Jonas, You made me feel way better. I have hell keeping and ultralight straight. Kitfox or 170 and I’m good. Tail wheel ultralight and watch the hell out 🤣
Been following you for a long minute. Ultimately do what makes you happy, but you’ve started a family and you seem to fly sketchy Aircraft and gambling higher risk. Just observations from the internet! Ultimately live your best life til the end
Ski doo( rotax) snowmobiler here. I have some tips for high Temps. Plug check. Running engine wide open to temp and shut it down. Pull plugs. White is too lean...brown is perfect...black to rich. High temp means lean...DO NOT RUN IT THIS WAY! Surprised you made it back! Good luck.. severe elevation changes and or ambient Temps affect jetting. You will become a master of this. Two stroke warning of impending granadeing......slight tink tink tink. If you hear this sound immediately look for landing spot !
"That one cylinders pretty hot" SWAP THE SENSORS FIRST ALSO USE A TORQUE WRENCH ON THEM You are using the cheapest sensors in the world they are not accurate at all, but once you are satisfied they perform their function, indicate hotter cooler than the normal weird readings, they are then useful. They are not scientific quality instruments.
I just watched the 3rd person landing in slow motion, and the gear struts may have been the cause for the control issues directly after landing. While they did completely collapse after going off-strip, they were certainly twisting around as you were slowing down and losing lift after the initial touch-down. Those struts look like they're made by Twizzler, or just an old garden hose repurposed as landing gear...
Yea, agree, those wheels twisting couldn't be overcome with rudder. Landing gear too flimsy. At that point you were just along for the ride. Did you a hell of a good job staying with it all the way.
The MLG struts are definitely an issue on this plane. The use of a different - stronger metal might be an answer to increase the strength.... One of the best ways to be able to handle the shock loads of landing, is to use struts that are made of 1"o.d. mild steel tubing with a w.t. of 0.062" that form an elongated tri-angle shape that have pivot saddles attached to hard-points on the fuselage while the apex of the tri-angle legs has the axle stub welded to a sturdy plate that is welded to the apex.. The Use of several winds of 1/2" bungee cords attached between the MLG legs and the opposite side of the fuselage, to handle the shock absorbsion when the rubber meets the runway is a relatively cheap & inexpensive way to improve this undercarriage. The engine heat needs to be lowered in that hot cylinder. Better ram-air ducts can help this. Anything above 475 degrees F. And the aluminum castings start to loose their tempering...
The left wheel touched a fraction before the right and twisted backward and out as it did. There were a couple more small bounces, coming down on the left wheel each time, repeating the swivel to the left at each impact. Once both wheels were down, control (almost) came back.
@@JonasMarcinko ALWAYS buckle the strap immediately after squeezing your head into the helmet, ALWASY. Don't unbuckle your helmet without also removing it from your head. Hang glider pilots do at least 2 preflight checks, the glider, and then themselves just prior to launch. Shoe laces tied, legs in leg loops (harness), parachute handle, chin strap buckled, carabiner through main and backup loops and locked.
Actually, the first hit is usually the hardest one so it's not useless. Yes, I watch my helmet bounce down the ski slopes all winter after protecting me from that first hit.
I am so glad that was the kind of landing that you walked away from, didn't hurt yourself and didn't damage any property that wasn't yours!! The gentlemen that was talking to you in about the 9:11 spot in this video has given you some wisdom that I really hope you understand whole heartedly!! Jonas, I love your videos!! When I need a little (LOT) of excitement in my day, I can always watch one of your videos and get my fill for the day sitting in the comfort of my home!! One last thought and that is, try to spread your excitement around a little more and try not to have it all in one spot!!! Fly safe Jonas!!
I replaced my Airbike gear with Rans gear, toe operated Tracy Obrien brakes, Azuza wheels and 6.00x6 aircraft tires. Homemade locking tailwheel based on Bob Barrows design but scaled down. All sturdy with excellent ground handling. Stock gear is crapola.
I see several problems with it, the reason you had a hard time controlling it with the rudder, is because it is way to small, and way to low. The way you are sitting with the windscreen, the is deflating the air away from the rudder, making it extremely hard to control in a flare at a low speed. Also looks like you have to much aileron but no flaps. That is causing it to be to responsive on the controls, and with no flaps, causing you to come in pretty fast for a landing. When you are on your down wind like that, gain plenty of altitude so that if you loose your engine, you have plenty of altitude to glide back to the runway. If you stay low like that, and loose your engine, you will loose to much altitude on your base and final turn, then come up short of the runway. You flew a pretty tight dog leg, that didn’t give you much time to stabilize your final approach. Keep kinda high on your down wind, give yourself some space before you start your bace, so that when you come in on final, you have plenty of time to stabilize, then bring it into the runway and just before touching down give yourself a good flare right over the runway, pull the engine back to ideal and just float it down smoothly, then when you taxi, always keep the stick pulled all the way back, to prevent going face down ass up prop strike. Lol
@@scotty657 I guess that’s a good thing, I’ve been CFII since 2009. Lol. If I can help someone by passing my knowledge down, I will, but I also listen to those who passes it onto me as well. I learn something everyday, and teach every time someone will listen.
I'd suspect the rear cylinder will always stay hotter but why quite so high is odd. May be worth adding a bit of sheet metal to go around the cylinders to get more ram air and get more also on rear cylinder.
If it has two carbs the rear cyl might have an intake leak. Check all the clamps or hoses, whatever for a good seal. (motorcycle mechanic but an engine is an engine.)
Your propensity to walk the line, with airplanes, is glaring in its needless risk. All for the sense of being alive. Alive and dead are opposite sides of the same coin, however they are only 1/10 of an inch apart! You are a good kid...treat your life and your wife with more respect!! I hope you live long.
Jonas, I’ve watched your adventures for sometime. I assume this was an early test flight. Many details of ground handling can be determined early in the plane and your life prior to leaving the ground by using logical test protocols, see EAA. I will withhold judgment of your actions but add that it is very easy to kill your self in any aircraft. STAY SAFE, STAY SMARTER.
I know nothing, but I noticed that on 30% scale planes a pro RC pilot I was watching always pulls the elevator all the way up soon after landing to leep force down on the rear of the plane. I have no idea if that would help after you hit the ground and I see there was no time to experiment. Also that pro rc pilot has the throw distance to make that elevator go to about 80 degrees so it looks almost like an air break as well.
From what I saw it looked to me like you didn't have the stick pinned back aft the tail was down. Can't tell if it has a steerable or locking tail wheel, but that stick should be all the way back once the tail wheel is on the ground to give you good positive steering. If its a free swivelling TW you might want to consider either of the other options.
I had a Sonerai IIL With VW power. CHT got up to 290 and crop duster crew I worked for thought that was real high. Also I think the head was warped a bit. Landing one must be VERY PRECISE with these tail draggers. It"s like driving a car backwards at 60 mph. Just be precise on your landings and you will be fine.
