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Bent Gear Legs and Hidden Damage

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Dennis.Kirby(at)kirtland.
Guest

Posted: Mon Apr 06, 2009 10:48 am Post subject: Bent Gear Legs and Hidden Damage

Classification:  UNCLASSIFIED  

 

  

(NOTE - Subject Line has been changed to reflect current topic)  

   

"Thom Riddle" wrote:  << If you land hard enough to bend a leg there is a fair chance there is other hidden damage. >>  

   

Thom -

 I must respectfully disagree with your statement, if you are referring to Kolb airplanes.  

   

As much as I hate to repeat this story (due to my damaged pride), here is my experience.  On the maiden flight of my Mark-3 in 2002, I pancaked my airplane onto the runway (paved) on my very first landing.  With no experience in such a light, low-inertia aircraft, I performed the classic got-too-slow stall after I pulled the power to idle on short final, and dropped it in from 8 feet.  Airspeed dropped off very quickly, and I was still too high.  I bent both gear legs, one of them so severely that gear leg was bent into the shape of a “U” and the bottom of the bend scraped on the runway!  Very embarrassing.  

   

(Side note – after that little incident, I went and got proper Kolb training from Norm Labhart in the new Mark-3 Xtra demonstrator, at TNK in London.  A weekend of money and time well spent!)  

   

I installed a new pair of gear legs, and all was well again with my aircraft.  These are the stock aluminum gear legs.  No other damage whatsoever to my cage.  This speaks volumes about the structural integrity and excellence of Homer’s design – the gear legs bent but the (expensive) steel cage remained completely undamaged.  Like the fuse that blows to protect the electrical system, the aluminum gear legs saved the rest of my airplane from any damage.  

   

Of course, Thom, if you are referring to lesser quality aircraft than our Kolbs, then I take no issue with your statement!  

   

Dennis Kirby  

Mark-3, 912ul,   

Do not archive  

      

Classification:  UNCLASSIFIED   

 

  [quote][b]

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Thom Riddle

Joined: 10 Jan 2006
Posts: 1597
Location: Buffalo, NY, USA (9G0)

Posted: Tue Apr 07, 2009 4:30 am Post subject: Re: Bent Gear Legs and Hidden Damage

Dennis,



You are absolutely correct.... if the gear legs are standard Kolb aluminum, but if they are heat treated 4130 tubing, not necessarily so. I don't recall if the original post even said which type of gear leg was on the subject Kolb.

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_________________
Thom Riddle
Buffalo, NY (9G0)

Don't worry about old age... it doesn't last very long.
- Anonymous

flykolb(at)pa.net
Guest

Posted: Tue Apr 07, 2009 5:29 am Post subject: Bent Gear Legs and Hidden Damage

There is only one caveat to add to these basically correct observations.



The standard aluminum gear leg must fully insert into the A-frame tubing.  

If a gear leg is too short or not correctly inserted.  If, for what ever

reason, the end of the gear leg is not fully inserted, it could bend the

A-frame tube.  This has happened with some FireStars where the end of the

alum leg was only about halfway inserted into the frame tube.



I, like, Dennis Kirby, once landed a TwinStar so hard that it bent both gear

legs up to where the wheels hardly touched the ground.  It was a beautifully

flying evening and I think I must have been daydreaming about something else

and not paying attention to my flying chores; all of a sudden I saw the

horizon moving very quickly upward.  I added full throttle instantly, but

too late and I hit the ground very hard - but not hard enough to stick.  I

bounced back into the air and was flying again with both gear bent way up.

I did a "belly" landing and all was well except the gear legs and my pride.

I didn't add the worst part yet: I was taking a bunch of kids for rides that

evening and this was the last.  I had a 6 year old girl with me.  The father

- a jet fighter pilot was watching the whole thing. He was very gracious and

praised my "wheels up" landing.  But I was absolutely blown away by my

inattention and carelessness, esp given the payload I had aboard.



Too old too soon -too smart to late Dennis



--

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John Hauck

Joined: 09 Jan 2006
Posts: 4639
Location: Titus, Alabama (hauck's holler)

Posted: Tue Apr 07, 2009 5:55 am Post subject: Bent Gear Legs and Hidden Damage

> I, like, Dennis Kirby, once landed a TwinStar so hard that it bent both 

gear

 	  Quote: 	
		   legs up to where the wheels hardly touched the ground.



 Too old too soon -too smart to late Dennis


	




First time I heard about that one, Dennis.  



Reminded me of a bad landing on Grand Island, NY, 1988, in my Fire Star. 

Back then they were Fire Stars, not original Fire Stars.  Plans called for 

gear legs to be inserted half way into the sockets, secured by a 1/4" bolt. 

After flying over Niagra Falls for the first time, had already flown across 

Grand Island and was half way across the Niagra River north of Buffalo, NY, 

when a fine wire NGK plug electrode seperated, all but shutting down the 447 

completely.  Wind favored returning to Grand Island, and away I went, mostly 

down.  Was setting up to land on the Interstate Highway right of way, but 

changed my mind, too late, and tried to put it across the fence off the 

right of way.  Got behind on my flying chores, stalled it high, got a 

serious case of "Kolb Quit", bent both gear legs (had 1" X .090" heat 

treated 4130 legs), the left left shearing the gear leg socket.  Had I 

remained totally focused on the first place I picked out, the forced landing 

would have been successful, I could have changed spark plugs, and been on my 

way.  Wish I had.  



john h

mkIII

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_________________
John Hauck
MKIII/912ULS
hauck's holler
Titus, Alabama

WhiskeyVictor36(at)aol.co
Guest

Posted: Tue Apr 07, 2009 7:39 am Post subject: Bent Gear Legs and Hidden Damage

In a message dated 4/7/2009 9:30:00 A.M. Eastern Daylight Time,  flykolb(at)pa.net writes:

   	  Quote: 	
		     Too old too soon -too smart to late Dennis

    

   Hi Dennis,

    

   I was born and raised close to the Pennsylvania    Dutch Land area (Cochranville, PA), but now live in South Jersey.  I    always heard it said as:  To soon oldt, to late    schmart.  Either way it is so true!

    

   Bill Varnes

Original Kolb FireStar

Audubon NJ

Do Not    Archive

	


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