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The Anti Splat "Nose Job" a review

mkbreezy

Member
All on this forum are certainly aware of the ongoing issues with the "A" model nose gear failures. Airplanes upside down, or on their noses with bent props, and engines needing teardown, not to mention the distinct possibility of personal injury.

When Allan Nimmo posted his videos of the Nose Job, I was very intrigued, because I did not want my RV-9A to end up upside down. I bought it, and have been flying with it for about a week now. Before I get to far, I should say that I am not an engineer, however I am a long time corporate pilot with experience in many different aircraft from J3 (owned one) to the G450 (for sure didn't own that). So my 40 years of flying told me that this was likely going to work.

I have owned my 9A for about 6 months. I purchased it, and have since removed the Blue Mountain stuff and installed a Dynon D1000. I have a a short not too smooth strip at my farm that is where I have wanted the airplane to live. Lots of concerns with the nose gear.

So here is where I am. I purchased the kit, and it was delivered promptly and in good shape. Installed it on my airplane, which went just as the video indicated. There were a couple of steps that were not shown in the video, and I have suggested to Allan that he include a very brief instruction sheet. The thing is really very easy to put on.

I have now made about a dozen landings at home, all with absolutely no issues. The slow speed that I must use means that the nose will come down quickly and fairly hard upon touchdown. So far NO problem. I have inspected the gear leg and looked very closely at the engine mount after each landing, and see no issues. I have seen a mark on the gear leg where the brace has touched during landing, which tells me it is doing what was intended. Looking at the tracks in the grass, I have run over several ant hills, through small depressions, and farm equipment tracks, and other non smooth stuff. I think any of this stuff would cause an issue for a non braced gear leg.

I certainly am not going to take it off to see if I go splat in here, so it is not a scientific test. That being said, I think it is likely the best thing yet to happen to the A models, and I would highly recommend to all of you that you get this piece of mechanical insurance.

157osus.jpg

352m9o5.jpg
 
Thanks Mike for the review.

I ordered one earlier today for the 7A. I’m not flying yet but expect it will work as advertised. Some of the guys who stop by the shop comment on how fragile the nose gear looks……. the Nose Job should put an end to that too.

pk
 
The slow speed that I must use means that the nose will come down quickly and fairly hard upon touchdown.

Mike,

The slow speed combined with the drag on the mains from the grass will tend to bring the nose down quickly. Raising the flaps as soon as the mains touch down may help to keep the nose up a bit longer.

Fin
9A
 
Flaps

Good thought Fin, but I don't have enough time to even move my hand to the flap switch before the nose comes down, and the flaps move kinda slow. I think its way less than a second from when the mains touch to when the nose touches. Kinda reminds me of an MU-2 landing (one of my very favorite airplanes.)
 
Where

Go to AntiSplataero.com. The site is still being worked on, but there is a link to the two videos about the device, and you can place an order through the email link. When I bought it it was $379. I think Allan has been fairly busy getting orders out.
 
I sure wish Vans would take more interest and responsibility for the nose gear issue. Yeah, they did a mod a few years ago, but it doesn't seem to have really fixed the problem. At least they could donate a few nose gear legs to Allan, so he could
  1. Make a rig to reliably reproduce the NG failure
  2. Then put on his Anti-Splat gizmo, and show the difference it makes
I think it probably works, but it would be nice....and not so expensive...to have actual before-and-after results to see.
 
I bought a new hangar last week, and to my surprise there is an RV9a going together across the taxiway from me. I went over to look it over, and it seems to me that the big ol Lycoming is being supported by a nosegear that looks LESS robust than my RV12 one. THAT would really worry me.
I have not got an answer yet, but have asked if this stiffener will fit on an RV12, if it won't, I will just build one myself. I expect my Viking will put a little more weight on the nose gear than the Rotax does.
 
All on this forum are certainly aware of the ongoing issues with the "A" model nose gear failures. Airplanes upside down, or on their noses with bent props, and engines needing teardown, not to mention the distinct possibility of personal injury.

When Allan Nimmo posted his videos of the Nose Job, I was very intrigued, because I did not want my RV-9A to end up upside down. I bought it, and have been flying with it for about a week now. Before I get to far, I should say that I am not an engineer, however I am a long time corporate pilot with experience in many different aircraft from J3 (owned one) to the G450 (for sure didn't own that). So my 40 years of flying told me that this was likely going to work.