I have a set of Airbike plans that I might build from someday so I have the Flight Manual; Normal Procedures: Landings: step 5 of 5: "Land with full back stick to maintain directional control". FWIW, that landing gear is not like what's in the plans; the plans show a solid axle. Also the engine mount is completely different. And the elevator hook-up is different. And the engine is fan cooled...and...
Two things- 1. You are so lucky that gear held as long as it did and the perfectly tuned prop did not become a perfectly tuned tiller. 2. I very nearly crapped my office chair watching you veer off the runway into the ground loop that wasn't. Mega wtf moment. WOW!
I would suggest that you were not fully stalled when you touched down and the gear struts are so flexible, you bounced, the struts splayed and with your right wing fractionally lower, it gave the right side more grip which in turn caused the directional control loss and slew to the left. Firstly, I’d suggest an approach about 5 knots slower and fully stalled on touchdown with stick fully back. Secondly, you need stronger, more rigid undercarriage struts.
My old 1948 cessna 170 tried to do that on numerous times after I bought it. Contacted the 170 club and there answer was wheel alignement, wheel alignment wheel alignment. Thats your problem but with the flimsy legs yours has I dont think it would help....
Jonas, and when you build that new gear, put 3 to 4 degrees of toe in on the main wheels in relation to the centerline of the aircraft. This will aid dramatically in the ground handling on landing in particular. The “Toe In” will cause the aircraft to want to self center and track relatively straight in line with the body of the aircraft. Food for thought and keep having fun and taking us along for the ride. 👍
Go with the toe in for sure and remember that this will vary as the tail is up or down. toe in provides a margin of directional stability, several degrees at least!!. some additional keel surface with a covering on the fuselage sides will assist with some positive directional stability as well. . zero toe in is a recipe for disaster, pay no attention to whoever that is, it is totally incorrect.
There is no way I would take that thing off the ground. Don't you value your life. If the landing gear is built like that, what else is suspect? I would say the wheel alighnment caused the issue from one getting bent on touch down.
For those of you who are fans of the Airbike, know that the design in this video is NOT an Airbike. It may be a clone in overall layout but there are too many design changes to allow it to be considered an Airbike. Just like a chicken and a duck share common attributes, a duck is still a duck and a chicken is still a chicken. I suspect the twisting gear legs steered the craft off the runway, not lack of tail authority.
old crank seals probably need replaced from sitting too long (the entire case is the intake plenum, leaks = lean, also watch for cold seizures). pull the mag end or gearbox end or both and inspect for oil. probably good to do a light rebuild with all new seals. Inspect the crank, bearings, pistons, and cylinders. when assembling, the crank seals should be clocked appropriately as well just fyi. might consider sending it to a rotax shop. LEAF comes to mind
No radio to alert other traffic which could cause a collision, brakes will not hold during runup, one cylinder running hot and could easily seize, coming in "a little hot" but land anyway, don't get tailwheel down on landing so can easily weather vane off the runway, gear too flimsy for support, narrowly miss VASI lights when departing runway.... this was a clinic in poor airmanship.
It almost looked like the gear gave out before you went "offroading". The bounce looked like it was caused by the gear giving out, causing the ground loop and not the other way around. Glad you are all right and didn't hit the lights. (airports frown on that😁 ). Also, with the gear folded, the outward cant of of the wheels looks a little bit like a BF-109. lol
Can’t see how that undercarriage is going to last. And the fuel up front 🤦🏼♀️🤦🏼♀️🤦🏼♀️🤦🏼♀️ good job on keeping it out of the fence and not taking out the runway lights 👏👏👌
I think you need to decide if you're going to wheel it on or do a three pointer. That landing looked like a bet both ways, leaving you with the CG behind the main gear and no stability from the tailwheel.
I've spent a lot of time chasing runway lights in ultralights but it was always crosswinds that sent me there. The only difference is I never had brakes or I would have been using them to steer! There's that danger zone on landing a light weight tail dragger which is when your slowing down and you finally get slow enough that the tail quits working for steering yet your still going plenty fast to bend things. It's time like those that I was glad the local airport had foot tall grass to slow me down. Those weak breaks might be perfect for steering until you get the feel for them. Good brakes would probably nose you over in a heartbeat if you applied too much too soon.
Non pilot mug here Jonas .. I'd Split those Ailerons in half and make the inboard sections a flap .. Add decent brakes and learn to fly it like a DC3 ..Tail up early on take off / Wheel landings with the tail up till the last bit of the roll , Feathered by light brakes on landing
I agree, the vertical tail seems to blank out without thrust from the propeller, there may not be an easy fix here. The gear is a disaster, install a al bent gear sized for the weight of the plane that can hold its alignment, use real aircraft wheels and brakes. High drag types don't glide well with the engine out, see what your glide angle is without power. Glad you missed the approach lights, that would have been expensive.
Get a handled radio and hook in a Push To Talk switch rig. That will make up for the crap visibility and further others coming in and out with planes will know where you are. I’ve only flown radioless a time or two and it was unnerving because as we all know , there’s no such thing as a plane with fantastic visibility
So bro, 7000 hours here. A good amount of that in tailwheel. The ailerons yaw you opposite of the way you are pushing them. Stick left (yaw right) Next time if you get to full rudder and she’s wanting to ground loop use the ailerons. Throw them into the turn.
It was 100% the main gear failing that caused the uncontrollable swerve, not a lack of tail authority. Also...add your helmet chin strap to your pre-takeoff checklist!
I have owned and flown 2 Airbikes, fun aircraft IMO but the gear legs do have some limitations. Might try holding the elevator back after landing and “pinning” the tail down. Also EGT’s are the critical thing and “the gauge to watch” on a 2 stroke. MORE propeller pitch (lowering maximum RPM’s) should also lower your EGT temps (2 strokes run cooler with more load on them). Obviously, you gotta balance the engine load and performance but small pitch increases can really help dial down the EGT’s on a 2 stroke.
Hey Jonas if you get me the wing cord, wing span and the distance from 1/4 of the wing cord to 1/4 cord of the vertical tail I can run it through a worksheet I have to see if the rudder is large enough. I can do the same for your horizontal tail as well Having the gear all but collapse is not a good way to end your first flight.
I can tell you from lots of hours "ground testing" a similar aircraft that your full span ailerons will get you in trouble on the ground if you are not aware of one thing, and you've got to prove it to yourself before you will believe me.....when you are on the ground the ailerons will steer the aircraft OPPOSITE, OPPOSITE, OPPOSITE of your input....and then you try to compensate with a tiny rudder and usually just make things worse when you come out of the aileron input and have toooo much rudder input......go out and "taxi test" , hold the stick neutral and get going down the centerline (doesnt have to be too fast), then add aileron either direction and note the results....just remember this....once the wheels are on the ground the ailerons reverse....At least they do on MY aircraft, so make up your own mind....it has to do with the drag of the aileron moving down being more than the one moving up....
