Thread: Ground Handling

Moving the CT series on the ground is normally childs play. However if hangaring is a problem I must mention, in a cautionary manner what happened to me recently in the hope that it may save a life.
There are a variety of aircraft in the small hangar I use in the U.K. For instance the Piper Lance cannot be moved without a mechanical Tug. A few weeks ago the same tug was used on my CT to pull it up a small slope leading to the hangar. Despite previous briefing the purpertrator turned my noseleg way beyond its limits temporary disconnecting the rudder by overiding the mechanism below the rudder pedals. He then (probably unaware of the damage) sraightened the nosewheel, or turned it the other way, maybe several times, before parking my aircraft.
Somehow this action reconnected the rudder mechanism so that the damage was not apparent when I needed to fly and after I had done the essential pre flight checks. The aircraft was fully steerable in both directions during the taxi phase (be warned). On take off when right ruddder was required guess what? total disconnect !!! I was committed to fly because there was no runway left to land. The next 15 minutes in the air was interesting to say the least. It took 3 circuits and landing to get down on the very narrow grass strip with ditches either side. On touch down the aircraft ran straight until the nosewheel touched and then it tended to run off as the nosewheel was permantley imoveable turned.
Lessons Learned:
NEVER CONNECT A LEVERED DEVICE TO THE FRONT AXLE
TRY TO ASCERTAIN THAT THE RUDDER IS CONNECTED TO THE PEDALS
ONCE IN THE AIR 'FLY THE AIRCRAFT' DONT PANIC FLY AS SLOW AS POSSIBLE WITHOUT STALL NEAR THE GROUND.
CONTEMPLATE AN OFFSET APPROACH AND LANDING (AS I DID) TO COMPENSATE FOR BENT NOSEWHEEL.
The CT was landed with little further damage on the grass strip except for a small distortion in the engine/nosewheel frame assembly. This is a 2002 model and all later models have a stiffened assembly which in my opinion would have remained intact.

HAPPY and SAFE flying.............Bill Dewey

Wow...

Would it be a good idea in multi plane hangers to "hang" a sign on the prop -- NO TUG

You are quite right Roger, that is exactly what I did following the incident.

Regards.........Bill Dewey........G-IDSL