Sender: <marv@lancaironline.net> (Marvin Kaye)
To: lml
Date: Wed, 23 Oct 2002 15:27:55 -0400
Message-ID: <redirect-1843423@logan.com>
From: "Metcalfe, Lee, AIR" <Lee.Metcalfe@jocoks.com>
Subject: Re: [LML] I need a prop for an L320!
MIME-Version: 1.0
Content-Type: text/plain;
	charset="iso-8859-1"
Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable

=20
Yes, the engine has been torn down.  Also the airframe, gear and engine
mount are being inspected for damage.

I was hoping to avoid the embarrassment of having to tell what =
happened, but
I guess I owe it to my fellow LNC2 fliers.

This is especially embarrassing because I am a 3600 hr. pilot with not =
a
single incident on my record.  I went through Navy flight school in =
1971 and
flew Phantoms off of carriers.  I got out in 1977.  I have been an =
active
pilot ever since and have a commercial ticket with instruments in ASMEL =
and
helos.  I have owned several high-performance airplanes over the years, =
the
one just before the Lancair being a Cessna 340.  I bought my 320 from =
the
builder, Woody Haynes, in April of this year.  Woody is a friend of =
mine and
I watched him build the plane.  He lost his medical and put the plane =
up for
sale.

I have about 50 hours in my 320.  I learned to fly it from the guy who =
did
all of the initial test flying in it and who flew it regularly on =
business
(not Woody).  I love my little airplane and feel like I fly it well, =
except
I have yet to make a landing that I was satisfied with, let alone proud =
of!
The plane has the original donuts and there is virtually no "give" in =
the
suspension.  I have bounced every landing I've ever made in it, some =
pretty
badly.  I have porpoised several times, and once landed on the nose =
gear so
hard I blew the seals in the strut.  I had it rebuilt by Lancair and =
had
them add the self-centering feature.  They also added a reinforcing =
flange
to mount to the fork.  I didn't know about Tim Ong's oleos until just
recently (I posted an inquiry about them on this list a few weeks ago).

So, a couple of weeks ago I was doing touch and gos trying to perfect =
my
landing "technique."  I guess I just pushed the envelope a little too =
far
(or I wasn't paying enough attention!) and I got too slow too high.  My
plane stalls very crisply... no buffet, no nothing.  It just stops =
flying
and the nose drops (forward CG with just me [180#] and a full header).  =
So
there I was, about five or six feet off the runway, =BE flaps, bleeding =
off
airspeed and starting my flare when the nose fell through and I landed =
nose
down and hard on the nose gear.  I heard a grinding noise that stopped =
as
the nose bounced back up.  After a couple of bounces on the mains I got =
it
under control and then started wondering what caused the grinding noise =
(the
engine was still running fine, with no unusual vibrations or anything). =
 I
assumed I had damaged the nose gear somehow.  I taxied cautiously off =
the
runway and shut her down.  As the prop stopped I realized what I had =
done!
Q-tips!

Needless to say, I ordered the new shocks and they will be going on =
while
I'm waiting for a prop.  All the engine parts have been inspected and =
no
problems.

Lee Metcalfe
N320WH #449