One other thing. No tail authority, yeah because your wheel wasn’t on the ground. I had a himax for 300 hours. They land so slow, of course the rudder isn’t going to do much effectiveness if it doesn’t have prop wash or airspeed going at it. keep it on the ground man. Pin that thing down with the stick back. None of that forward backward on the stick. It doesn’t handle like shit. You’ll figure it out. They handle excellent if you keep the tail down and are careful in the transition.
I’ve built an Airbike. There are a few things I see that appear the builder strayed quite a bit off the plans. I’d highly recommend getting a set of plans and checking your engine installation/thrust line, gear, aileron hinges. The Rotax engines are mounted inverted and the thrust line is much lower. Also with that fuel tank location you have practically no weight on the tailwheel. You may find that your CG is to far forward to have any steering authority. I did the wing tank on mine and it was much better.
You had tons of right rudder on both take off and landing which indicates the plane is constantly pulling to the left. It aint no P51, so probably not all down to torque! Is the tail fin straight? Was the gear already slightly bent (and out of line)? It would be sensible to find out what causes that before testing the new gear...
I could be completely wrong here but I've played it back slo-mo many times but would be glad to be wrong. It looks like it's neither a 3-point nor a wheel landing...too fast and the attitude is not correct for a 3-point and the elevator never goes forward to pin the nose if it was an attempt to wheel land it. These little high-drag, low weight planes take a bit of extra work especially if there's any, and I mean any, wind or thermal activity. A few knots will eat your lunch if you're not 100% on top of it. For a wheel landing in these, I get it level to the runway, a touch of throttle (like 50 rpm) and let it barely touch the runway, then forward on the stick. If it bounces, I go around, immediately. Do not attempt to save it. Your touch down looks okay but it seems to drop in from a few inches and the attitude of the wing just springs it back flying. It's going to bounce. Full throttle and get out. Wheel alignment is critical, you need a degree or so of toe-in. Smaller tires may help while you get used to it. You can get some nice, Rockwell hardened spring gear struts from Lockwood Aviation (Sebring, Fl) used on the Drifter and adapt them. They also make the axles. Once you get this dialed in, fly it early or late with little to no wind or bumps, and you won't be able to wipe the grin off your face. Oh, the original Airbike had a cowling and spinner. BTW, get a chute. Great channel, love the content. But please be safe.
Good choice on bringing it back in!!! High EGT is never good to ignore. Better to be on the ground, & open it up, & to explore what caused the EGT to run high, than to have it open up mid flight, as in 💥a cracked block, seized piston........ I couldn’t believe you kept it from ground looping, coming in that wild!!! 😬😬😬 Good save!!! 👍👍
double check your spark plug gap, smaller tire up front would help handling some. but they look too sweet to change. practice! do tail up landings lose speed and see how that works for you. also add a support strap or cable to keep the gear from flexing around. they're designed to be weak to prevent hurting the airframe longerons. dont make them too beefy just add supports i would much rather replace gear over rebuilding the airframe. plus that gear is old and has seen better days im sure
Jonas, just a mention, I had one cylinder running hotter tan the other and my spark plug gap was off, sounds crazy but that simple issue drove me crazy and was the last thing I checked, also it was the cylinder closest to firewall so I thought heat wasn’t escaping as well so it can also be still a little lean and the front cylinder is compensated from running hot because it’s getting more air to cool it considering they are running from same carb and intake, let us know what you figure out. And those sensors are sorta cheap made and can be quirky. Just throwing some ideas around. Be safe, J
interesting! I wouldve never thought that, I'll double check mine. I was looking at the air scope and I think I need to redesign/add to it. the front cylinder was the one getting hot. Possibly all the air is being pushed out the back cylinder fins and not much out the front fins? Thanks for your ideas!
I have only flown RC models, but know how tricky it is to make tail-wheel landing gear "behave" during a landing. ALL my homemade models had this issue = one of the legs flexed more than the other, so the airplane veered to one side. It is nearly impossible to make them 100% balanced. My solution was to build slow airplanes and land as slow as possible, so that it stops almost immediately. Or use a prop-saver and land on the belly without gear. Perhaps a slow speed landing is what you are supposed to do with this airplane, as well. Those gears seem to be for taxiing, but not so much for landing.
Radios are cheap. You said "head on a swivel," then didn't even look before turning. The TAIL wasn't the trouble, it was the gear struts being so flexible your tires were pointing different directions.
So, using the swiss cheese model of accident. Big tires = lots of friction on touchdown, light weight = lack of inertia to keep you heading in the same direction while those wheels get up to speed, low power = low airflow over the rudder and reduced authority, paved runway = even more friction on those big tires... all of that, plus, taildragger an your first flight on type... Use grass or gravel runways until you have experience on the plane... Your friends almost had to peel you off of the PAPI. Glad you are ok, be careful out there.
Jonas I believe you are the test pilot on this one that you didn't initially build either. Who would have thought they didn't use good material for the gear legs! I think there has been quite a few Airbikes built and flying, so the design is proven right?, but but i don't think that one has flown much if ever. Can see how the roll control is touchy with those long ailerons!
Nice Plane Gymkhana! (?) / Ultralight Gymkhana (?) Your gear was already shaking when you were still on the runway. I'd make something with some triangle constructions, I think that would already contribute to ground stability. If your wheels don't flop about like that.. also the rear wheel never touched the ground, it was fully deflected but that doesn't help. Stronger brakes might be a good idea also. Or maybe go for a tripod setup rather then a taildragger (if you're going to rebuild anyway).. they're easier to land too, because flaring is harder when you do need to make contact with the front wheels first. But this wasn't your landing, just the flimsiness of the gear... Looked like your right gear was pushing in from the start pushing you to the left because it couldn't decide on an orientation after landing, it was just sorta flopping about.
Looks like you figured out how to add some camber to those wheels… holy smokes, man! Glad you ok! (If it was me, I woulda had to change diapers that’s for sure lol)
The guy my dad bought his challanger from sold it because of a hard landing. He bent both gear tubes, so we replaced the gear tubes with solid fiberglass rods. Fuselage was fine. We just drilled the fiberglass for the mounting holes, put 2 new hubs and wheels on with new brakes an cable. She was good to go. Are your alerions cable or linkage?
Get rid of the free air cooling..put the tins and the fan back on..If you dont have them..Ebay...or lockwood or CPS..Free air is sketch at best unless you have the corect shrouds..The gear legs..need to be stiffer..pay close attention to toe in and tracking
As a pilot and as an installer/maintenance technician for PAPI equipment, I have to say I’ve never heard of the them being referred to as the light beacons.. I got a good laugh out of your buddy calling them that…. Thank goodness you were ok after that runway excursion.
