| Nose Gear: The NG1 strut shattered just below the shock strut attachment. It failed to the side, so the nose rested on the wheel which protected the nose from sliding on the runway. It abraided a good part of the fork assembly away however. The NG30's were undamaged but the Brock retract assembly and shock strut were mangled. The fiberglass on the nose bottom was not too badly damaged, only a shallow crushed area where the nose wheel supported the nose and a little damage around the strut recess. I elected to relace the retract assembly with a Wilhelmson electric retract assembly. This fit right in with only the addition of a hard point in the NG30. I used the extra universal joint and was able to put the manual gear extension right where the old crank was. The actuator sits above the NG30's a bit, so I have to relocate the batteries and make a new cover. I added expanding foam and reskinned the bottom where the foam was slightly crushed. I bought a new strut and fork and glassed on a new NG1 cover. It looks pretty much like new but I am going to abandon the Nose Gear Doors at least for now. |
