I've never, ever seen anyone have a problem pulling a Grumman. Pushing, on the other hand, is an art, but I've seen 110-lb girls push one backwards through a twisty course without a towbar. As for the walkway, if it was only as "wide as one foot", somebody did something to it, because when it left the factory, the walkway was about three times that wide (or your shoes have a width of more E's than I can type). All I can think is that you have unusual physical characteristics which aren't compatible with the plane.
'Nother cup of java, Wayne, and try it again.
Right -- only the "multiple use" STC's get easy approval.
'Nother cup of java, Wayne, and try it again.
What's cruise TAS on that?
During my first runs, I was turning about 75-80% power at around 3000 MSL. I was seeing speed in the low to mid 140's KTAS at that power. Best full throttle low altitude run was 153 KTAS (145 KIAS, 1500 MSL, +31C). Nice smooth engine. During our flight to Pittsburgh, we were only turning about 70% power -- FT and 2500 RPM at 7500 feet and +21C, and were getting about 141 KTAS. For comparison, full throttle at SL in a stock Tiger is about 143 KTAS, and cruise at 70% power at 7500 feet is about 134 KTAS.
Then you'll have to do all the flight testing and data collection over yourself, because you cannot use the STC holder's proprietary data. That's about 6 months and $30K of testing based on the experience of the late Fred Kokoska to get the 200HP "Hyper" and 260HP "Sabertooth" conversion STC's for the AA-5A/B's.
As for the walkway, if it was only as "wide as one foot", somebody did something to it,No Ron it's stock. The little trail that goes from the trailing edge up to the slightly larger square by the cabin is a joke. You cannot get two adult feet side-by-side on about 85% of the wing walk. The aft portion is also about 15% applied to the portion that is blended into the fuselage so its far from flat.
It was difficult for me to use and my regular passenger (not disabled just older) didn't like it either. Very thin wing skins right there ready to catch a b$d day.
Why would I want to? It sure doesn't damage as often or as easily, although if it does, there's an approved repair procedure. You just don't hardly ever see it needed the way you're always patching regular skins.
I have no trouble doing that with my 9-1/2 D's, and I'm not sure why you'd want two adult feet side by side anyway. As I said, this all sounds like a personal problem, because I've never heard anyone else make the same complaint.
Because the steerable nosewheel is doing most of the work keeping you straight, and when the nosewheel lifts off, all the yaw load must be picked up by the rudder. The result is the nose pulls left as you rotate unless you simultaneously make the exact correction with the rudder pedals to increase rudder deflection enough to take up the nosewheel's load. I can't tell you how many times I've seen that quick yaw to the left when someone rotates in such a plane. OTOH, on the Grummans, by rotation speed the entire yaw load is already being carried by the rudder, so there's no change in the balancing yaw force at rotation, and the nose doesn't pull left.
The lack of a step between wing and ground on the 2-seates is an issue for some people. The ones I know with this problem carry a small step on a rope which then can use to mount/dismount. This is not a problem for the 4-seaters as they have a step (unless the owner removed it to get an extra half-knot for racing).
Sure -- but it's gonna cost you $30K and 6 months to do all the testing to get your own STC/field approval, and the Hyperdyne STC only costs like one-tenth of that.
Doesn't help you on takeoff, and it still happens on landing -- seen it many times.
The flight test data come from the flight testing, not the DER, who provides the design data and review. But even if the DER participates in and signs the test reports, the DER does not own the data -- the person who hired the DER does. For the DER to sell data s/he doesn't own would be a serious contractual breach and infringement on the proprietary data bought by the holder.
That is significantly different from my experience of maybe 1000 hours of dual given in Cessnas, but YMMV.
Again, I see it all the time while giving training, but again, YMMV.
Happens all the time when I'm jumping in for a flight review or IR training in steerable nosewheel planes. Doesn't happen with free-castering.
Happens all the time when I'm jumping in for a flight review or IR training in steerable nosewheel planes. Doesn't happen with free-castering.
The question, as asked, still remains unanswered.
If the nose is jerking, you ain't doing it right.
Never had the nose noticeably swing on take off, and on landing you quit stomping the pedals, and it doesn't jerk on touchdown. Upwind wheel, downwind wheel, feet off rudder, nosewheel touchdown, voila. Most instructors don't have their students do that last part, and in turn, are most likely instructing incorrectly.
About 5 degrees right does it, or you can do what I do which is hold the brakes, run up to 1800 RPM, check the engine instruments, and then release brakes. The propwash over the rudder will be enough to provide adequate rudder effectiveness to counter the torque/p-factor at brake release. Also gives you a nice check of the engine while you have all the attention available to check the gauges carefully rather than diverting some from maintaining directional control on the roll.
