I learned to fly trikes at Arlington. I remember those winds. Rotors. Yikes. ...can be a bear, for sure. As said a million times before, "If you walk away from a landing, it's a good landing". Glad you're okay.
"Being in the air wishing I was on the ground" Hey that sounds familiar, came in to land once with strong cross wind. On approach my trike was facing 2 o'clock to the runway, just before touch down I gave a good hard blast on the throttle to try to straighten her up (we triker's don't have rudders to kick her straight) but it just wasn't enough. Came down hard, bent the rear left axle. Oh well, we all learn. Thanks for posting, happy flying. Cheers
I use a couple of Oregon Scientific cam's that are made to attach to a helmet like a bicycle helmet but the mounting doesn't work on an airplane helmet. I wouldn't use it that way anyway since the camera panning would be too fast. I have a strutted wing and I mount one of the camera on the washout strut for the side view. I have a forked mast and I mount a forward camera on one side for a "back seat" view. Non flyer's prefer the forward view. The side view has helped my landings.
Thanks for sharing the video, glad to know you are ok, got a question for you about your camera set up? what kind of camera and mount do you use, I have seen Damien's technique of mounting the camera on the control bar but it scares me because I don't want it to fly in the prop, how do you do it?
The following four posts are in reverse order due to the limit on how many characters I was allowed in each post. So, start reading four posts down with "I've found more information since that bad laning.". I explain exqioment problems and pilot errors that contributed to the problem.
Pilot errors Crosswind landing with bad gusts and bad rotors. Landed fast but didn't get off the throttle. So, the airplane didn't know if it were flying or landing and it was doing neither well. This was probably the worst cause of the bad landing. At landing, the trike was penduluming side to side causing the wheel bounce. I make sure I don't set wheels down when this is happening.
Too much play in the Trike hang block that allowed the trike to yaw way too much under the wing. I have replaced it with a beefier hang block that the manufacturer now has as an option, probably due to my experience. Toe in ... the right back wheel was set straight ahead but the left wheel had a toe out setting ... very back. This has been reset at the annual checkup.
Equipment problems that may have contributed to the bad landing. A slightly bent front axle that caused a shimmy when rolling too fast. BUT, the front wheel may not have touched down yet. I have replaced axle and installed an "anti-shimmy" shock that the manufacturer has started using.
I've found more information since that bad landing. This is called "Goose Stepping" or a "Duck Walk". And it ofter results in the trike, wing, and pilot rolled up in a sorry ball!
Thanks for sharing. Many pilots cover up their mistakes, thanks for allowing me to to look at your landing and learn from it. I have plenty of my own mistakes and wish I had filmed them to learn from them.
I come out OK but I found that a pre-existing condition from an earlier hard landing had escallated into this problem. Replacing the front axel should fix that problem. In really bad air, you want down as quickly as possible. This would not have been a problem except for the slightly bent front axel. I have found it great to have wing tip cameras for analyzing my landings. Looking at this one frame by frame is even more scarry. I stall at about 30, but was slopping around too much.
Great commentary, Are you and your equipment ok, (besides the left wheel) what is the stall speed on your wing? Is it better to go it hot if its turbulent and risk a higher speed crash or is it better to go in slow and bring your wing closer to stalling?
I learned to fly trikes at Arlington. I remember those winds. Rotors. Yikes. ...can be a bear, for sure. As said a million times before, "If you walk away from a landing, it's a good landing". Glad you're okay.
indigocrystalC6 5 months ago
"Being in the air wishing I was on the ground" Hey that sounds familiar, came in to land once with strong cross wind. On approach my trike was facing 2 o'clock to the runway, just before touch down I gave a good hard blast on the throttle to try to straighten her up (we triker's don't have rudders to kick her straight) but it just wasn't enough. Came down hard, bent the rear left axle. Oh well, we all learn. Thanks for posting, happy flying. Cheers
BlackDiver777 1 year ago
I use a couple of Oregon Scientific cam's that are made to attach to a helmet like a bicycle helmet but the mounting doesn't work on an airplane helmet. I wouldn't use it that way anyway since the camera panning would be too fast. I have a strutted wing and I mount one of the camera on the washout strut for the side view. I have a forked mast and I mount a forward camera on one side for a "back seat" view. Non flyer's prefer the forward view. The side view has helped my landings.
wesfelty 1 year ago
Thanks for sharing the video, glad to know you are ok, got a question for you about your camera set up? what kind of camera and mount do you use, I have seen Damien's technique of mounting the camera on the control bar but it scares me because I don't want it to fly in the prop, how do you do it?
hippybackpacker 1 year ago
The following four posts are in reverse order due to the limit on how many characters I was allowed in each post. So, start reading four posts down with "I've found more information since that bad laning.". I explain exqioment problems and pilot errors that contributed to the problem.
wesfelty 1 year ago
Pilot errors Crosswind landing with bad gusts and bad rotors. Landed fast but didn't get off the throttle. So, the airplane didn't know if it were flying or landing and it was doing neither well. This was probably the worst cause of the bad landing. At landing, the trike was penduluming side to side causing the wheel bounce. I make sure I don't set wheels down when this is happening.
wesfelty 1 year ago
Too much play in the Trike hang block that allowed the trike to yaw way too much under the wing. I have replaced it with a beefier hang block that the manufacturer now has as an option, probably due to my experience. Toe in ... the right back wheel was set straight ahead but the left wheel had a toe out setting ... very back. This has been reset at the annual checkup.
wesfelty 1 year ago
Continued from earlier post
Problems were both equipment and pilot.
Equipment problems that may have contributed to the bad landing. A slightly bent front axle that caused a shimmy when rolling too fast. BUT, the front wheel may not have touched down yet. I have replaced axle and installed an "anti-shimmy" shock that the manufacturer has started using.
wesfelty 1 year ago
I've found more information since that bad landing. This is called "Goose Stepping" or a "Duck Walk". And it ofter results in the trike, wing, and pilot rolled up in a sorry ball!
wesfelty 1 year ago
Thanks for sharing. Many pilots cover up their mistakes, thanks for allowing me to to look at your landing and learn from it. I have plenty of my own mistakes and wish I had filmed them to learn from them.
Nolanbryceporter 1 year ago
Ouch dude........! Glad you turned out ok. Thank for sharing!
jizzmonger 1 year ago
I come out OK but I found that a pre-existing condition from an earlier hard landing had escallated into this problem. Replacing the front axel should fix that problem. In really bad air, you want down as quickly as possible. This would not have been a problem except for the slightly bent front axel. I have found it great to have wing tip cameras for analyzing my landings. Looking at this one frame by frame is even more scarry. I stall at about 30, but was slopping around too much.
wesfelty 2 years ago
Great commentary, Are you and your equipment ok, (besides the left wheel) what is the stall speed on your wing? Is it better to go it hot if its turbulent and risk a higher speed crash or is it better to go in slow and bring your wing closer to stalling?
sigmedical 2 years ago