Series 200/300 Lancairians:

 

This is a first post for me on this esteemed and valuable forum although I have talked with many of you at one time or another over the past ten or fifteen years.

 

My experience (since early 2000) with Tim Ong's TK-5 shock units and his support of this equipment has been totally positive.   I fully concur with Grayhawk's comments and observations.

 

I did have one troublesome 'adventure' with a slowly leaking TK-5 a couple of years ago, during and after leaving Oshkosh on the fairly long trip back to the West Coast via Dayton, Ohio.   We departed OSH with the left shock down a bit ....... an FBO in Dayton attempted to add nitrogen (without success) and we decided to press on westward.   The following a.m., after an overnite in Albuquerque the shock was seriously low.  Again, it would not accept a re-charge.   I called Redmond for advice and talked to Ross ........ expressing my considerable  concern that the gear might not extend fully upon retraction and hang up and/or jamb in the gear well (with its miniscule clearances).   Ross advised lifting the left wing high enough to fully unload the weight on the wheel and tire and look for full extension of the gear assembly, which was fairly easy to do and confirm.   R. said if we had full no-load extension it would "get us home" ......... which it did.   Upon arriving at home base (Concord, California) later that day I requested the longer and wider runway and touched down more or less softly with little or no side pull or drag on the deflated gear side ........ just an unsightly drooping wing! 

 

Sent the shock to Tim for repair.  He fixed it promptly at no charge.  Said the Schrader valve was somehow damaged or defective.    Lesson learned:  Check/replace valve if unable to pump up shock with reasonable pressure.

 

Bob Sinclair    Lafayette, California    Lancair N320S   300 Hours