Hello Greg:
I had completed my annual in May which included a retraction test.......HOWEVER I did not remove the nose gear gas strut
to actually measure the pressure. in the strut My bad. After the incident, I found it measured 55 PSI Enough to lower the
nose gear but but not enough to lock it overcenter. Actually there is no way to make sure the strut is fully pressurized
without removing it. I recommend replacing the strut at each annual.
As far as the strakes go, I found them to be the best mod for the IV especially for the price. The plane was pretty squirley on takeoff
especially if using 65 kts to rotate. I now start a slow rotation at 70 kts using a couple clicks of nose up and right rudder trim. The plane
seems much happier. I have attached a photo showing how easy there were to attach. .
Did you build your plane? First flight yet? Any other questions?
Happy Building....Regards, Bill Hogarty