I have owned my 9A for about 6 months. I purchased it, and have since removed the Blue Mountain stuff and installed a Dynon D1000. I have a a short not too smooth strip at my farm that is where I have wanted the airplane to live. Lots of concerns with the nose gear.

So here is where I am. I purchased the kit, and it was delivered promptly and in good shape. Installed it on my airplane, which went just as the video indicated. There were a couple of steps that were not shown in the video, and I have suggested to Allan that he include a very brief instruction sheet. The thing is really very easy to put on.

I have now made about a dozen landings at home, all with absolutely no issues. The slow speed that I must use means that the nose will come down quickly and fairly hard upon touchdown. So far NO problem. I have inspected the gear leg and looked very closely at the engine mount after each landing, and see no issues. I have seen a mark on the gear leg where the brace has touched during landing, which tells me it is doing what was intended. Looking at the tracks in the grass, I have run over several ant hills, through small depressions, and farm equipment tracks, and other non smooth stuff. I think any of this stuff would cause an issue for a non braced gear leg.

I certainly am not going to take it off to see if I go splat in here, so it is not a scientific test. That being said, I think it is likely the best thing yet to happen to the A models, and I would highly recommend to all of you that you get this piece of mechanical insurance.

157osus.jpg

352m9o5.jpg

This post really makes us feel good as this is the reason we offered this product. I am glad the product seems to have prevented damage to you or your plane. Thank you Mike for the great review and sharing your experience with the forum. Regards, Allan Anti Splat Aero LLC
 
I'm curious about the slots in the mounting bracket. I don't mean to be critical of the product but it seems as though there is potential for cracks in the weakened area because of the slots. Particularly if used routinely on a rough strip. Why not leave the sheet metal bracket solid accross that section around the gear leg?

I think it is great product idea. I uz jus thinken...
 
Received mine.

I wish the bracket were opened a little more so it would slip onto the gear without a struggle. I also was unable to insert the bent bolt through to the other side as it didn't have enough bend and was too large for the hole to manuever easily. There must be a better way to close this thing down. The instructions are a bit too sketchy.
All that said, I can make it all work, but seems that it shouldn't require so much work when a little adjustment in the manufacturing process would make all the difference.
The parts seem well made and the fairing is really nice. I'm glad I bought it and I know it will add to the overall safety of my -6A.
 
I'm curious about the slots in the mounting bracket. I don't mean to be critical of the product but it seems as though there is potential for cracks in the weakened area because of the slots. Particularly if used routinely on a rough strip. Why not leave the sheet metal bracket solid accross that section around the gear leg?

I think it is great product idea. I uz jus thinken...

If it was solid, it would act to stiffen the gear leg over that short length, affecting the overall flex of the leg.

With slots it acts as 5 small "hose clamps" attached to the leg - which can then flex as originally designed.

A neat design solution....:)
 
Guys: I received my antisplat device today. After reading the instructions and attempting put the "bent" bolt thru the holes, I realized their is only one solution. Welding type VICEGRIPs! With tape so as not to scratch the pretty. Dan
 
what changed?

Greetings Mike!

You said you owned the plane for about 6 months. Have you landed the plane at this field?

>> I have now made about a dozen landings at
>> home, all with absolutely no issues.

Have you had issues before? Like what?


You also said:

>> Looking at the tracks in the grass, I have
>> run over several ant hills, through small depressions,
>> and farm equipment tracks, and other non smooth stuff.
>> I think any of this stuff would cause an issue for a non braced gear leg.

Did you check your track before install? What differences have you seen? Did you land more carefully before?

I'm building a 9A and I'm interested. To me tho, it just looks like this device is like placing the landing gear in a vice and will bend the leg higher, creating a spring loaded pole vault. Yes, some planes have gone over (like the high speed taxi video on YouTube) but what if this device makes MORE planes roll over?

Dkb
 
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but what if this device makes MORE planes roll over?

A worthy concern, especially if its fitment persuades pilots to land on runways they'd otherwise avoid (which may lead to more flips even if the device is useless, rather than actively harmful)

A bit like having an accident because you're driving faster because you have seatbelts!