Jonas, more often than not, you leave me asking the question, "Is he nuts, or does he just have titanium cojones?" Usually, I come to the conclusion = BOTH!
Just stupid no common sense whatsoever. He actually thought that would work. Barely put any pressure and it buckled. Maybe start by trying to build yourself a go cart first
Cub style gear, with two points of attachment on the airframe would be a great starting point. This would also be a great time to improve the brakes a bit. What an opportunity this mishap affords you. You survived, and the air bike managed to tell you what is wrong with it. Cheers from Winnipeg.
I think it's just like saying any landing you walk away from is a good one.... Anytime your plane tells you what's wrong and you don't crash is a good day. It might suck when something breaks but it's a win anyway.
Yes. Thank God you came through that. Agree with several of previous comments-especially on the slight tow-in and higher grade material so can keep weight restriction.
I had another look at your landing and as you touched down it seemed to me that the left wheel twisted outwards from the front. This was what through you off the runway. It as the same as when you have a flat front tyre on a car the car will go in the direction of the dodgy wheel. Just get the gear fixed and you should be ok. Stay safe. Regards, Jim in NI UK
Is there a way to change the controls so they aren't so sensitive ? The landing gear needs triangular support. . I'm not a pilot or know about airplanes, but the tail is either to close to the cockpit or not big enough. Reason I say this is it's not in clean air to steer the plane after you land. With the plane tilted upward your body blocks the air going to the rudder causing lack of steering. Just my opinion .
Due to the design of the aircraft there’s a lot of dirty air coming back towards the tail. At slow speeds the rudder and vertical stabs have little authority without clean air. Other than a bigger tail i dont know what else you could do.
Caster stability was all over the place when you touched down. You could see the tires bouncing front to back. The left tire is likely the one that flexed back more for more positive camber on that one with respect to the right tire causing the veer to the left. Yes, get better stronger gear with A frame design and strut rods so you can do an alignment. Upper and lower A frames would allow for camber adjustment. You probably already know to get the tail up as soon as you start moving and keep it up almost to a stop so it stays in the air stream to maintain rudder authority. Also, is the rudder and horizontal stabilizers big enough to give proper attitude and directional control? Change the aileron to stick ratio to make it less sensitive. [More stick movement cause less aileron movement.]
No radio but plenty of money/time for camera's? I had a friend killed because some numbskull in an ultralight thought it was a good idea to go flying without a radio. The collision happened at 300 feet AGL, killing 3 people.
The main gear was dodgy, as commented by others. A gap seal on the rudder would help. Larger empennage would help even more... given the behaviour of the mains, a three-pointer might work better. Thanks for recording the process so well, thanks for sharing!
I miss the Kitfox days with your lovely Lithuanian fiancee...Sylvia? Those were good times. You were teaching her how to fly and traveling to places together. I get the fascination of making this current plane work. Watching this creates the feeling of worry for you both in my stomach. Be careful friend 🌻🇺🇦🇺🇲🌻
Not an AirBike, or at least it's not built to plans. I see several differences in the construction and I've never seen an AirBike landing gear so flimsy. I've flown mine for years and even had some rough landings without damage, and never a problem with rudder authority.
Grab yourself some Flight Stix, Hydration packs from www.leadingedgesupps.com and use coupon code: JONAS for 15% off your first order. ITS GOOD STUFF!
Jonas, how do I get some information about my company advertising with you?
Jonas, You made me feel way better. I have hell keeping and ultralight straight. Kitfox or 170 and I’m good. Tail wheel ultralight and watch the hell out 🤣
you have the same operation as the DC3 keep the tail up as long as possible.
Been following you for a long minute. Ultimately do what makes you happy, but you’ve started a family and you seem to fly sketchy Aircraft and gambling higher risk. Just observations from the internet!
Ultimately live your best life til the end
Grab yourself a radio.
Ski doo( rotax) snowmobiler here. I have some tips for high Temps. Plug check. Running engine wide open to temp and shut it down. Pull plugs. White is too lean...brown is perfect...black to rich. High temp means lean...DO NOT RUN IT THIS WAY! Surprised you made it back! Good luck.. severe elevation changes and or ambient Temps affect jetting. You will become a master of this. Two stroke warning of impending granadeing......slight tink tink tink. If you hear this sound immediately look for landing spot !
If I was to bet why one cyl was a little lean in this instance I'd say that the carb slide was a little low in that hole. A uni-sync is your friend!
Somebody forgot to adjust their carbs.
"That one cylinders pretty hot"
SWAP THE SENSORS FIRST
ALSO USE A TORQUE WRENCH ON THEM
You are using the cheapest sensors in the world they are not accurate at all, but once you are satisfied they perform their function, indicate hotter cooler than the normal weird readings, they are then useful. They are not scientific quality instruments.
I just watched the 3rd person landing in slow motion, and the gear struts may have been the cause for the control issues directly after landing. While they did completely collapse after going off-strip, they were certainly twisting around as you were slowing down and losing lift after the initial touch-down. Those struts look like they're made by Twizzler, or just an old garden hose repurposed as landing gear...
Yeah they changed alignment on landing for sure. Once one wheel goes toe out it just omits all rudder attempts to keep it straight.
Yup, I agree, pretty sure that left side twisted toe out well before it went off the runway.
Yea, agree, those wheels twisting couldn't be overcome with rudder. Landing gear too flimsy. At that point you were just along for the ride. Did you a hell of a good job staying with it all the way.
The MLG struts are definitely an issue on this plane. The use of a different - stronger metal might be an answer to increase the strength.... One of the best ways to be able to handle the shock loads of landing, is to use struts that are made of 1"o.d. mild steel tubing with a w.t. of 0.062" that form an elongated tri-angle shape that have pivot saddles attached to hard-points on the fuselage while the apex of the tri-angle legs has the axle stub welded to a sturdy plate that is welded to the apex.. The Use of several winds of 1/2" bungee cords attached between the MLG legs and the opposite side of the fuselage, to handle the shock absorbsion when the rubber meets the runway is a relatively cheap & inexpensive way to improve this undercarriage. The engine heat needs to be lowered in that hot cylinder. Better ram-air ducts can help this. Anything above 475 degrees F. And the aluminum castings start to loose their tempering...
The left wheel touched a fraction before the right and twisted backward and out as it did. There were a couple more small bounces, coming down on the left wheel each time, repeating the swivel to the left at each impact. Once both wheels were down, control (almost) came back.
I'm no aviation expert but those landing gear wiggling certainly didn't help with steering. Kind of like "bump steer" in the automotive world.
A retired MiniMax 103 pilot, I enjoyed watching your footage.
New gear is right! A definite weakness. Good luck in future flying adventures. 👍
You know an unstrapped helmet doesn't stay on very well in an accident.
