If this is always the case, adjusting the rudder trim tab is in order.
Corked Nose Wheel
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- Rich
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Re: Corked Nose Wheel
2002 DA40-180: MT, PowerFlow, 530W/430W, KAP140, ext. baggage, 1090 ES out, 2646 MTOW, 40gal., Surefly, Flightstream 210, Orion 600 LED, XeVision, Aspen E5
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Re: Corked Nose Wheel
This appears to be a Cherokee (or a derivative). Piper hard-links (or in some cases, perhaps, spring-links) their nosewheels to the rudder pedals. The nosewheel points where the rudder pedals point. One learns to finesse crosswind (i,e. slipping) takeoffs and landings.
2002 DA40-180: MT, PowerFlow, 530W/430W, KAP140, ext. baggage, 1090 ES out, 2646 MTOW, 40gal., Surefly, Flightstream 210, Orion 600 LED, XeVision, Aspen E5
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Re: Corked Nose Wheel
No, its definitely the corked nosewheel issues. Took off with a stiff left crosswind. Flies coordinated in cruise 90% of the time.
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Re: Corked Nose Wheel
Right. That's the issue - the variability.
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Re: Corked Nose Wheel
Flew again today, with the homemade fin on and the rudder trim tab removed. The plane flew nearly coordinated, and definitely about 5 knots faster! At 8,500 MSL, 103 degrees F on the ground, plane did consistent 150-151 true airspeed. In cruise, the "ball" was just slightly off to the left, enough to bug me if it were persistent, but will have to see if the nosewheel settles into the same spot consistently, and with things like a L crosswind takeoff. If it does, I would either have to reinstall the trim tab, and "unbend" it, then muck to get it perfect with test flights, or alternatively, could possible "trim" the nosewheel fin to make it settle into a slightly different angle. I am going to try and get a GoPro to fly with looking at the nosewheel and see what it looks like. All in all, very excited! Nothing like an easy 5 knots, and perhaps a resolution to the L crosswind takeoff eternal corking problem.
Steve
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Re: Corked Nose Wheel
Mounting a camera to actually see what the nose wheel is doing should tell you a lot! I think you may find that it doesn't have anything to do with crosswinds or how you lift off the runway, but that it will remain pretty straight through the climb until you level off, at which point it will move right as the speed picks up. If you really want to know how it wants to sit during flight, you could loosen up the nose wheel tension a bit so it can fly where it wants to, and then see how your fin affects it. I'm impressed - 5 knots is pretty significant!
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Re: Corked Nose Wheel
Steve you can play with the size of the fin to get the ball centered. Mine initially was initially too large, but when reduced to the size on the pic page 1 of this thread the plane was perfectly coordinated with no trim tab installed.
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Re: Corked Nose Wheel
Antoine, I could try changing the size, or even bending the fin to angle the nosewheel a bit either way, but I really want to get a GoPro mounted to see what it looks like. Using the material I had, I can't really take much more off the front part without losing vertical stability. I went flying again today, with a flat rudder trim tab reinstalled, and the ball was still a smidge off to the left, but definitely still 4-5 knots faster than I ever used to get in cruise, so I assume the nose is pretty straight. I slightly adjusted the rudder tab after the flight, and will try again.
Steve
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Re: Corked Nose Wheel
Flew today with a GoPro watching the nosewheel. Happy to say the camera did not fly off! The nosewheel behaved perfectly. No wobble after takeoff and stayed straight from liftoff (and it was even a squirelly gusty, shifty takeoff that often would otherwise cause the corking), straight the whole time in the air, straight through a stall, and straight in landing configuration. Still pics from the video attached.
Steve
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Re: Corked Nose Wheel
That’s looking very promising Steve!! Once you feel you have fine tuned your fin into a final product, I’m sure a lot of us would love to get some measurements and more specifics, maybe even a crude blueprint to help fabricate our own. Thanks so much for the time put into this. I have a 2004 DA40 and would love to fly coordinated and with some extra knots.
N597RA 40.444
‘04 DA40-180
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5M9, Marion, KY
‘04 DA40-180
ATP, CFI
5M9, Marion, KY