- mark
 
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If

you think about how the failure happens this fix would make a flip way less likely. For a start the leg needs to bow enough to get the nut on the fork digging in to the ground meaning the wheel has stopped turning and the end result is complete failure of the leg resulting in prop damage or worse being upside down. That bow is caused by the wheel hitting hard enough to act as a lever bending the leg probably enough that the wheel jams on the back of the leg and accelerating the act.

Once the wheel stops turning for whatever reason bad things are going to happen :eek:

So if this brace stops the leg from bowing then the wheel keeps turning meaning to bend the leg above the brace would require a complete stuff up and significant wheel barrow landing or hitting a decent hole in the runway. Really while the wheel is still turning there would be not sufficient drag to bend the leg at the top as the turning wheel would be the path of least resistance.

Mine left the US today for Australia and will be going on as soon as it gets here :)

My 2 cents YMMV
 
o me tho, it just looks like this device is like placing the landing gear in a vice and will bend the leg higher, creating a spring loaded pole vault. Yes, some planes have gone over (like the high speed taxi video on YouTube) but what if this device makes MORE planes roll over?

Dkb

A worthy concern, especially if its fitment persuades pilots to land on runways they'd otherwise avoid (which may lead to more flips even if the device is useless, rather than actively harmful)

A bit like having an accident because you're driving faster because you have seatbelts!

- mark

13 pages of debate on this over here that is worth a read: http://www.vansairforce.com/community/showthread.php?t=77534 ...along with their videos on their evaluation of the nosegear issue and how it works... http://antisplataero.com

Also, not that it makes any difference on how well it works, but its not "some guy" selling these, but a subsidiary of a larger aviation/engineering company (although, so far unnamed I believe).

Anyway, just FYI. I'm not building an A, but found their testing and findings interesting.
 
About a week or so ago, a friend of mine had an engine out on take off and made an amazing landing between the parked planes but on the nose gear first. No damage or issue as a result of touching down on the nose gear.

So, even though some have had issues but it is not exactly a grenade with the pin pulled out either.

Again, Kudos to his piloting as our airport is very unforgiving and hardly any options on take off.
 
Once the wheel stops turning for whatever reason bad things are going to happen

Not always. I saw one 6A flip (after the flip) and the flip did not occur until the plane left pavement. Once it contacted soft dirt something acted as a pole vault and over it went.
 
Yes Mike. I don't know if it is appropriate to say anything in public without his explicit consent, but a very scary situation and great piloting. All in all, landed safely with only very minor (cosmetic) damage.

Give me a call and we can talk, if you are interested.
 
WOW! "Nose Jobs" Second Run of 400 Almost Gone.

We have had a lot of really super feedback from many of you guys that have installed your new "Nose Jobs" and we really appreciate all the input. We had a few guys (four) say that they had trouble using the bent installation bolts. We looked into that and corrected the problem by enlarging the center hole in the spacer plate. Now it should be considerably easier to use this bolt. The response on this item has been fabulous to say the least, far far greater than we had anticipated. our second production run is for the most part gone as we only have four "Nose Job" kits left at present. I would like to say thank you again to all of you for fabulous reception this product received.
We are currently testing another new product we have developed that works hand in hand with "The Nose Job" to add an even greater safety margin in this type of gear leg mishap. Please keep your eyes open for it as we will release them very soon. Regards all, Allan
 
Guys: A "Nose Job" install review. Received the nose job brace Monday afternoon and began installation Tuesday morning. I marked the distance at 8" as per instruction and then installed the clamp dohickey with my 2lb rubber mallet(Harbor Freight). It goes on very easy if placed at the 8" mark. Believe it or not, the nose gear actually has a smaller diameter at the 8" mark than at the tapered wheel end. Tried once to use the bent bolt with the steel spacer and gave that up immediately. I used two 3" C-clamps(Harbor Freight) to squeeze the mounting clamp to within about a 1/4", slid the brace into place and fitted the bolts and tightened the nuts to required torque of 150 in/lbs. I have an unused bent bolt, washer and nut and the 1/4" spacer if anyone needs one. Additionally, I did not use the fiberglass fairing either, my original fit nicely. When I built the gear fairings, I mounted the hinge beads outside the trailing edges of the fairings. I didn't want the sharp trailing edges that were just waiting for me bump into and require stitches. By mounting the hinge beads outside the trailing edges, I have a metal rounded edge protector and an extra 1/4" of space that allowed the nose job brace to fit just right. So I have an extra one of those also. Today I flew a 1 hour pattern ride and did some landings to see if anything was different about the nose gear. I think the nose gear is stiffer on touchdown that before. I have always aero braked to 45 kts or less before slowing lowering the nose. It may be my imagination but it does seems somewhat stiffer now. Dan
 
