Dan and Jim,
Dave Winters observed (after removing his snubber): "...although I land nice, slow, and nose-high, I still do three-point landings, so I have authoritative steering from the moment of touch-down".
Hartmut responded: "...ditto...landings...IMHO better...nose wheel is a millisecond later touching the ground than the main wheels."
Bill Coons shared that after his snubber "had become loose" "People on the ground...said that all three wheels were hitting at the same time. ...nose gear fully extended...looked to them like a 3 point landing because of the extension. I land like everyone else, mains first.
These Ercoupe pilot experiences are identical in description, the only likely difference being with the amount of flair possible with the limited 9º up elevator of the 415-D.
The moment any weight is on the mains (remember there is a foot of travel from the "chirp" through oleo action to the point that the oleos are fully compressed and the weight of the plane is on the donuts or Bellevilles), physics forces the bird to IMMEDIATELY (think less than a second) pivot ON THE MAINS such that the "heading crab angle" synchronizes itself with the previous (hopefully) "track" aligned with the runway centerline. Side load is minimal.
Ideally at this moment of transition the pilot should letting the Ercoupe's design and physics control events (very light touch on the wheel), yet this is when those with experience in other aircraft, particularly taildraggers, tend to overcontrol with precisely the wrong control inputs. If they try to "pick up a wing" they turn the nose wheel at the same time (surprise!) in the WRONG direction.
If "given it's head", the nose wheel as a coupe lands will turn in the correct direction all by itself well before it has much weight on it, although it is already possible to positively controll where the plane is headed. Side load is minimal.
Dan...while the coupe DOES "straighten itself", it is incidental (and not always true) as to whether or not this occurs before the nose wheel contacts the ground. Just remember that you get full steering authority BEFORE you have the nose strut oleo bearing the weight of the plane such that it is riding on the internal taxi spring.
Possible "stress on the nose gear" is from two distinct sources. There is the vertical "stress" of landing with a stabilized "rate of descent" approaching 500 FPM (a "carrier arrival" more than a landing in the normal light plane sense). Since your nose strut ALSO has a foot of oleo action specifically designed to handle such vertical "stress", no problem. If the pilot lets the plane "do it's thing" with a light hand on the yoke, sideways stress is also minimal. The Forney style double-fork with the 5" wheel and tire sticks out a bit further, but I believe anyone would be very hard put to measure a difference in sideways stress on landing because of it.
Jim...the coupe will "get that nose wheel on the ground for positive directional control" all by itself without any conscious thought or action by the pilot. You should have whatever directional control thereafter you choose to exercise. You are 100% right observing that the coupe's rudders aren't very effective at proper (minimum) landing speed, and you will make better landings ignoring your rudder pedals than paying undue attention to them.
Regards, William R. Bayne .____|-(o)-|____. (Copyright 2009) --
