At long last, the tri-gear conversion is completed on G-OURO, which had
previously flown as a monowheel for some 25 hours. My first reaction is
that it has all been worth the wait & frustration, my second reaction is
that I think it looks bloody marvellous, and my third reaction is that of
sheer delight at the way the aircraft handles in the air and especially on
the ground - you can scarcely believe it.
Having the benefit of the extra 25% power which the NSI Subaru EA81 gives
means that G-OURO's tri-gear performance is decidedly brisk - take-off rolls
are around 200m even on grass (firm) with two fairly weighty occupants and
around 35 litres of fuel, with landing rolls around 125m, measured quite
accurately, and with approx. 8 knots headwind component. Top speed has
dropped from 139k to 130k, which means a realistic cruise of around 120k,
perhaps a shade less. All figures without spats and leg fairings.
Landings are a revelation - it just sort of plops on and stays there - you
will have gathered that I didn't graduate from the Chuck Yaeger School of
Flying - but there doesn't seem to be any better way to describe it ...
Take-offs are simply a matter of applying power, holding it straight with a
dab of (left) toe-brake and waiting no more than a couple of seconds until
comes unstuck, and seconds later she flies off all by herself so to speak.
Absolutely no dramas, and behold, the joy of flying has returned.
Coupled with the actual u/c mod, I have performed major surgery to the
interior, in particular the central arm-rest/wheel-well, which has simply
transformed the cockpit comfort levels. This mod, done with the essential
benefit of the stress report from Barry Mellers at Slingsby Aviation, is now
approved by the PFA - if anyone wishes to go the same route, let me know and
I can provide copies of the report on a shared-cost basis - the more, the
cheaper!
The weight penalty appears to be around 30lbs, which may or may not be a
problem, depending on what you started with, the runway surfaces you'll
operate from and engine power available etc.
Well, it's done now, no other routes to go down - but first impressions are
often lasting, and I'm -very- impressed so far. If you're happy with the
mono-wheel Europa, that's fine; but if, like me, you had those nasty little
worms in your head nibbling away at your self-confidence, you could do a lot
worse than look at joining the "born-again triker club".
Safe and Happy Flying
David Dufton G-OURO ______{*}______
e-mail dufton@avnet.co.uk 0
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