---------------------------------------------------------- Zenith-List Digest Archive --- Total Messages Posted Tue 10/21/03: 7 ---------------------------------------------------------- Today's Message Index: ---------------------- 1. 08:08 AM - nosegear bottom bearing (CLOJAN@aol.com) 2. 08:38 AM - Re: nosegear bottom bearing (Mike Fothergill) 3. 09:02 AM - Re: nosegear bottom bearing (Larry McFarland) 4. 07:41 PM - nosegear bottom bearing () 5. 08:17 PM - Re: Airworthy 701 (mike sinclair) 6. 08:50 PM - Re: nosegear bottom bearing (CLOJAN@aol.com) 7. 09:22 PM - Re: Airworthy 701 (Bill Howerton) ________________________________ Message 1 _____________________________________ Time: 08:08:12 AM PST US From: CLOJAN@aol.com Subject: Zenith-List: nosegear bottom bearing --> Zenith-List message posted by: CLOJAN@aol.com I am under the impression that the nose gear "steering ears" are supposed to bottom out into the V-notch of the bottom bearing. This would act as some sort of nose wheel centering device. If my assumption is correct then I have something wrong because I have about a 1/4" gap between the ears and the plastic notch which places the entire load onto the little alum disk on top of the gear. This can't be right. I can put a spacer plate under the bottom bearing to raise bearing. Any thoughts? Thanks in advance. Jack Russell - Clovis Ca Still on Fuselage ________________________________ Message 2 _____________________________________ Time: 08:38:12 AM PST US From: Mike Fothergill Subject: Re: Zenith-List: nosegear bottom bearing --> Zenith-List message posted by: Mike Fothergill Hi; Yes, the "steering ears normally rest on the V when there is no weight on the nose gear. Mike UHS Spinners CH-601HDS CLOJAN@aol.com wrote: > --> Zenith-List message posted by: CLOJAN@aol.com > > I am under the impression that the nose gear "steering ears" are supposed to > bottom out into the V-notch of the bottom bearing. This would act as some sort > of nose wheel centering device. If my assumption is correct then I have > something wrong because I have about a 1/4" gap between the ears and the plastic > notch which places the entire load onto the little alum disk on top of the gear. > This can't be right. I can put a spacer plate under the bottom bearing to > raise bearing. Any thoughts? > Thanks in advance. > Jack Russell - Clovis Ca > Still on Fuselage > ________________________________ Message 3 _____________________________________ Time: 09:02:01 AM PST US From: "Larry McFarland" Subject: Re: Zenith-List: nosegear bottom bearing --> Zenith-List message posted by: "Larry McFarland" Subject: Zenith-List: nosegear bottom bearing > --> Zenith-List message posted by: CLOJAN@aol.com > I have about a 1/4" gap between the ears and the plastic > notch which places the entire load onto the little alum disk on top of the gear. > This can't be right. I can put a spacer plate under the bottom bearing to > raise bearing. Jack, The lower bearing should provide all the bungee counterforce and the cap at the top should clear of the channel by a 1/16" or more. Your idea of raising the bearing surface at the lower bearing is valid, but you might give a thought to not putting in the V. I straightened my bearing surface out to a flat because it made steering a little too stiff. Larry McFarland - 601hds @ www.macsmachine.com ________________________________ Message 4 _____________________________________ Time: 07:41:51 PM PST US From: Subject: Zenith-List: nosegear bottom bearing --> Zenith-List message posted by: Jack, You can correct your problem by making a spacer between the top disc and the strut so no weight rests on the disc. Keep the v groove shallow to decrease steering effort. You can also place high density plastic on either side of the v grooves for really smooth nose wheel steering. Check out builder websites for photos, or I can email you a picture of mine. John Birgiolas >>I am under the impression that the nose gear "steering ears" are supposed to bottom out into the V-notch of the bottom bearing. This would act as some sort of nose wheel centering device. If my assumption is correct then I have something wrong because I have about a 1/4" gap between the ears and the plastic notch which places the entire load onto the little alum disk on top of the gear. This can't be right. I can put a spacer plate under the bottom bearing to raise bearing. Any thoughts?