On 15 Aug 2003 15:00:58 -0700, John Galban wrote:
Having the FBO guys act as mobile tiedowns is a fairly regular
occurance at for high-wing pilots at some of the windier airports out
west. It used to happen to me all the time when I was flying Cessnas.
Since I started flying a Cherokee, it hasn't happened once. There's
something to be said for a low center of gravity and a wide gear
stance.

If you compare a C172 with a Cherokee, you'll find the gear track is
actually pretty similar. There's nothing to grab hold of on a low
wing so they just leave you to it. Also, the Cherokee has
steering system better suited to high winds. (I believe the C172
has springs/bungees linking the nosewheel steering, the Cherokee
has a 'solid' linkage).

My problem was that with the wind strength plus a tailwheel, the
weathervaning tendency is just too strong. My tailwheel steering
was provided by springs up to a certain limit, and then it goes
into free castor if you jab the brake. Trouble is, this system
doesn't work terribly well taxiing crosswind in a high wind, since
the weathervaning tendency will overcome the power of the springs
(and might even cause the tailwheel to come out of the detent and
castor, at which point you're basically buggered from a steering
point of view!)

--
Dylan Smith, Castletown, Isle of Man
Flying: http://www.dylansmith.net
Frontier Elite Universe: http://www.alioth.net
"Maintain thine airspeed, lest the ground come up and smite thee"