[simpits-tech] Interesting item

[Matt Bailey]

Heh yeah I knew about the squat switches, never heard of the pin. The 172RG's 
I flew for a while in flight school have an interesting setup...the switch is 
on the nosegear. It's possible for the nose strut to be decompressed enough 
on the ground (like when holding the elevator back during high speed taxi, or 
when the plane has been tied down too tight) for the switch to disengage. 
This led to a gear-up incident at the school in fact....a student and 
instructor were doing a touch-n-go. After touchdown (and with the plane still 
light on its wheels), the student reached over to grab the flap handle, but 
got the gear handle instead. The mains stayed down of course (because of 
their geometry, they can't retract with any significant weight on them), but 
the nose gear folded right up into its bay. Doh.

I also heard of a case where a student was pre-flighting a tied-down plane and 
retracted the gear. Again, the mains stayed down, but the nosewheel 
retracted. But since it was tied down (which is probably why there wasn't 
enough weight on the nosegear to engage the switch), the nose didn't fall 
completely down (thanks to the tie-down on the tail). The solution? Someone 
(probably 2 or 3 "someones") had to push on the tail to raise the nose enough 
for ground clearance, while someone else threw the gear handle. :)

	-Matt Bailey

On Wednesday 19 January 2005 11:19, Phoenix2000 at phoenixcomm.net wrote:
> Ok <joke not funny>
> on real planes you have two way of preventing this:
> A. older planes there is a pin that when you are on the ground it goes up
> and 'pins' the gear up...
> B. on planes with electronics they have a <weight_on_wheels> sensor that is
> on when you is on da ground
> C. some planes have both...
> almost none have none...
>
> Cris
> www.phoenixcomm.net/~phnx2000/sim
>
> At 05:41 PM 1/18/2005, you wrote:
> >Procedures trainers seem like such good simpit candidates. :) I need to
> >find a training center that's going out of business and has like a T-38
> >nose or something with fake instruments etc in it. :)
> >
> >I'd never heard of the touch test, interesting. I can see why they use a
> >sim for it, hehe........
> >
> >"OK, show me the flap lever."
> >
> ><click>
> >
> >"NO NO WRONG HANDLE WRONG HANDLE!!!!!!!!!" <a fist slams the handle back
> >down>
> >
> ><sound of props crunching into asphalt>
> >
> >         -Matt Bailey
> >
> >John Miguez wrote:
> > > It looks like it could have come out of a procedures trainer. 
> > > Basically a cockpit mockup with fake instruments and buttons.  It is
> > > used to allow new pilots to get familiar with the switch locations.
> > >
> > > I remember we use to have to pass a blind touch test.  You know, "Show
> > > me the fuel dump switch."  The pilot has to place his fingers on the
> > > right switch.
> > >
> > > John