<< ________________________________ Message 5 _____________________________________ Time: 08:17:22 PM PST US From: mike sinclair Subject: Re: Zenith-List: Airworthy 701 --> Zenith-List message posted by: mike sinclair Jon Just read an NTSB report about an accident with your airplane. Hope you are ok (report said uninjured). Any idea yet as to what happened on the power? And a big question, will you be able to make repairs to your airplane to get it airworthy again? Hate to hear about an incident involving someone, that involved an airplane so close to home (I'm building a 701 taildragger w/ a Rotax 912ul), but most glad to read the part about uninjured in the report. Mike Sinclair Augusta, Ks Jon Croke wrote: > --> Zenith-List message posted by: "Jon Croke" > > > --> Zenith-List message posted by: "Bill Howerton" > > > > Congrats We are all SOOOO envious!! > > For the rest of us waiting patiently for that day, can you tell us what > > happened during the inspection? Did you have to have panels open? Did > you > > start the engine Did you have to produce documentation? If so, what > kind? > > Is there anything you can tell the rest of us so we don't show up > > unprepared? > > > > In other words: what specifically did he look at? > > I think I got one of the 'good' ones... a big promoter of the EAA, etc. He > spent about an hour looking over the plane, and about a half hour doing the > paperwork. That was all! > > Keep in mind this was a first project of this magnitude for me, so I knew I > could be up for some problems... however: I got a free lesson in PROPER > safety wire fastening... (in a way that keeps pressure on the bolt head in > the tightening direction)... he found a bolt that I forgot to wire > alltogether; he explained how running a wire along a rubber fuel line could > be a hazard if there was a short circuit, and the battery posts should be > covered, and I should have green/red arcs on the oil pressure guage but > these were all suggestions that I could implement at my own disgression. He > gave plenty of complements on everything looking good and just made me feel > good. > > I am convinced that my success in passing was that I looked at a lot of > photos of other planes on the web (from this list and on the Zac website) > and just followed basic construction practices. The only thing I changed > form the 'plans' was the use of more castle nuts over nylocs where moving > parts were involved. Absolutely no surprises in the paperwork side.. had a > simple builder's log containing my receipts and about 20 construction > photos. That was all! Got my repairman temp certificate and he pasted a > sticker in my new airframe logbook. > > I simply used the EAA guidelines and sample docs to fill out my forms (see > the EAA builder's web pages) ....the only hitch to all of this was really > strange: I printed the forms from the website from the FAA (Adobe) and used > these in my application... the inspector told me that I had to refill them > out on the official forms he brought with him (double sided, not stapled > together like I did). Hey, no problem. > > All in all, I was not expecting things going so smoothly.. I hope this > eliminates some of the fears I had entering this stage... beleive me, this > plane will win no awards due to my less than sophisticated construction > abilities... so my real concern will be the first flight, and I'll keep you > posted on how that goes! > > Jon > > near Green Bay > N701US > ________________________________ Message 6 _____________________________________ Time: 08:50:37 PM PST US From: CLOJAN@aol.com Subject: Re: Zenith-List: nosegear bottom bearing --> Zenith-List message posted by: CLOJAN@aol.com In a message dated 10/21/2003 7:42:48 PM Pacific Standard Time, jbirgiolas@smiletoronto.com writes: Thanks: Several of you have mentioned that the wheel steering will be smoother by using a flat Vs V-grove bearing (Larry's idea) or john's idea below. Correct me if I am wrong but the only time I see that the "steering ears" will be in the V-grove is when the plane is flying and no weight will be on the nose gear. Does the grove make it harder to push the rudder pedals when flying? Jack > Jack, You can correct your problem by making a spacer between the top disc > and the strut so no weight rests on the disc. Keep the v groove shallow to > decrease steering effort. You can also place high density plastic on either > side of the v grooves for really smooth nose wheel steering. Check out > builder websites for photos, or I can email you a picture of mine. > > John Birgiolas ________________________________ Message 7 _____________________________________ Time: 09:22:43 PM PST US From: "Bill Howerton" Subject: Re: Zenith-List: Airworthy 701 --> Zenith-List message posted by: "Bill Howerton" Oh my God!! That's awful! That plane just had its maiden flight less than two weeks ago. Do you have the URL for the report? ----- Original Message ----- From: "mike sinclair" Subject: Re: Zenith-List: Airworthy 701 > --> Zenith-List message posted by: mike sinclair > > Jon > > Just read an NTSB report about an accident with your airplane. Hope you are ok > (report said uninjured). Any idea yet as to what happened on the power? And a > big question, will you be able to make repairs to your airplane to get it > airworthy again? Hate to hear about an incident involving someone, that involved > an airplane so close to home (I'm building a 701 taildragger w/ a Rotax 912ul), > but most glad to read the part about uninjured in the report. > > Mike Sinclair > Augusta, Ks >