Yeah I know. I forgot 🤦🏻♂️
@@JonasMarcinko 😳
@@JonasMarcinko ALWAYS buckle the strap immediately after squeezing your head into the helmet, ALWASY. Don't unbuckle your helmet without also removing it from your head. Hang glider pilots do at least 2 preflight checks, the glider, and then themselves just prior to launch. Shoe laces tied, legs in leg loops (harness), parachute handle, chin strap buckled, carabiner through main and backup loops and locked.
He was doing his John Wayne!
Actually, the first hit is usually the hardest one so it's not useless. Yes, I watch my helmet bounce down the ski slopes all winter after protecting me from that first hit.
I stopped using a motorcycle helmet, now I use a paragliding helmet for better visibility and they are a bit lighter too
I am so glad that was the kind of landing that you walked away from, didn't hurt yourself and didn't damage any property that wasn't yours!! The gentlemen that was talking to you in about the 9:11 spot in this video has given you some wisdom that I really hope you understand whole heartedly!! Jonas, I love your videos!! When I need a little (LOT) of excitement in my day, I can always watch one of your videos and get my fill for the day sitting in the comfort of my home!! One last thought and that is, try to spread your excitement around a little more and try not to have it all in one spot!!! Fly safe Jonas!!
Do you really believe that a Bronze Age goat herders fairy tale is going to keep him alive?
I replaced my Airbike gear with Rans gear, toe operated Tracy Obrien brakes, Azuza wheels and 6.00x6 aircraft tires. Homemade locking tailwheel based on Bob Barrows design but scaled down. All sturdy with excellent ground handling. Stock gear is crapola.
What’s the point of the helmet if it’s not buckled?
Style 😂
Thanks for the wild ride ,I thought you were putting it on for a while . I was laughing with you . That was so good .
I see several problems with it, the reason you had a hard time controlling it with the rudder, is because it is way to small, and way to low. The way you are sitting with the windscreen, the is deflating the air away from the rudder, making it extremely hard to control in a flare at a low speed. Also looks like you have to much aileron but no flaps. That is causing it to be to responsive on the controls, and with no flaps, causing you to come in pretty fast for a landing. When you are on your down wind like that, gain plenty of altitude so that if you loose your engine, you have plenty of altitude to glide back to the runway. If you stay low like that, and loose your engine, you will loose to much altitude on your base and final turn, then come up short of the runway. You flew a pretty tight dog leg, that didn’t give you much time to stabilize your final approach. Keep kinda high on your down wind, give yourself some space before you start your bace, so that when you come in on final, you have plenty of time to stabilize, then bring it into the runway and just before touching down give yourself a good flare right over the runway, pull the engine back to ideal and just float it down smoothly, then when you taxi, always keep the stick pulled all the way back, to prevent going face down ass up prop strike. Lol
Exccellent analysis, good job!
bunch of nonsense. it's the wet noodle landing gear.
@@scotty657 I guess that’s a good thing, I’ve been CFII since 2009. Lol. If I can help someone by passing my knowledge down, I will, but I also listen to those who passes it onto me as well. I learn something everyday, and teach every time someone will listen.
I'd suspect the rear cylinder will always stay hotter but why quite so high is odd. May be worth adding a bit of sheet metal to go around the cylinders to get more ram air and get more also on rear cylinder.
Richen it up a little. That will help until he figures it out.
If it has two carbs the rear cyl might have an intake leak. Check all the clamps or hoses, whatever for a good seal.
(motorcycle mechanic but an engine is an engine.)
@@timcarter7616 this
What motor is that. Is it open air cooled or schroud directed?
Your propensity to walk the line, with airplanes, is glaring in its needless risk. All for the sense of being alive.
Alive and dead are opposite sides of the same coin, however they are only 1/10 of an inch apart!
You are a good kid...treat your life and your wife with more respect!!
I hope you live long.
Jonas, I’ve watched your adventures for sometime. I assume this was an early test flight. Many details of ground handling can be determined early in the plane and your life prior to leaving the ground by using logical test protocols, see EAA. I will withhold judgment of your actions but add that it is very easy to kill your self in any aircraft. STAY SAFE, STAY SMARTER.
And for gods sake buckle your helmet or don't bother!
Definitely gear. Stiffer gear needed with a few degrees of toe in.
I know nothing, but I noticed that on 30% scale planes a pro RC pilot I was watching always pulls the elevator all the way up soon after landing to leep force down on the rear of the plane. I have no idea if that would help after you hit the ground and I see there was no time to experiment. Also that pro rc pilot has the throw distance to make that elevator go to about 80 degrees so it looks almost like an air break as well.
Well. You now know that it has never flown...... because it sure as hell has never landed before.
Jonas!!!! You are grounded until further notice! My nerves are shot man. Great F1 skills, I must say. Take care Brother.
From what I saw it looked to me like you didn't have the stick pinned back aft the tail was down. Can't tell if it has a steerable or locking tail wheel, but that stick should be all the way back once the tail wheel is on the ground to give you good positive steering. If its a free swivelling TW you might want to consider either of the other options.
Did you watch a different video ?
I had a Sonerai IIL With VW power. CHT got up to 290 and crop duster crew I worked for thought that was real high. Also I think the head was warped a bit.
Landing one must be VERY PRECISE with these tail draggers. It"s like driving a car backwards at 60 mph. Just be precise on your landings and you will be fine.
I have a set of Airbike plans that I might build from someday so I have the Flight Manual; Normal Procedures: Landings: step 5 of 5: "Land with full back stick to maintain directional control". FWIW, that landing gear is not like what's in the plans; the plans show a solid axle. Also the engine mount is completely different. And the elevator hook-up is different. And the engine is fan cooled...and...
Two things-
1. You are so lucky that gear held as long as it did and the perfectly tuned prop did not become a perfectly tuned tiller.
2. I very nearly crapped my office chair watching you veer off the runway into the ground loop that wasn't. Mega wtf moment.
WOW!
I would suggest that you were not fully stalled when you touched down and the gear struts are so flexible, you bounced, the struts splayed and with your right wing fractionally lower, it gave the right side more grip which in turn caused the directional control loss and slew to the left. Firstly, I’d suggest an approach about 5 knots slower and fully stalled on touchdown with stick fully back. Secondly, you need stronger, more rigid undercarriage struts.
My old 1948 cessna 170 tried to do that on numerous times after I bought it. Contacted the 170 club and there answer was wheel alignement, wheel alignment wheel alignment. Thats your problem but with the flimsy legs yours has I dont think it would help....
Jonas, and when you build that new gear, put 3 to 4 degrees of toe in on the main wheels in relation to the centerline of the aircraft. This will aid dramatically in the ground handling on landing in particular. The “Toe In” will cause the aircraft to want to self center and track relatively straight in line with the body of the aircraft. Food for thought and keep having fun and taking us along for the ride. 👍
zero is the only way to set up the toe. no in or out
No! Zero toe is what provides best stability.
