Raimo,
The trigear has the same characteristics. Weight is not the main problem.
The trigear soft steel attachments will wear as the gear twisting will cau
se the bolt hole at the gear top to wear. The gear leg supports will get e
longated and the bolt holes elongated and the gear gets quite loose feeling
when the plane is jacked.
As far as performance, I found the CG does tighten a bit as you approach 16
00 pounds. I was surprised that the aft CG was not really that bad, but a
forward CG made landing flare out less than enjoyable forward of 59 inches.
Sink rates approaching in the flare at 60 require attention and more care
in the round out. Any power off and the sink rate is noticeable. A 912 o
r 912S with fixed pitch prop makes go arounds at over gross conditions a bi
t dicey with the flaps and gear full down. With the trigear, half flaps is
quite comfortable to land with, and 10 degrees on takeoff eliminates that
old sinking feeling on takeoff.
My paper attached basically explained to my customers who hadn=92t actually
flight tested with me, some of my concerns and considerations.
I must admit, that I have taken off at a full 1600 lbs in 12AY. I=92m not
proud of that, but when you have to move a 350 pound football player, the p
lane can do it. It was the first time I=92ve ever rotated my Europa to tak
eoff attitude and it just sat on the runway and waited a bit. The 914 pull
ed me off and we were well on our way. Anita and I did a trip at 1500 or s
o pounds. The trigear without pilot and passenger after fueling will sit o
n its tail. With pilot and pax and full fuel, the CG was right at 62.5=94
and the pitch force per G and stall characteristics were acceptable.
A 1450 pound Europa with the CG from 59 to 62 is just fine. With full flap
s in the mono, this CG range is more than conservative. In a mono, that 16
PSI tire may need to be pumped up a bit as it is really going to flex duri
ng landing and taxi. You may spin the tire on the wheel and tear the tube
in this condition. I=92m not worried about the gear mechanism strength tha
t much. The rubber block needs to be looked at though. Anything above 145
0 and it starts looking kind of flat. Cracks will soon form and then you n
eed a new rubber block.
Anyway, my two cents are in the paper on Wt. and balance, CG range, and loa
ding.
Best Regards,
Bud Yerly
Sent from Mail<https://go.microsoft.com/fwlink/?LinkId=550986> for Window
s 10
________________________________
From: owner-europa-list-server@matronics.com <owner-europa-list-server@matr
onics.com> on behalf of Raimo Toivio <raimo.toivio@rwm.fi>
Sent: Tuesday, July 16, 2019 6:44:15 AM
Subject: Re: Europa-List: XS mono max gross weight
Fred,
I have MTOW 1450 lbs /658 kg.
I got a nice letter from Mr. Andy Draper say 15-years ago, and that helped.
It was also possible to make a 2+2 Europa (max 60 kg for back seats, suita
ble for two children or just one model type woman, if she is pretty enough)
.
My Europas naked weight is 919 lbs /417 kg (today obviously a bit more).
I know around 1550 lbs /703 kg is not a problem for OH-XRT during take-off
- better to land with almost empty tank then.
- Raimo
Fred Klein kirjoitti 16.7.2019 klo 0:09:
to:freddythek10@gmail.com>
Gents,
My XS mono owners manual lists the max gross weight at 1370 lbs. yet my und
erstanding is that most Europas in the US are tagged at 1450 lbs., and I kn
ow of one which was approved at 1600 lbs. (believe it or not).
So my question is, how is a higher figure justified if the FAA asks about i
t?
Fred A194
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