kbcarpenter(at)comcast.ne
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 Posted: Mon Aug 25, 2008 6:07 pm Post subject: Mono or Tri-Gear, what to choose?Mono or Tri-Gear, what to |
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I'll run this thread a bit longer by adding that I have a mono at 490 hours. I originally learned to fly in a J 3 cub and Champ...had about 600 hours in tail
draggers when flew the Europa. It was no problem on grass from the first flight. early landings on hard surface had a few minor swerves, nothing exciting. I have a glider rating and that helps you focus on keeping it straight as the wing tips side to side. The mono is what makes the europa unique with a sassy look that appeals to me. I think the average pilot could handle it with checkout, especially if having previous taildragger time. The mono is a pain when you need to pull the wings out for inspection or do retract tests at annual. I need to tighten the bungee and it is the dickens to get to. If I had it all to do over, I would opt for the wider body and high top and Bob Berbees' conventional gear. Been flying a Tiger Moth lately and it is also a real challange to land, especially in a crosswind. The Europa has given me some good experience.
Ken carpenter N9XS Mono 914
[quote]-------------- Original message --------------
From: Karl Heindl <kheindl(at)msn.com>
.hmmessage P { margin:0px; padding:0px } body.hmmessage { FONT-SIZE: 10pt; FONT-FAMILY:Tahoma } Dave,
I know, that a given Europa will weigh more with the trigear, but all Europas differ greatly in overall weight, depending on equipment and options, the original Classics being the lightest.
Karl
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Date: Mon, 25 Aug 2008 21:35:12 +0200
From: wooburnaviation(at)googlemail.com
To: europa-list(at)matronics.com
Subject: Re: Mono or Tri-Gear, what to choose?Mono or Tri-Gear, what to choose...further question..
The combination spring / bungee approach sounds like a great solution. Can't agree about the weight though. Our group converted out mono to a trike, adding 23 pounds / 10kg. A Hoffmann C/S prop added another 5 kg ( over a warp drive).
Dave
On 25/08/2008, Karl Heindl <kheindl(at)msn.com (kheindl(at)msn.com)> wrote: | Quote: | Kevin,
The springs didn't work for me. My bungee had been mounted for about 7 years (never gave any trouble) it seemed an excellent idea to switch to the springs.
It really dpends which fields you are operating from. I am based at a fairly bumpy grass field, and the springs turn the aircraft into a bucking bronco. Especially on landing, unless you push the stick forward,
the nose can oscillate to the point where control could be lost by an inexperienced pilot.
A bungee is far better for absorbing shock and much more forgiving.
So I recently changed back, but had a problem with getting the bungee as tight as I had before, and I now have what to me is the ideal solution: a spring on one side and a bungee on the other side, plus the safety cable. I should mention one incident with the new bungee, where the safety cable cut through two strands of the bungee, with the safety cable sving me from a prop strike. So now I have all the safety plus the comf ort.If you are not operating on rough terrain, then you shouldn't have to worry with the springs.
Regarding mono versus trigear, someone mentioned the better cruise performance of the mono. Perhaps there is a small advantage but note that it was a trigear that has flown around the world a couple of times, with very economical fuel consumption and a basic 912. It also made more 'local' flights from CA to Alaska and the Bahamas.
The weight advantage is also theoretical. I noticed that some of the more recent monos came in with a higher weight than my tri.
Karl
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| Quote: |
--> Europa-List message posted by: Kevin Siggery <ksiggery(at)mac.com (ksiggery(at)mac.com)>
kind of a corollary to the question; assuming you then have a tri-gear
(as we do; G-ROOV) what is the opinion of people when considering the
bungee nosewheel system compared to the spring system? (we have a
bungee but are thinking of changing).
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