On something this small that sounds like a recipe for an oscillation and pitch over on the nose though...
Go with the toe in for sure and remember that this will vary as the tail is up or down. toe in provides a margin of directional stability, several degrees at least!!. some additional keel surface with a covering on the fuselage sides will assist with some positive directional stability as well. . zero toe in is a recipe for disaster, pay no attention to whoever that is, it is totally incorrect.
Toe in, cars are the same.
There is no way I would take that thing off the ground. Don't you value your life. If the landing gear is built like that, what else is suspect? I would say the wheel alighnment caused the issue from one getting bent on touch down.
Describing your near-death off-runway experience as "like Ken Block" carries a different meaning now! Be safe, thanks for upload
😭😭😭😭😭
For those of you who are fans of the Airbike, know that the design in this video is NOT an Airbike. It may be a clone in overall layout but there are too many design changes to allow it to be considered an Airbike. Just like a chicken and a duck share common attributes, a duck is still a duck and a chicken is still a chicken.
I suspect the twisting gear legs steered the craft off the runway, not lack of tail authority.
Very true. I have been meaning to address this in a video and go over the difference’s
old crank seals probably need replaced from sitting too long (the entire case is the intake plenum, leaks = lean, also watch for cold seizures). pull the mag end or gearbox end or both and inspect for oil. probably good to do a light rebuild with all new seals. Inspect the crank, bearings, pistons, and cylinders. when assembling, the crank seals should be clocked appropriately as well just fyi. might consider sending it to a rotax shop. LEAF comes to mind
"head on a swivel"
eyes 110% locked in on the panel during the entire takeoff and climb
Noticed that too.
No radio or ads-b either. Can't wait to have a midair with this guy.
The gear might have been the whole ground handling problem. You could see the tires flopping around in the first video while taxiing.
Dang then that really is just Jesus keeping him down here 👼👼👼👼
No radio to alert other traffic which could cause a collision, brakes will not hold during runup, one cylinder running hot and could easily seize, coming in "a little hot" but land anyway, don't get tailwheel down on landing so can easily weather vane off the runway, gear too flimsy for support, narrowly miss VASI lights when departing runway.... this was a clinic in poor airmanship.
It almost looked like the gear gave out before you went "offroading". The bounce looked like it was caused by the gear giving out, causing the ground loop and not the other way around. Glad you are all right and didn't hit the lights. (airports frown on that😁 ). Also, with the gear folded, the outward cant of of the wheels looks a little bit like a BF-109. lol
Can’t see how that undercarriage is going to last. And the fuel up front 🤦🏼♀️🤦🏼♀️🤦🏼♀️🤦🏼♀️ good job on keeping it out of the fence and not taking out the runway lights 👏👏👌
That was a pretty smooth landing for the gear to give out like that. Lucked out missing the lights and fence, whew!
I think you need to decide if you're going to wheel it on or do a three pointer. That landing looked like a bet both ways, leaving you with the CG behind the main gear and no stability from the tailwheel.
I've spent a lot of time chasing runway lights in ultralights but it was always crosswinds that sent me there. The only difference is I never had brakes or I would have been using them to steer!
There's that danger zone on landing a light weight tail dragger which is when your slowing down and you finally get slow enough that the tail quits working for steering yet your still going plenty fast to bend things.
It's time like those that I was glad the local airport had foot tall grass to slow me down.
Those weak breaks might be perfect for steering until you get the feel for them. Good brakes would probably nose you over in a heartbeat if you applied too much too soon.
Non pilot mug here Jonas .. I'd Split those Ailerons in half and make the inboard sections a flap .. Add decent brakes and learn to fly it like a DC3 ..Tail up early on take off / Wheel landings with the tail up till the last bit of the roll , Feathered by light brakes on landing
Maybe keep the tail up - wheel landings only, like a DC3 which has the same rudder blanketing problem.
I agree, the vertical tail seems to blank out without thrust from the propeller, there may not be an easy fix here. The gear is a disaster, install a al bent gear sized for the weight of the plane that can hold its alignment, use real aircraft wheels and brakes. High drag types don't glide well with the engine out, see what your glide angle is without power. Glad you missed the approach lights, that would have been expensive.
Get a handled radio and hook in a Push To Talk switch rig. That will make up for the crap visibility and further others coming in and out with planes will know where you are. I’ve only flown radioless a time or two and it was unnerving because as we all know , there’s no such thing as a plane with fantastic visibility
You may have to run the back cylinder a little richer than the front. Done on v twin motorcycles often.
What options does he have with a single carb?
no its not, on the relatively few v twin bikes that have multiple carbs, stock at least.
So bro, 7000 hours here. A good amount of that in tailwheel. The ailerons yaw you opposite of the way you are pushing them. Stick left (yaw right)
Next time if you get to full rudder and she’s wanting to ground loop use the ailerons. Throw them into the turn.
It was 100% the main gear failing that caused the uncontrollable swerve, not a lack of tail authority. Also...add your helmet chin strap to your pre-takeoff checklist!
I have owned and flown 2 Airbikes, fun aircraft IMO but the gear legs do have some limitations. Might try holding the elevator back after landing and “pinning” the tail down.
Also EGT’s are the critical thing and “the gauge to watch” on a 2 stroke. MORE propeller pitch (lowering maximum RPM’s) should also lower your EGT temps (2 strokes run cooler with more load on them). Obviously, you gotta balance the engine load and performance but small pitch increases can really help dial down the EGT’s on a 2 stroke.
Hey Jonas if you get me the wing cord, wing span and the distance from 1/4 of the wing cord to 1/4 cord of the vertical tail I can run it through a worksheet I have to see if the rudder is large enough. I can do the same for your horizontal tail as well
Having the gear all but collapse is not a good way to end your first flight.
That would be great!
@@JonasMarcinko get me the info and I'll run it for you.
It's a bummer yt did away with the private messages on the system.
I can tell you from lots of hours "ground testing" a similar aircraft that your full span ailerons will get you in trouble on the ground if you are not aware of one thing, and you've got to prove it to yourself before you will believe me.....when you are on the ground the ailerons will steer the aircraft OPPOSITE, OPPOSITE, OPPOSITE of your input....and then you try to compensate with a tiny rudder and usually just make things worse when you come out of the aileron input and have toooo much rudder input......go out and "taxi test" , hold the stick neutral and get going down the centerline (doesnt have to be too fast), then add aileron either direction and note the results....just remember this....once the wheels are on the ground the ailerons reverse....At least they do on MY aircraft, so make up your own mind....it has to do with the drag of the aileron moving down being more than the one
moving up....
I saw a giant red Wilga do that one time a long time ago....... but it didn't have the same ending. Glad you walked away and had a laugh too.
