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#1
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Mine was - off launch on a winch. At my first contest. All the big boys watching.
Pull gear lever back, but it won't lock for some reason. Try a couple of times. Third try the handle comes free in my hand - metal fatigue on the weld had caused it to bend, so the handle did not go far enough to latch over centre. Two more solid tugs were then enough to snap it almost off. Push rod forward as far as it will go with broken handle and try to wedge/lock it. Land as gently as possible on greenest, softest piece of runway available. Roll for maybe 5m then plop onto the belly at the first real bump as the last little bit of weld fails. No damage to belly, but I certainly provided entertainment. Bob Whelan wrote: The caption reads, "Here a competitor comes in for a smooth landing." But just how smooth will this touchdown be? I see gear-up in progress, but my eyes have failed me before. What am I missing? :-) Snipperoo... Snip x2 |
#2
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Nearly 20 years ago at New Castle. First contest after being out of
flying for a few years with my LS-3 that had been in the trailer during that time. Finish the task on a cold day. Perfect landing right in front of the finish line. Gear folds up neatly. Well-meaning finish gate operator gets on the radio: "JB just landed gear up. We need some help to get him off the runway!" I look over at the gear lever. I'm flustered so I agree; must have forgotten to put the gear down. Helpers arrive. John Murray directs crew to kneel under the wing roots and push up. "Put the gear down!" he orders. I move the lever in the other direction. "No, put it DOWN!" That's when I finally realized it had been down all along. Try telling that to anyone who had heard the radio broadcast, however. ![]() Cold weather weakens the gas spring and also stiffens the damper strut in the LS-1f/3/4/6. So if there's any dirt in the gear strut pivots, the main "knee" strut may not quite go over center when it's cold. And all it takes is a little bump and the weight of the glider and the gear folds up neatly, leaving the actuating handle (which is connected to the gear with the gas spring, not a solid link) in the down position. Happened to me twice, both times on grass, fortunately. Chip Bearden ASW 24 "JB" USA |
#3
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On Oct 2, 1:16*pm, wrote:
Nearly 20 years ago at New Castle. First contest after being out of flying for a few years with my LS-3 that had been in the trailer during that time. Finish the task on a cold day. Perfect landing right in front of the finish line. Gear folds up neatly. Well-meaning finish gate operator gets on the radio: "JB just landed gear up. We need some help to get him off the runway!" I look over at the gear lever. I'm flustered so I agree; must have forgotten to put the gear down. Helpers arrive. John Murray directs crew to kneel under the wing roots and push up. "Put the gear down!" he orders. I move the lever in the other direction. "No, put it DOWN!" That's when I finally realized it had been down all along. Try telling that to anyone who had heard the radio broadcast, however. ![]() Cold weather weakens the gas spring and also stiffens the damper strut in the LS-1f/3/4/6. So if there's any dirt in the gear strut pivots, the main "knee" strut may not quite go over center when it's cold. And all it takes is a little bump and the weight of the glider and the gear folds up neatly, leaving the actuating handle (which is connected to the gear with the gas spring, not a solid link) in the down position. Happened to me twice, both times on grass, fortunately. Chip Bearden ASW 24 "JB" USA Mine was the day after Christmas 1977 in an LS-3 landing after a flight in light wave. The gear collapsed right after touchdown. I had enough speed to pull up and cycle the gear but in the process ended up slow enough to touch down tailwheel first and slap the fuselage onto the (thankfully grass) runway. Needless to say with a cold-soaked gas spring cycling the gear did no good at all. Finding the gear doors waaay down by the first touchdown point was the only thing to save my reputation (and ego). 9B |
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