I sure wish Vans would take more interest and responsibility for the nose gear issue. Yeah, they did a mod a few years ago, but it doesn't seem to have really fixed the problem. At least they could donate a few nose gear legs to Allan, so he could
  1. Make a rig to reliably reproduce the NG failure
  2. Then put on his Anti-Splat gizmo, and show the difference it makes
I think it probably works, but it would be nice....and not so expensive...to have actual before-and-after results to see.

check out the 2 videos on his web site http://antisplataero.com - the second one shows what you are asking for.
brian
 
So I have an extra one of those also. Today I flew a 1 hour pattern ride and did some landings to see if anything was different about the nose gear. I think the nose gear is stiffer on touchdown that before. I have always aero braked to 45 kts or less before slowing lowering the nose. It may be my imagination but it does seems somewhat stiffer now. Dan

Hello Dan;
We are glad to hear that your "Nose Job" is installed and working well for you. If you would like to return the fairing and parts that you didn't need we would be happy to credit you back for them. Thank you for posting your thoughts and impressions here as we know others are interested as well. Regards, Allan
 
Once it contacted soft dirt something acted as a pole vault and over it went.

The following is from the NTSB study of RV flip over accidents.

"...Once the strut and fork have contacted the ground, the strut will bend aft. The aft loading from the dragging fork and the spring-back reaction of the strut produces an overturning moment and lifting action that may result in the airplane overturning without any additional forces acting on the airplane. The aerodynamic load on the horizontal stabilizer may prevent the airplane from overturning while the airspeed is greater than some critical yet presumably low airspeed. This could provide the circumstances for varying lengths of the observed ground scars, in that the airplane needs to slow down to a critical low airspeed regardless of the airspeed at the start of the event. At low airspeeds, the aerodynamic loads on the horizontal stabilizer lessen to the point that the tail can now start to rise allowing the airplane to rotate about the nose gear and become inverted. This could provide the result of the relatively constant distance from the end of the ground scars to the final resting place of the inverted airplanes. In addition, as the airplane starts to overturn, the stored energy in the strut tends to raise the airplane vertically on the propeller spinners and leaving the engine inlets undisturbed.

Several factors may combine to reduce the nominal ground clearance. Low tire pressure, heavier engine weights, and runway condition can each increase the risk of the fork contacting the runway surface. It should be noted that the manufacturer has redesigned the nose gear fork to provide an extra inch of ground clearance.

The FEA shows that the nose gear strut has sufficient strength to perform its intended function. In all cases, the landing gear struts and forks were making contact with the ground and initiating the damage sequence ..."


Source: Structures Study - NTSB Case No.: ANC05LA123
 
Report on Nose Gear Installation

I received my Nose Job on my door step on Thursday when I arrived home from work. However, it would have to wait a while before installation. We had plans to fly to Petit Jean first thing Friday morning. My wife and I flew out to Arkansas and had a wonderful time. We had plans to stay through Sunday before coming home. As it turns out, the weather was not going to cooperate for a flight home Sunday so we ended up leaving Saturday afternoon instead. This left me with time on my hands Sunday. The sun was out at the airport and it turned out to be a warm day. So out I go to install the Nose Job.

Here is my report with pictures of the installation. Ok, before we go any further I have to make comments on this first photo.

scuffed%252520nose%252520pant1.jpg

This was quite a shock when I pulled the front nose pant off of the gear! :eek:

What the. . .! Look at those groove marks! Those are directly underneath the big nut in front of the yoke. Now I live on a grass strip and at least one landing on every trip involves landing on grass. Well, I am going to tell you, no grass I have ever landed on is tough enough to put those kind of grooves in fiberglass. No, those were caused by some asphalt somewhere, sometime. I cannot be sure when exactly.

When would this have happened? I have no memory of any landings that might have caused this. No taxi incidents that I am aware of. Hmmm. Not cool! We picked the plane up from Grady on January 1, 2011 so the paint on this wheel pant is not even a year old. The best time frame I can think of would be that this happened sometime between the conditional inspection (July 20th) and Sunday, November 6. Sometime the nose gear oscillated enough to allow the nose gear pant to come into contact with a hard surface. If you look closely you can see black tar in between some of the grooves. Yes, indeed, this fiberglass was rubbed up against asphalt sometime, but for the life of me, I cannot imagine when this would have occurred.

