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Hello again,
Ok, another problem resolved. Upon closer inspection yesterday, I discovered that the "U" Nose Tunnel Bracket Guide of the nose gear had gouge and scratch marks on the right side. In addition, the bracket was off-center towards the right side. Somehow this bracket got pushed towards the right as some point but I can only guess how this happened. Apparently, when I did my emergency gear extension test in flight, the machine screws (already cut down to the minimum) prevent the gear from coming down and was stuck. Using the normal gear extension procedure, there was enough pressure from the hydraulic cylinder (thank God!) to force the gear down thereby causing the gouging and scratch marks on the bracket from the machine screws. By pushing the bracket to the left and centering it, the emergency gear extension test in flight was successful, even at 120 knots. I did it a couple of times yesterday and was again a happy camper.
I have to find something to cover these machine screws to prevent the bracket from catching on the screws. This cover must create a smooth curve so that in the event that the bracket gets off-center again, it would simply slide down against this cover. Any ideas?? I'm off to PepBoys this afternoon to see if I can find some sort of molding to accomplish this. In addition, I suspect that the bracket was bent out of shape when the nose gear was retracting but was not completely straight. Nieco's self-centering option will most likely eliminate this from happening and I am seriously considering this $350 UPGRADE. Lastly, I will include checking this bracket on my preflight list, I urge everyone to do the same... On another note, I finally got my complex sign-off (yuppie!). Got a couple of solo hours yesterday. Flies a little bit differently, seems to be a tad more sensitive but I need more hours to note all the differences. Anyway, I am planing to make my first long cross-country (NJ to AL) and was wondering what SOFTWARE you folks are using for flight planning. Any and all opinions are most welcome.
More later...
Rick Argente
N360ZR
LML homepage: http://www.olsusa.com/Users/Mkaye/maillist.html
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