this forum go to: http://ercoupers.com/lists.htm ============================================================================== To leave this forum go to: http://ercoupers.com/lists.htm