Yeah but that mishap was on takeoff and during very windy conditions. That might have been caused by too much hubris on behalf of the pilot. 😉
One other thing. No tail authority, yeah because your wheel wasn’t on the ground. I had a himax for 300 hours. They land so slow, of course the rudder isn’t going to do much effectiveness if it doesn’t have prop wash or airspeed going at it. keep it on the ground man. Pin that thing down with the stick back. None of that forward backward on the stick. It doesn’t handle like shit. You’ll figure it out. They handle excellent if you keep the tail down and are careful in the transition.
I’ve built an Airbike. There are a few things I see that appear the builder strayed quite a bit off the plans. I’d highly recommend getting a set of plans and checking your engine installation/thrust line, gear, aileron hinges. The Rotax engines are mounted inverted and the thrust line is much lower. Also with that fuel tank location you have practically no weight on the tailwheel. You may find that your CG is to far forward to have any steering authority. I did the wing tank on mine and it was much better.
Yeah it’s a bit off from the original plans that’s for sure.
Thanks for the input!
You had tons of right rudder on both take off and landing which indicates the plane is constantly pulling to the left. It aint no P51, so probably not all down to torque! Is the tail fin straight? Was the gear already slightly bent (and out of line)? It would be sensible to find out what causes that before testing the new gear...
I noticed that also. I’ll take another look at the tail.
I could be completely wrong here but I've played it back slo-mo many times but would be glad to be wrong. It looks like it's neither a 3-point nor a wheel landing...too fast and the attitude is not correct for a 3-point and the elevator never goes forward to pin the nose if it was an attempt to wheel land it. These little high-drag, low weight planes take a bit of extra work especially if there's any, and I mean any, wind or thermal activity. A few knots will eat your lunch if you're not 100% on top of it. For a wheel landing in these, I get it level to the runway, a touch of throttle (like 50 rpm) and let it barely touch the runway, then forward on the stick. If it bounces, I go around, immediately. Do not attempt to save it. Your touch down looks okay but it seems to drop in from a few inches and the attitude of the wing just springs it back flying. It's going to bounce. Full throttle and get out. Wheel alignment is critical, you need a degree or so of toe-in. Smaller tires may help while you get used to it. You can get some nice, Rockwell hardened spring gear struts from Lockwood Aviation (Sebring, Fl) used on the Drifter and adapt them. They also make the axles. Once you get this dialed in, fly it early or late with little to no wind or bumps, and you won't be able to wipe the grin off your face. Oh, the original Airbike had a cowling and spinner. BTW, get a chute. Great channel, love the content. But please be safe.
Good choice on bringing it back in!!! High EGT is never good to ignore. Better to be on the ground, & open it up, & to explore what caused the EGT to run high, than to have it open up mid flight, as in 💥a cracked block, seized piston........
I couldn’t believe you kept it from ground looping, coming in that wild!!! 😬😬😬 Good save!!! 👍👍
double check your spark plug gap, smaller tire up front would help handling some. but they look too sweet to change. practice! do tail up landings lose speed and see how that works for you. also add a support strap or cable to keep the gear from flexing around. they're designed to be weak to prevent hurting the airframe longerons. dont make them too beefy just add supports i would much rather replace gear over rebuilding the airframe. plus that gear is old and has seen better days im sure
I’m shocked this guys alive lmao
Jonas, just a mention, I had one cylinder running hotter tan the other and my spark plug gap was off, sounds crazy but that simple issue drove me crazy and was the last thing I checked, also it was the cylinder closest to firewall so I thought heat wasn’t escaping as well so it can also be still a little lean and the front cylinder is compensated from running hot because it’s getting more air to cool it considering they are running from same carb and intake, let us know what you figure out. And those sensors are sorta cheap made and can be quirky. Just throwing some ideas around. Be safe, J
interesting! I wouldve never thought that, I'll double check mine. I was looking at the air scope and I think I need to redesign/add to it. the front cylinder was the one getting hot. Possibly all the air is being pushed out the back cylinder fins and not much out the front fins? Thanks for your ideas!
@@JonasMarcinko pull the gearbox and check for oil around the crank seal
Anybody else that was less of a pilot.. would have wrecked.
Awesome Save
I have only flown RC models, but know how tricky it is to make tail-wheel landing gear "behave" during a landing. ALL my homemade models had this issue = one of the legs flexed more than the other, so the airplane veered to one side. It is nearly impossible to make them 100% balanced. My solution was to build slow airplanes and land as slow as possible, so that it stops almost immediately. Or use a prop-saver and land on the belly without gear. Perhaps a slow speed landing is what you are supposed to do with this airplane, as well. Those gears seem to be for taxiing, but not so much for landing.
I agree.
As soon as the tail dropped, you had no directional steering from the rudder. It was behind the windshield and getting no airflow.
Probably the issue seeing that piper cub type aircraft only have a fuselage blocking the tail.
Radios are cheap. You said "head on a swivel," then didn't even look before turning. The TAIL wasn't the trouble, it was the gear struts being so flexible your tires were pointing different directions.
Looks like you are finding out some of the reasons the previous owner abandoned the aircraft.
So, using the swiss cheese model of accident. Big tires = lots of friction on touchdown, light weight = lack of inertia to keep you heading in the same direction while those wheels get up to speed, low power = low airflow over the rudder and reduced authority, paved runway = even more friction on those big tires... all of that, plus, taildragger an your first flight on type... Use grass or gravel runways until you have experience on the plane... Your friends almost had to peel you off of the PAPI. Glad you are ok, be careful out there.
Jonas I believe you are the test pilot on this one that you didn't initially build either. Who would have thought they didn't use good material for the gear legs! I think there has been quite a few Airbikes built and flying, so the design is proven right?, but but i don't think that one has flown much if ever. Can see how the roll control is touchy with those long ailerons!
Nice Plane Gymkhana! (?) / Ultralight Gymkhana (?)
Your gear was already shaking when you were still on the runway. I'd make something with some triangle constructions, I think that would already contribute to ground stability. If your wheels don't flop about like that.. also the rear wheel never touched the ground, it was fully deflected but that doesn't help. Stronger brakes might be a good idea also.
Or maybe go for a tripod setup rather then a taildragger (if you're going to rebuild anyway).. they're easier to land too, because flaring is harder when you do need to make contact with the front wheels first.
But this wasn't your landing, just the flimsiness of the gear... Looked like your right gear was pushing in from the start pushing you to the left because it couldn't decide on an orientation after landing, it was just sorta flopping about.
DC3 syndrome.
Keep the tail up until last minute.
Rudder probably in wind shadow of main wing
Yeah he did a 3 point landing with too much speed.
Like Travis pastrana would say.
WHOO! WHAT A RIDE.
