Larry Mednick
Forum Replies Created
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Blair, I would avoid a straight in especially at your airspeed in all cases. Trikes on long final is probably the biggest danger. At least on downwind we are all (supposed to be) at the same altitude so we can see each other. On final trikes tend to be much higher and the other pilots are probably not looking up for traffic as we descend onto them. But more importantly Traffic really need to turn base where they need to turn base or they become the menace in the pattern for whoever is following them. So if a long final stops them from being able to do so, that is a problem by itself.
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Good point! On windier days slower aircraft need to watch their time/distance on final. Assuming you are landing into the wind the difference in ground speed starts to change ratio with faster aircraft. Example: no wind 50MPH trike is 1/2 the ground speed of a 100MPH plane. Add 25 mph head wind and now the plane is 3X faster instead of only double the ground speed (25 vs. 75). So the length of our final when there is a strong head wind really needs to be shortened even more, so we don’t get run over on final by the plane behind us.
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Flying at different speeds in the pattern should generally be no conflict if everyone is where they should be. And what I mean by that is the faster an aircraft is going, the larger their pattern should be. I have flown all over the world and there seems to be a very consistent 5-6 minute pattern time. So a Cirrus and a Champ should be able to stay in the pattern shooting a dozen touch N goes with no interference from one another. Unfortunately every once in a while some “Yahoo” in an RV 4 is shooting T+Gs in the “Champ pattern” every 3 minutes and some Cessna 152 is setting up his 2 mile final. These aircraft not only can’t mix in with us, they can’t mix in with ANYONE ELSE in the pattern. They are a danger and inconvenience to others.
However when everyone is where they are supposed to be , then speeds within the same pattern are almost irrelevant and everyone should be in synch with good separation.
The problem I have discovered for trikes and other slow aircraft is the 45 entry. In order to do so we must cross the downwind of several faster, larger “downwind legs” to get to our “inside” down wind leg. This is not only dangerous, but impossible when there are 4+ fast aircraft in the pattern at once.
I have a solution to this, but would like to hear others thoughts.
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Not yet
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The best solution is we need to open up a messenger within Trikeaction. In the mean time maybe see if they are on FB or just call out here on Trikeaction the name and ask him to call or email you.
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Wow! So glad your motor is running without issue now. It’s really awesome to see this forum at work answering questions. That’s what’s it’s all about!
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You have checked the most important things. I would say ignition, but the 2 ignition systems are so separated that I don’t believe they can both fail together unless it’s at the kill switch which kills both at the same time.
The only thing I can think of that you haven’t checked is the float and needle system. I’m wondering if the bowl is getting sucked dry if the floats or needle and seat are sticking. I would replace both and go from there.
If compression is good, spark is redundant, then I’m leaning towards fuel supply. And since the fuel system is so very short and simple and you have replaced the filter (hopefully not a paper filter), then the possible fuel supply problem may reside inside the carb.
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We ceramic coat EVERY 2 stroke exhaust that goes out the door. Unless it’s a stainless steel exhaust, we ceramic coat it. We do the 582s, and Polinis. Ironically the 2 stroke exhausts are hundreds of degrees cooler than the 4 strokes, so heat on a 2 stroke exhaust is less of a problem than on a 4 stroke.
Not all ceramic coatings are equal. Jet Hot is about the best we have found in the US.
The short answer is do it. There is nothing more unsightly than a rusty exhaust on an aircraft.
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Hi Lori, so sorry to hear this. Just terrible. Hopefully the person in the hospital makes a full and speedy recovery. I am sure there is a story to be told leading up to the accident. There usually is… we always want to know the how and why as fellow trike pilots. Condolences to the family and so sorry for your loss.
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That’s how nearly every trike in our hangar is. Works great for sure.
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Hi Vassili, good to see you here. Yeah, Fly Com also went up 15% and BRS went up 30% overnight! 🙀 things are getting really expensive really fast…
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Hi Pete, a few factors… Having at least 20 PSI in the 21″ tires will reduce the contact patch size, the larger the contact patch with softer tires, the faster the tire will tend to spool up. The chirp we often hear is the time it takes for the tire to go from 0-landing speed. The longer the chirp, the longer the tire takes to accelerate which drastically reduces the aft force swinging the carriage backwards. In the grass it’s even longer. Adding power at touch down will typically increase the time it takes to put the weight onto the tires which again will slow the spool up of the tires. Smaller and or lighter tires may not slow the spool up, but will have less affect when they do.
Next is where is the bar at point of the mains touching down. If the bar is “pinned” forward you can expect the nose to drop uncontrolled regardless of tire size. So holding a flare off too long with a trike can be detrimental to lowering the nose down nicely. However, most often the nose comes down abruptly BUT the control bar is not all of the way out as the nose wheel touches. This is pilot error in my opinion, since there was control available, but unused. The most common 2 reasons for not using this range of AOA is not leaning forward and not being able to reach well. The second trick is to have the control bar in forward motion as the mains touch. This will allow the control bar to CONTINUE forward as the pilot seat is literally yanked back away from the controls. So holding the controls steady in one spot as the mains touch means that when the pilot seat gets pulled back, the pilot is actually pulling the control bar back without moving the bar. When the bar is traveling forward it allows the bar to keep moving forward at that critical moment. If you watch a no handed landing you will see the control bar appear to lunge forward when the mains make contact without the pilot’s input. See the 0:47 mark on video https://youtu.be/pxWXCbB3pHU
Lastly, if you can get the bar all the way out at the same moment the nose wheel touches the ground, that is a text book landing in my opinion and the nose should USUALLY touch soft and hopefully not bounce. This can be done with or without power.
Remember once the mains are down and the nose wheel is still in the air and the bar isn’t pinned all the way out, the tire’s moment of inertia, contact patch size and landing surface no longer affect the nose being lowered to the ground. And again I increase AOA to lower the nose down softly, although the popular way seems to be to decrease the AOA to do so which I do not personally subscribe to.
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The “nose slam” phenomenon is very real. Without an elevator to control pitch attitude at touchdown like an airplane, the carriage swings back as the wheels touch, and the more rotating mass and the larger diameter they are, the more affect they will have. This is why we don’t use the 22” tires on the REVOLT on hard surfaces. The 600s and 700s aren’t horrible when you go to something like a Michelin (we have tried them all) but those tires are only 15-17”. By the time you go to a 21” tire, you don’t want more than 4 ply and you don’t want tubes because the moment of inertia is so much larger.
I ran into a fellow that had 29” tires on his trike and I asked him if he ever landed on hard surface with it. He said no. I told him to be very careful if he ever does.
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Hey Jim, unless you removed your thermostat, I’m pretty sure your Monsoon has one.
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Roger, trim speed and touchdown speed do not affect the height of the nose wheel when the mains touch. That is controlled by the geometry of the carriage. It is possible to swing the carriage which can cause the nose wheel to rise higher because of the swing with over controls during the flare.
In bowling there are many ways to get a strike, but only pro bowlers can get 10 in a row and all use a similar technique. Want to put the nose wheel down gently and consistently there is only one way to do it. Want to get consistent strikes, there is only one way to do it. And like bowling, if you change your technique don’t expect instant results. But with practice, the sky is the limit and total control over the nose wheel is possible in light enough. conditions.
Bar pinned as the nose wheel touches is like the spin on a bowling ball…
Here is the technique again. It’s a transferable skill with consistent results for a 400 hour pilot like Wayne.Wayne’s New REVO
https://youtu.be/UKQHPdQVegEWayne’s New REVO
https://youtu.be/UKQHPdQVegE