Another question for BUFDRVR

B2431 wrote:

The quadracycle gear is designed to be able to crab like that, it reduces the
affect of crosswind. If memory serves the pilot manually dials in the ammount
of crab.

Have there been (or are there) any other aircraft with this capability?

--
Blinky Linux Registered User 297263

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"BUFDRVR" wrote in message
...
Lynn Coffelt wrote:

I believe the C-5A has (or had) cross wind landing gear.

Nope, their wings are high enough off the ground that they can land "wing
low"
although I think they just land in a crab like most other heavies.

Hmmm...... The C-5A's I worked on, as aircraft maintenance, sure enough
did have crosswind landing gear, and I've seen it demonstrated both in
landing and taxiing. However, in fairness, the C-5B follow on did dispense
with the troublesome crosswind gear system.
I did further "Googling" and find that it was the 737 (not the 747)
that had a sort of castering main gear that would swivel to line up with the
runway as it touched down. (as various light planes already did in the
"olden days")
The B-52 outriggers, like it's ancestor, the B-47, have centering cams
inside the outer oleo and inner oleo, that center the wheel when the strut
is fully extended, (so it will retract into the wheel well) but permit the
wheel to swivel almost anywhere when the strut is compressed more than
something like a third of it's stroke (ahem....memory beginning to weaken
ever so slightly here)

Old Chief Lynn

Lynn Coffelt wrote:

I believe the C-5A has (or had) cross wind landing gear.

Nope, their wings are high enough off the ground that they can land "wing
low"
although I think they just land in a crab like most other heavies.

Hmmm...... The C-5A's I worked on, as aircraft maintenance, sure enough
did have crosswind landing gear, and I've seen it demonstrated both in
landing and taxiing.

Well, technically we were both right, although you more than me. Every now and
again I learn something on these boards that makes slugging through Art
Kramer's crap almost worth it. According to The Aviation Zone Web site (self
proclaimed "Home of the Heavies"):

Landing Gear - The enormous C-5 Galaxy has a very unique landing gear system
consisting of a single nose strut, four main bogeys and a total of 28 wheels.
The complex system offers "high flotation" capability for unpaved surfaces,
freewheel castoring to facilitate ground maneuvering, and an offset swiveling
capability (20 degrees left or right) for crosswind landings**

** Not adapted to the second production B-model aircraft, and has since been
removed from all A-models.

So, it appears the B-52 is still the only aircraft with a crosswind landing
system, but for a time (1969-????) it wasn't. Great to learn new things,
thanks.


BUFDRVR

"Stay on the bomb run boys, I'm gonna get those bomb doors open if it harelips
everyone on Bear Creek"

From: "Lynn Coffelt"
Date: 8/6/2004 11:49 PM Central Daylight Time
Message-id: bbZQc.241065$JR4.91621@attbi_s54


"Blinky the Shark" wrote in message
t...
B2431 wrote:

The quadracycle gear is designed to be able to crab like that, it
reduces the
affect of crosswind. If memory serves the pilot manually dials in the
ammount
of crab.

Have there been (or are there) any other aircraft with this capability?

I believe the C-5A has (or had) cross wind landing gear. With long wings,
slipping one in without hooking a wing tip would be hair raising. I think
there is a video clip somewhere on the "web" of a 747 slipping into Hong
Kong at the expense of the cowling on #4 engine. Don't 747's have some sort
of crosswind caster built into the main landing gear that can be locked out
for normal taxiing?

Old Chief Lynn

That's the clip to which I referred. If they didn't have caster I'd hate to see
the tires after landing.

Dan, U. S. Air Force, retired

I jst posted the whole sequence of pics to a.b.p.a - under 'B-52 Crabbing'

Ken

BUFDRVR wrote:
Ken Duffey wrote:


He 'crabbed' down the runway - turning the wheels as in a crosswind
landing, with the wheels pointing down the centreline, but with the
airframe pointing diagonally across the runway.


Just put in crosswind crab while taxiing. If you ever see a BUFF taxi out for
takeoff, putting in 8-degrees of crosswind crab in each direction is part of
the taxi checklist. If you noticed it, chances are they put in the full
20-degrees.


He then swivelled around the mainwheel trucks - and pointed his nose in
the opposite direction - it was most impressive.


There's a centering button that will automatically center the crab. Sounds like
he pushed the center button then just kept going to crab the full 20-degrees in
the other direction.


In fact he did it while a four-ship of RAF C-130's were doing thier
flypast - and completely stole their thunder ??


Well, outside of dropping weapons (frowned upon at large airshows) its kind of
hard for a BUFF to steal the show from anyone, glad to hear the guys were
entertaining.


My question is - is this a 'standard' trick ?? or does the crew have to
do something special ??



The "full crab reversal" sounds unique, but the procedure is no more than a
standard checklist item.


And - it didn't look as though the outriggers were swivelled - although
as he was light, they didn't actually touch the ground. I assume it can
only be done in this configuration - otherwise the outriggers would be
ripped off ??


The tip gear should keep up with any movement of the aircraft. Sharp turns can
swing the tip gear around so that they're pointed in the wrong direction, but
if the tip gear struts are in proper order, nothing less than a 90-degree sharp
turn will effect the tip gear.


BUFDRVR

"Stay on the bomb run boys, I'm gonna get those bomb doors open if it harelips
everyone on Bear Creek"