Van's Air Force
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Muddy Runway
- Thread starter pa38112
- Start date
Randy Hooper
Well Known Member
Let it freeze
Looks like you will have some freezing nights coming up if you are stuck at an airport in NJ. Might be a good option to wait for the hard surface.
Looks like you will have some freezing nights coming up if you are stuck at an airport in NJ. Might be a good option to wait for the hard surface.
smokyray
Well Known Member
Weight a minute...
I wouldn't pull your wheelpants as it doesn't change much. Better plan is to lower your tire pressure and as mentioned above, very light load.Use an ATV or lawnmower as a tug. Empty tanks and put a 100lb bag in baggage as mentioned. Tow slowly and take care not to put too much stress on NW. Towing backwards is preferred. Use sand or kitty litter to solidify the area.
Flying out? My strip stays gooey during the summer months and after over 1000 takeoffs and landings I have found a few tricks that work well. Before you do anything, take a tractor or ATV onto the strip and survey the best spots.
My tricks:
1. 380X150X5 tires. Big improvement.
2. Bush Pilot takeoffs ie, no stopping, keep power up advance to WOT during your 180 degree turn at EOR.
3. 10 degree flaps T/O. If you have manual flaps you can apply full flaps at 50 knots and get airborne in ground effect then retract as you accelerate.
4. 500X5's? lower tire pressure to 20 PSI.
5. Nosegear? Keep stick full aft throughout taxi and takeoff. Hold nose off as soon as it will "fly". Also helps get airborne quicker.
6. Heat of day/Cold of day: Take off mid-day or dryest period if possible. Ground is softer in AM unless below freezing which as mentioned helps too.
Discretion is the better part of valor, if the ATV gets stuck, you will too...
V/R
Smokey
I wouldn't pull your wheelpants as it doesn't change much. Better plan is to lower your tire pressure and as mentioned above, very light load.Use an ATV or lawnmower as a tug. Empty tanks and put a 100lb bag in baggage as mentioned. Tow slowly and take care not to put too much stress on NW. Towing backwards is preferred. Use sand or kitty litter to solidify the area.
Flying out? My strip stays gooey during the summer months and after over 1000 takeoffs and landings I have found a few tricks that work well. Before you do anything, take a tractor or ATV onto the strip and survey the best spots.
My tricks:
1. 380X150X5 tires. Big improvement.
2. Bush Pilot takeoffs ie, no stopping, keep power up advance to WOT during your 180 degree turn at EOR.
3. 10 degree flaps T/O. If you have manual flaps you can apply full flaps at 50 knots and get airborne in ground effect then retract as you accelerate.
4. 500X5's? lower tire pressure to 20 PSI.
5. Nosegear? Keep stick full aft throughout taxi and takeoff. Hold nose off as soon as it will "fly". Also helps get airborne quicker.
6. Heat of day/Cold of day: Take off mid-day or dryest period if possible. Ground is softer in AM unless below freezing which as mentioned helps too.
Discretion is the better part of valor, if the ATV gets stuck, you will too...
V/R
Smokey
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rv7charlie
Well Known Member
If you're towing, & want to lighten the nose wheel load, wouldn't 10-20 lbs on the tail tiedown be better than 100 lbs in the baggage compartment?
Charlie
Charlie
Kevin Horton
Well Known Member
Depending on the characteristics of the mud, there is a risk that high power at low speed could suck small stones out of the mud and trash the prop. This happened to a friend who destroyed an expensive 3-bladed prop on his TB-21 Trinidad when he used high power as he got bogged down in some mud. The whole back side of the blades were scored from small stones.
Leland
Well Known Member
Stuck in the mud
I recently stuck my RV9A in mud right up to all three wheel pants. We got it out by attaching a fabric towline to the nose gear between the fairing and the pant, and the other end to a Jeep Cherokee on hard ground. We dug out mud in front of the main tires, and put plywood on the ground (but the plywood did not do much good). Then I leaned over the horizontal stabilizer and put enough of my weight on the stab so that the nose wheel came up out of the mud. The Jeep pulled my plane out of the mud and onto hard surface, but the tail moved back and forth by several feet while I desperately hung on and walked back and forth as the tail "wagged". The only problem was in later cleaning mud out of the wheel pants.
I recently stuck my RV9A in mud right up to all three wheel pants. We got it out by attaching a fabric towline to the nose gear between the fairing and the pant, and the other end to a Jeep Cherokee on hard ground. We dug out mud in front of the main tires, and put plywood on the ground (but the plywood did not do much good). Then I leaned over the horizontal stabilizer and put enough of my weight on the stab so that the nose wheel came up out of the mud. The Jeep pulled my plane out of the mud and onto hard surface, but the tail moved back and forth by several feet while I desperately hung on and walked back and forth as the tail "wagged". The only problem was in later cleaning mud out of the wheel pants.
pa38112
Well Known Member
Thanks for the replies guys, but I was not clear with my question. The plane is not stuck in the mud. The runway is muddy, so I'm trying to keep the nose wheel light for take-off. I find the elevator does not lighten the load until about 30 knots, so want to get it lightened up sooner...
By the way; Vlad, could you send me your cell#? I have some KGB photos to send to you.
By the way; Vlad, could you send me your cell#? I have some KGB photos to send to you.
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Rather than 100 pounds of weight in the baggage compartment, I would be very tempted to compute the lever arm and fabricate some kind of weight and attach it to the tail tie-down. At that distance from the CG you might only need 5-6 pounds for the same effect, and you wouldn't bog down the main gear with the total weight. It wouldn't take a very large piece of iron with a bolt run into the eyebolt-hole for the tie down to accomplish the same effect.
- I would not ADD weight. In fact remove what you can. Including fuel you won't need... (that should move CG back a little)
- you might consider "about" half flaps as well. Keep stick in your lap. Flaps will remove at least "some" weight off the wheels as the power comes in.
-I would definitely REMOVE main wheel pants. They tend to scoop mud (and slow you) every time you hit a bump or runway imperfection.
- DO NOT add full power from a stand still, or even while going too slow... feed it in slowly (stick full back) to reach full throttle about the time your at 20mph or so... This keeps your prop from sucking up rocks and mud... (Full power in the turn is only for tailwheels...)
Good luck.
Dmadd
former bush pilot
- you might consider "about" half flaps as well. Keep stick in your lap. Flaps will remove at least "some" weight off the wheels as the power comes in.
-I would definitely REMOVE main wheel pants. They tend to scoop mud (and slow you) every time you hit a bump or runway imperfection.
- DO NOT add full power from a stand still, or even while going too slow... feed it in slowly (stick full back) to reach full throttle about the time your at 20mph or so... This keeps your prop from sucking up rocks and mud... (Full power in the turn is only for tailwheels...)
Good luck.
Dmadd
former bush pilot
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I can't. My KGB phone is a top notch model of Year 2002 it accepts only codes
Push the pictures to [email protected] or the same n-number at aol.com or outlook.com they come all vetted