Now I have commented to several individuals in the past about the landing technique and taxi technique involved in maneuvering our A models on the ground. I have always felt it very important to keep the nose gear off the ground as long as possible when touching down and to make a point to keep the stick rubbing against my belt buckle whenever the airplane is on the ground. I have always landed on the mains and held the stick back until the nose just would not stay up any longer. In my opinion, this is the only way to land these A model airplanes. And it is what I have always done.

Given this I am somewhat taken aback by this discovery. Having done exactly as described above at all times, I find this wheel pant has still come into contact with the ground at some time. This gives great pause for thought.

So, for all of you guys out there flying without wheel pants on your A model nose gear pay heed to this. Here is pictorial evidence of how that fiberglass may save your bacon sometime. In my case, I didn't even know it had happened!

On to the installation. I really only have one picture below of the bracket installed onto the leg gear. The truth is that this installation is really very simple. As the instructions state, approximately 8" up from the curve of the gear leg the thickness of the leg tapers to a smaller diameter. This is where the bracket goes on. The bracket takes a little persuasive tapping from a rubber mallet or some other such persuader to get it to slide around the gear leg.

Once that is on and you have marked the location you will need to squeeze the bracket closed around the leg. I did not have any luck with the bent bolt. In fact it broke the first time I attempted to provide a little torque on it to get it to squeeze the bracket closed. So out came the vice grip C clamps. They are what you will need to "Git 'er Done".

Notice on the picture below I wrapped some electrical tape around the gear leg where the Nose Job brace would come into contact with the gear leg. I think it important to try and protect the powder coating surface of the gear to keep from marring the surface and allowing for potential rust from starting on the steal gear leg.

installing%252520bracket.jpg


Here is a picture of the wheel pant and my original leg fairing back on the airplane. AntiSplat does provide a new fiberglass leg fairing to replace the original but I did not want to have to replace my already fitted and painted fairing if I did not have to. It does not quite fit completely around the brace but it does fit well enough to allow me to reinstall it with a slight modification. The trailing edge of the fairing lacks about 1/2" from being wide enough to completely cover the brace. That 1/2" is not enough to prevent installation of the hinge pin however. I was able to slide the hinge pin through one side of the hinge eyelets up to the lower section of the fairing where the bracket prevents the complete closing of the trailing edge of the fairing. From that point upwards the faring closed normally and I could continue sliding the pin through both sides of the hinge and secure it. With the hose clamp securing the bottom of the faring and the intersection faring securing the top I am confident this will adequately secure the leg faring.

fairing%252520and%252520pant%252520installed1.jpg


You can see in this picture there is a gap about half way up the trailing edge of the faring. This gap is caused by the protrusion of the brace aft toward the hinge. Looking closely at the hinge wire just above the wheel pant you can see I was able to slide the hinge pin wire up through the hinge eyelets and then, just past the bracket, the hinge came back together where the hinge pin wire was able to slide through both sides of the hinge to secure the upper half of the faring.

fairing%252520rear%252520split.jpg


I hope these pictures and this write up will be helpful to others installing this modification. Given the scraping my nose wheel pant has already experienced I am hopeful this mod will make a difference. I have not flown with this mod yet but will report back when I do.

Live Long and Prosper!
 
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Hi Steve,

An under inflated nose wheel tire along with a slight depression in asphalt/concrete on a ramp, taxiway etc... will scrape the wheel pant, I've seen it happen. Looking at the pic with the scrape, it will get your attention for sure. One thing I've learned never to ignor is tire pressures. Check'em... check'em... check'em!
 
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Hi Steve,

An under inflated nose wheel tire along with a slight depression in asphalt/concrete on a ramp, taxiway etc... will scrape the wheel pant, I've seen it happen. Looking at the pic with the scrape, it will get your attention for sure.
Indeed it did get my attention! The first thing I did when removing my wheel pant was check the tire pressure. It was low. AntiSplat recommends running the nose wheel at 50 psi. I inflated it to 50 psi immediately upon taking the wheel pant off. I will be checking my tire pressure more closely from now on!
 