Good job👍
Looks like you figured out how to add some camber to those wheels… holy smokes, man! Glad you ok! (If it was me, I woulda had to change diapers that’s for sure lol)
With the flex in the wheel struts its a wonder you landed in one piece.... And that carb flex...... looks like its gonna break off....
Landing gear needs much stronger strutting AND significant fore and aft AND lateral bracing down at the axle position . .
The guy my dad bought his challanger from sold it because of a hard landing. He bent both gear tubes, so we replaced the gear tubes with solid fiberglass rods. Fuselage was fine. We just drilled the fiberglass for the mounting holes, put 2 new hubs and wheels on with new brakes an cable. She was good to go. Are your alerions cable or linkage?
Get rid of the free air cooling..put the tins and the fan back on..If you dont have them..Ebay...or lockwood or CPS..Free air is sketch at best unless you have the corect shrouds..The gear legs..need to be stiffer..pay close attention to toe in and tracking
I’ll check it out. Good to know.
Thanks!
Glad you made it back in one piece.. Exciting video! DONT fly that pile anymore...:)
Can't wait to see:
1. New gear.
2. If Trent takes the bait and quips back. ; }
*I was told about your expereince from a test pilot "He was to hot and tried to wheel it on never great on a light machine….He was lucky..."*
Jonas....You CRACK ME UP!!! Love it. Jonas get a sky cowboy helmet so you can use your headset, and plug it into a hand held radio.....:)
As a pilot and as an installer/maintenance technician for PAPI equipment, I have to say I’ve never heard of the them being referred to as the light beacons.. I got a good laugh out of your buddy calling them that…. Thank goodness you were ok after that runway excursion.
Did your seat get damaged from that pucker?
Jonas, more often than not, you leave me asking the question, "Is he nuts, or does he just have titanium cojones?" Usually, I come to the conclusion = BOTH!
Just stupid no common sense whatsoever. He actually thought that would work. Barely put any pressure and it buckled. Maybe start by trying to build yourself a go cart first
Your dad was 100 percent right ….you’ve got angels watching over you..nice flight
Cub style gear, with two points of attachment on the airframe would be a great starting point. This would also be a great time to improve the brakes a bit. What an opportunity this mishap affords you. You survived, and the air bike managed to tell you what is wrong with it. Cheers from Winnipeg.
That’s the plan. And I’ll add some toe brakes!
Cheers 🍻
I think it's just like saying any landing you walk away from is a good one....
Anytime your plane tells you what's wrong and you don't crash is a good day. It might suck when something breaks but it's a win anyway.
Yes. Thank God you came through that. Agree with several of previous comments-especially on the slight tow-in and higher grade material so can keep weight restriction.
Great video! You are the guy I always wanted to be. I didn’t think I would ever survive some of the things you do.
I had another look at your landing and as you touched down it seemed to me that the left wheel twisted outwards from the front. This was what through you off the runway. It as the same as when you have a flat front tyre on a car the car will go in the direction of the dodgy wheel. Just get the gear fixed and you should be ok. Stay safe. Regards, Jim in NI UK
So glad you are flying again!
Glad you’re okay Jonas! Obviously the gear is a problem but the one cylinder getting hot also. I know you’ll get her straightened out. 👍🤠👍
What the bet it's the rear cylinder? There's no airflow to keep it cool.
Is there a way to change the controls so they aren't so sensitive ? The landing gear needs triangular support. . I'm not a pilot or know about airplanes, but the tail is either to close to the cockpit or not big enough. Reason I say this is it's not in clean air to steer the plane after you land. With the plane tilted upward your body blocks the air going to the rudder causing lack of steering. Just my opinion .
It's just so hard to comprehend what just happened. How can such a perfectly engineered, sturdy airframe have structural integrity issues.......?🤔
The former president and the current viruses fault.....That's the excuse for everything
Truly an enigma!
Maybe he used the wrong glue!
This guy is going to die in that "airframe". All for some views on youtube.
I'll bet it was because you didn't design it, huh?
5:45 The runaway is mighty short, although, there is plenty of width.......
That Airbike is talking to you Jonas. Please consider listening to it. Take care.
It does seem strange they would install single-use landing gear on an otherwise reuseable aircraft. ;)
Due to the design of the aircraft there’s a lot of dirty air coming back towards the tail. At slow speeds the rudder and vertical stabs have little authority without clean air. Other than a bigger tail i dont know what else you could do.
The "Man" Could,,,, "Wake Up",,,, and Get On The Rudders and Throttle...
Ask some DC3 pilots about rudder authority after touchdown on roll out
You should have made a high speed taxi tests before maiden flight. It is a must!
This was the most entertaining thing I’ve ever watched. I’m so glad you’re ok!!
Caster stability was all over the place when you touched down. You could see the tires bouncing front to back. The left tire is likely the one that flexed back more for more positive camber on that one with respect to the right tire causing the veer to the left. Yes, get better stronger gear with A frame design and strut rods so you can do an alignment. Upper and lower A frames would allow for camber adjustment.
You probably already know to get the tail up as soon as you start moving and keep it up almost to a stop so it stays in the air stream to maintain rudder authority.
Also, is the rudder and horizontal stabilizers big enough to give proper attitude and directional control?
Change the aileron to stick ratio to make it less sensitive. [More stick movement cause less aileron movement.]
Or the tires are to big. Build it like the plans.
No radio but plenty of money/time for camera's? I had a friend killed because some numbskull in an ultralight thought it was a good idea to go flying without a radio. The collision happened at 300 feet AGL, killing 3 people.
The main gear was dodgy, as commented by others. A gap seal on the rudder would help. Larger empennage would help even more... given the behaviour of the mains, a three-pointer might work better. Thanks for recording the process so well, thanks for sharing!
Please remind me never ever step in a plane with this guy. Life is too short.
Ditto
Having flown with Jonas, I can say that his pilot skills are not lacking. I enjoyed every minute and did not feel that I was taking an undue risk.
he did a great job saving that one, no pilot error.
@@Jbmc65 all pilot error, he came in way too fast and he was distracted by that hot cylinder
I'm all in 🙈
I miss the Kitfox days with your lovely Lithuanian fiancee...Sylvia? Those were good times. You were teaching her how to fly and traveling to places together.
I get the fascination of making this current plane work. Watching this creates the feeling of worry for you both in my stomach. Be careful friend 🌻🇺🇦🇺🇲🌻
I'm betting he wished he had kept that Kitfox.
@@nederlander9321 Yeah, it was a fantastic airplane. So sad that he sold it.
Wow, this is entertaining but dude you got balls of steel. What if the rest of the plane is made to the same standard as the gear?
Not an AirBike, or at least it's not built to plans. I see several differences in the construction and I've never seen an AirBike landing gear so flimsy. I've flown mine for years and even had some rough landings without damage, and never a problem with rudder authority.
You just can’t catch a break………. Glad you came out of it ok.