Calidus - Jasper, Georgia - 11.9.22

Steve_UK

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I'm not a pilot but have been lucky enough to fly in Mi-24 Hind, Mi-2, Mi-17, Lynx HAS3, Gliders, GA
The latest FAA ASIAS summary states- N451AG Calidus Jasper Georgia USA 11th September 2022


AIRCRAFT ON LANDING, ROLLED FOR UNKNOWN REASONS AND CAME TO REST ON SIDE, JASPER, GA.

flight phase landing - injuries none - damage unknown


Not to be confused with sister ship N452AG that had an accident earlier in the month
 
Primary category Calidus ..owner from Pennsylvania!

Poor nose wheel design with extreme forward rake NEEDS 100% correct landing procedure ...EVERY time ...slow landing speed, no forwards roll before nose wheel contacts ground! Over & over sloppy/inattentive pilot handling results in the landing "roll-overs"!

Any rudder inputs to counter crosswind will cause the cocked nose wheel to dart sideways = high roll-over potential with any forward motion! (unstable tricycle action ...like a wheelbarrow!)

Solutions .... correct nose wheel geometry design for rudder-linked designs. / rear-raked castoring design /. DEEP TRAINING ...recurrent flight review training to ensure the pilot is totally aware of his aircraft design shortcomings & the importance of correct landing (& T O procedures) to understand ...NO SLOPPY techniques allowance!
 
or as per POH

4.14 Landing
 Align gyroplane with rudder and correct drift with lateral control input, even if this
results in a side slip indication
 Maintain approach speed until approximately 5m above runway
 Initiate round out to reduce sink rate and let ground approach
 Perform final flare close to ground as speed will decay rapidly
 Let gyroplane settle on main gear with nose wheel slightly above the ground
 Hold nose wheel closely above ground and let it sit down with pedals neutral at the
lowest possible ground speed
 Maintain aft control stick to reduce speed until walking speed. Wheel brake may be
used to assist, if needed
 
Primary category Calidus ..owner from Pennsylvania!

Poor nose wheel design with extreme forward rake NEEDS 100% correct landing procedure ...EVERY time ...slow landing speed, no forwards roll before nose wheel contacts ground! Over & over sloppy/inattentive pilot handling results in the landing "roll-overs"!

Any rudder inputs to counter crosswind will cause the cocked nose wheel to dart sideways = high roll-over potential with any forward motion! (unstable tricycle action ...like a wheelbarrow!)

Solutions .... correct nose wheel geometry design for rudder-linked designs. / rear-raked castoring design /. DEEP TRAINING ...recurrent flight review training to ensure the pilot is totally aware of his aircraft design shortcomings & the importance of correct landing (& T O procedures) to understand ...NO SLOPPY techniques allowance!
My experience giving flight instruction in a Calidus was that it is as forgiving of pedal mismanagement as any of the AutoGyro products.

Keeping the nose in the air till stopped has value with all gyroplanes.

If the nose tire is dropped prematurely in a cross wind I feel the key is to stay light on the pedals and allow the nose wheel to self center.

People have found many ways to tip a gyroplane over while landing.

In my opinion I have come closer to tipping over landing a gyroplane with learners mismanaging the cyclic than the pedals.

This is the most preliminary incident report and subject to change.
 
Solutions .... correct nose wheel geometry design for rudder-linked designs. / rear-raked castoring design
I think there is some misapprehension about that design. A forward rake also places the turning axis ahead of the tire contact point, so it IS actually a (positive) castering design, as I think Vance implies. See below for more on rake, however. Vance is surely right that a light touch on the pedals is key upon nosewheel contact, for any rudder-linked nosewheel.
That said, I do prefer Magni's no-rake "offset" design, although it can make it a bit more difficult to turn hard while taxiing.

There are three variables that designers can use to achieve positive caster. Those are: rake, wheel diameter, and offset.
All three are part of the geometry that can increase the trail of a castering wheel, which is what ultimately improves the caster in a nose-gear design.
Rake is the most common way of increasing castor in bicycles, motorcycles, and even motor vehicles like cars. It is also common in aircraft design, including gyroplanes. However, there are limits to how much rake you can introduce into wheel geometry before you start increasing side loads.
This is because as you increase rake, you also increase the tilt angle of the wheel when it is turning. Small tilt angles are acceptable, but large tilt angles introduce large side loads on the wheel, which can actually counteract the positive forces of the caster.
Side loads already exist on a nosegear wheel on touchdown if the wheel is not aligned with the runway. This force is called cornering force. Even while caster properly works to straighten the wheel out, cornering force tries to pull the wheel farther into the direction the wheel is turned. As rake is increased, the effect of cornering force can overcome the self-centering effect of the caster and pull a gyroplane further and faster to the side.


 
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Primary category Calidus ..owner from Pennsylvania!
I did not realize they had primary-category Caliduses as far back as 2016.
A bit surprising that the owner is in PA, yet the crash was in GA?
 
have a look at the FAA Document Index for this gyro - some reasonably recent activity that might suggest a change in progress, maybe
 

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