I am wondering if this has been done before. It probably has but thought I'd ask anyway.

You know the little ceramic or carbon wing skid disks that are installed out on the wing tips on the belly side to protect the wing tips from scrapes and gouges.

Has anyone put one on the underside of the nose of their jet so if and when the nose gear fails or does lock in place and the nose drags the asphalt or concrete and eats away at the fuse it will drag on the "skidz" instead of fiberglass?

It wouldn't have to stick out very far and it would seem like it would save the nose from being grated off by the landing surface.

Don

HI, when my new Bobcat was finished last spring, it did not have a skid under the nose, first pic, but after the first scrape, I installed one.
Rcpete

I wait for the first skid, so I know where to put the zip tie!

Nice Bobcat, Pete! I wouldn't want to scrape it up either....

Sean, how do you use a zip tie?

Do you drill two holes and loop it with the "knot" part of the zip tie to make contact with the surface?

Don

My names not Sean but I'll answer till Sean wakes up.

CA a short piece of zip tie. With the mains extended, retract the nose wheel and set it on the floor, table and where the nose touches down is the place for the zip tie. That way you don,t have to wait for the first scape.

Bob-o's method will work too. After how many years flying jets, it actually never not even once occurred to me to put the zip tie on before the first scrape!

But yep, CA it right on there where you're gonna get your mark anyway! Usually I use a large say 14 inch zip tie, cut down to size. Gives a bigger nobbie to wear down in the front. Yes, it is drag, but at 200 mph I've never noticed it too much

Great ideas guys! I will give it a try.
Don

How long will the zip tie last on an abrasive surface like concrete ????

I don't know but they are pretty tough. If you used one of the big ones that are pretty wide and thick I bet they'd take quite a bit of scraping before getting through it.
Don

Kinda depends on how much you are planning on dragging the nose on the ground I'm sure if you did it every flight it won't last too long. If that's the case, you should cut a few extras and have a bottle of CA nearby.

Bob,
I would think a nice wide strip of zip tie should withstand at least one pretty long runway drag wouldn't it?
Don

Don

I think so too. I do the same thing on the wing tips also, although I usually wait for the first scape to pinpoint the location.

Thanks again you guys. I appreciate the help.
Don

Last bookoo long time! The one on Roger's hotspot lasted three years of occasional mis hap, and then when I rebuilt the airplane, I re-used the same zip tie just for fun!

Good Idea!

The ceramic skids from Tamjets are very durable and clean looking.

Now here is THE question: Is it better to let the nose skid all the way down the runway with no brakes and hence very light pressure or jump up the brakes for a very short high pressure grind? I have tried to hold the nose off as long as possible and then jam on the brakes. I'm not sure that it was the correct thing to do...................

Tailwinds,

John

options;

Landing gear up in the grass(if you have it)

Ease the nose down, (no reason to sand the nose down AND flatspot the tires)

Depending on where your engine inlets are in relation
to the nose touchdown point, you also may want to consider shutting off the engine.

If you have grass at the end of the runway......

Do A wheely till you get to the grass...
(rarely successfull but a real crowd pleaser when done correctly)

kick yourself ......if you knew before taking off the nosegear was having issues....


I love preparing for IFE's (in-flight emergencies)
.

Add one Very important thing - Raise your Flaps!, otherwise you can damage the flaps and servos. -learned from experience with my Boomerang XL which is still btw having problems with the Robart springdown retracts. All I do now is rock the plane left and right before landing to lock the gear. Seems to work every time.

Andy