Tire Pressure Big Potential Problem!!!!!!!

Tire Pressure Big Potential Problem!!!!!
I don't want to scare or alarm anyone But here goes. There is a potential problem that really scares me because I have had some first hand experience to pull from. There is a potential for disaster looming here that no one has seemed to address or for that mater even acknowledged its existence. This will make you very nervous, as well it should. I had an experience that demonstrated to me just how important tire pressure is. I rolled out on the runway and hit the throttle beginning my takeoff roll. As the speed increased to perhaps 20 mph or so I hit a nail, piece of glass or something that caused the nose wheel to rapidly loose air. The wheel pant instantly contacted the ground and the entire gear assembly started to rapidly oscillate violently for and aft at an incredible rate. With no air in this tire the plane is high and dry on the wheel pant and normally will not move. I pulled off the throttle but the plane was on its own. Had there been a crack or flaw in the runway surface that provided an opportunity for the gear to bite in I am pretty sure I would now be part of the statistics. Luckily this worked out OK with no major damage to plane or person. My fear is this, What if on takeoff you unknowingly pick up a leak in your nose wheel. In flight the tire goes flat and now you need to land. When you do let the nose down you will be traveling much faster than I was and totally unprepared for the events that are about to unfold. I now run an 8 ply tire, the thick heavy duty tube and tire sealer in the nose wheel. Even with all this extra effort, I am still paranoid. Regards, Allan :eek::eek:
 
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...
I now run an 8 ply tire, the thick heavy duty tube and tire sealer in the nose wheel.
...

Allan,

I'm curious about the tire and tube that you're using on the nose. Can you provide specifics (manufacturer, part number, size)?

I searched for alternatives a couple of years ago, and as I recall, I did not find any in the same dimensions as what Van's uses. Or did you up-size?

Thanks,
-Roee
 
Indeed it did get my attention! The first thing I did when removing my wheel pant was check the tire pressure. It was low. AntiSplat recommends running the nose wheel at 50 psi. I inflated it to 50 psi immediately upon taking the wheel pant off. I will be checking my tire pressure more closely from now on!

Are any folks out there running tire pressure monitoring systems (TPMS) to keep track of tire pressures? E.g.:

472130332202.png


Seems like it would be a handy feature for the current crop of EFIS to integrate...
 
Thread drift

I guess this is thread drift, but since we're on the subject...

I got tired of the occasional spontaneous nosewheel flats caused by having to use the cheap and unavailable (except from Van's) tubes for the stock nosewheel. I seems most of us nosewheel guys just get in the habit of always having a tube with us.

I finally bought the Beringer setup. It uses a readily available 8 ply tubeless tire and solves all nosewheel bearing preload issues all at the same time. I'm very happy with my choice. Here's some more info: http://www.vansairforce.com/community/showthread.php?t=60258&highlight=beringer

Guy
 
Tire pressure monitor!!!!!

I have seen a very inexpensive tire pressure monitor set up at pep boys and I will purchase one and let everyone know how it performs. Regards all, Allan:)
 
That is neat, but pricey at $300 at Aircraft Spruce. I think a four sensor one for autos for $100 to $150 would work just as well, without the airplane on the display.











Are any folks out there running tire pressure monitoring systems (TPMS) to keep track of tire pressures? E.g.:

472130332202.png


Seems like it would be a handy feature for the current crop of EFIS to integrate...
 
From the internets: "The TPMS system uses either the 315mhz or 433mhz frequency and does use encoding but not encyption."

Probably wouldn't be all that hard to build a small receiver for a specific screw on sensor model, and then spit out values to an EFIS. I wouldn't want a dedicated display, aside from possibly a warning light.

Rainer? :D
 
13 pages of debate on this over here that is worth a read: http://www.vansairforce.com/community/showthread.php?t=77534 ...along with their videos on their evaluation of the nosegear issue and how it works... http://antisplataero.com

Also, not that it makes any difference on how well it works, but its not "some guy" selling these, but a subsidiary of a larger aviation/engineering company (although, so far unnamed I believe).

Anyway, just FYI. I'm not building an A, but found their testing and findings interesting.

thanks, the video really helps visualize the forces on the leg. wasn't a believer before.
 
