6" nosewheel

[Dave S]

Regarding KF nosewheels: Is there a history of (trigear) landing incidents similar to those the earlier Vans RV trigears have had?

I am also following the Wittman Tailwheel group and there is chatter about the risk of “digging in” to turf with very bad results (with the earlier RV nosegear). Tailwind folks have been using Vans nosegears for years. Apparently there has been a service bulletin and later a re-design of the RV nosegear. One of my hangar neighbors (with an RV 8 tricycle gear) had installed a retrofit fix on his to stiffen up the main nosegear strut.

Since I am third owner of a trigear Vixen (with visible evidence of some kind of un-documented nosegear incident), I am very curious.

Thanks anyone.

Skot

Skot,

The majority of Kitfoxes are outfit with tailwheels so we have a smaller sampling to go by; however, I have been running our trigear S7 for 10 years now, including places where my tailwind tailwheel pals and most RV's don't go; and, my belief is there is nothing of concern with nosegear equipped Kitfoxes other than pilot technique and judgment about what type of surfaces to stay out of.

In training, we were taught to protect the nosegear, land on the mains and to specifically to keep the nosewheel light as possible when dealing with rough or soft surfaces.

There is no nosegear design that someone has not dug in and dumped over somewhere, somehow. Same with tailwheel gear aircraft. I don't think that I ever flew a high time rental cessna or piper that someone had not previously damaged a nosegear or firewall somehow by landing nose first.

The only design issues that I am aware of were covered in early designs of the fork and the nose gear leg which are certainly superseded at the present. These are listed in Kitfoxe's technical section on their web site.

I think the main deal with the trigear is to assure correct pilot technique, learn the aircraft's limits gradually on less than ideal surfaces - which includes walking some fields before attempting a landing on them; and, of course, being certain on inspection and maintenance.

[SWeidemann]

Dave,

I appreciate your input. I am still getting familiar with my Vixen and input from other tricycle gear Kitfox folks is helpful.

Skot