Piper nosewheel steering linkage

[Jeremy Lew]

I have heard differing accounts of whether the rudder pedals turn Piper
nosewheels when they are not on the ground. I know Cessnas have some sort
of cam arrangement which disengages the steering mechanism when weight is
taken off of the nosewheel, but there's nothing definitive about this my
Warrior POH one way or the other. Can anyone who has worked on the gear
settle this? I realize all Pipers might not be the same, I'm talking mainly
about the fixed gear singles. The issue came up when I suggested to someone
that a swerve on touchdown might have been due to not neutralizing the
rudder before the nosewheel touched down, because I had heard that there was
a fixed linkage.

Thanks,
Jeremy

[Jay Honeck]

> I have heard differing accounts of whether the rudder pedals turn Piper
> nosewheels when they are not on the ground.

The Cherokee nose gear turns with the rudder both on the ground and in
flight.

And, yes, it can make things "interesting" if you've got full rudder in
during a cross-wind landing. You must remember to neutralize the rudder
before letting the nosegear settle, or you'll be heading into the weeds.

As a new pilot I just about took an off-runway excursion in Rockford, IL,
landing with a wicked crosswind, because I stubbornly kept that rudder
correction in a bit too long. Frankly, I was lucky the nosegear didn't
collapse.
--
Jay Honeck
Iowa City, IA
Pathfinder N56993
www.AlexisParkInn.com
"Your Aviation Destination"

[Corky Scott]

On Mon, 17 Nov 2003 14:57:21 -0500, "Jeremy Lew" >
wrote:

>I have heard differing accounts of whether the rudder pedals turn Piper
>nosewheels when they are not on the ground. I know Cessnas have some sort
>of cam arrangement which disengages the steering mechanism when weight is
>taken off of the nosewheel, but there's nothing definitive about this my
>Warrior POH one way or the other. Can anyone who has worked on the gear
>settle this? I realize all Pipers might not be the same, I'm talking mainly
>about the fixed gear singles. The issue came up when I suggested to someone
>that a swerve on touchdown might have been due to not neutralizing the
>rudder before the nosewheel touched down, because I had heard that there was
>a fixed linkage.
>
>Thanks,
>Jeremy

I'm building a homebuilt and utilizing Piper Tripacer landing gear.
The rudder pedals have direct connecting rods from the rudder pedals
to the control arm that swivels the nose gear.

Corky Scott