Indeed it did get my attention! The first thing I did when removing my wheel pant was check the tire pressure. It was low. AntiSplat recommends running the nose wheel at 50 psi. I inflated it to 50 psi immediately upon taking the wheel pant off. I will be checking my tire pressure more closely from now on!

Did you repaint the bottom so next time you can see if it has stopped scratching? Also, the electrical tape will tell you if it ever gets hit by the new brace.
 
Did you repaint the bottom so next time you can see if it has stopped scratching? Also, the electrical tape will tell you if it ever gets hit by the new brace.
I have not repaired anything yet.

The truth is I have only had one other flight since installing the Nose Job. That flight involved a landing on a paved runway along with landing on my grass strip. I cannot say I noticed much difference in the feel, with one exception. I did notice that during roll out on the paved runway it did feel like the plane was a little stiffer as it rolled across the expansion joints in the concrete. Of course, I cannot say whether that was due to me being overly sensitive to it because I was paying close attention to the feel of the landing gear having just installed this modification or perhaps because of the increased tire pressure (50 psi in the nose tire) or perhaps because of the increased stiffness of the landing gear due to the Nose Job bracket. At any rate, I did notice the stiffness rolling across those joints. I did not notice any differences when rolling on the grass at my home airport.

Your comment is well taken about repairing the damage in order to observe any future incidents. I think I will at least take some touch up paint to the underneath side to see if I continue to have any contact in the future.
 
Allan: Thank you for your generous offer, I will return the unused parts, the fairing, spacer and bent bolt. They should arrive after the Thanksgiving holidays. Contact info: 775-843-6133 or [email protected]. Nice product, Dan





Hello Dan;
We are glad to hear that your "Nose Job" is installed and working well for you. If you would like to return the fairing and parts that you didn't need we would be happy to credit you back for them. Thank you for posting your thoughts and impressions here as we know others are interested as well. Regards, Allan
 
Another Anti-Splat Review - With Video!

I got the Anti-Splat installed on the nose gear of my RV-9A today and tried it out. Here's a video.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xhthU9nhDgo

In this video I've replayed it zoomed and slowed down to quarter speed so you can get a good look at the action. For this landing my approach on final was at about 65kts and I promptly retracted the flaps to keep the nose wheel off as long as possible. This was a very easy landing on a good paved surface. Even with that there's enough movement at the top of the gear to close the gap and contact on top of the Anti-Splat. It's amazing how much movement you get on the gear leg during landing when you watch it in slow motion. For reference, I have the standard nose wheel / bearings and have a very good centered CG. I'm convinced as it seems to do what it's intended to. :)
 
Hmmmm

I don't think that your nose gear should oscillate continuously during rollout. You might want to check the rolling friction of your nose wheel, or the balance of the nosewheel.

What air pressure do you have in the tire?
 
Stock Wheel Bearings!!!!!!!

.....This is a very good video of the wheel action with stock tapered wheel bearings. These need to be changed to ball rather than tapered bearings. We offer a re-machining service for the nose wheel like a Grove or Berringer set up replacement wheel. Regards all, Allan Anti-Splat-Aero LLC :D

http://www.eaa538.org/images/nosegear.wmv
 
My nose wheel will be going to Allan next week. I've had enough of the oscillation from the stock wheel. I'll post another video later after it's done.
 
.....This is a very good video of the wheel action with stock tapered wheel bearings. These need to be changed to ball rather than tapered bearings. We offer a re-machining service for the nose wheel like a Grove or Berringer set up replacement wheel. Regards all, Allan Anti-Splat-Aero LLC :D

I have a Grove nose wheel and it has tapered bearings. Are you saying that the Grove also needs to be changed to ball bearings to eliminate the behaviour in the video clip?

Bevan
 
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I wonder what an RV-10 looks like. They seem to be plagued with wheel shimmy during landing around 20-25 kts.
 
.....This is a very good video of the wheel action with stock tapered wheel bearings. These need to be changed to ball rather than tapered bearings. We offer a re-machining service for the nose wheel like a Grove or Berringer set up replacement wheel.

Do you have before/after video of your wheel service?

What is your wheel service and does it apply to stock nosewheels?
 
upcoming product?

Allan, a while back on a post you mentioned that you are developing another product that will work hand-in-hand with the Nose Job to provide even greater nose-over protection.
Is this still coming? Depending on what it is, I may order it at the same time as The Nose Job (I'm waiting to see what the new product is before I order the Nose Job).
 
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