Skyray nosewheel, steerable?

show the nosewheel centered. TIA Bonehammer>

Naval aircraft with tricycle gear would have to have nosewheel steering for maneuvering on the flightdeck, mainly to line up with the catapult. The sheer weight of a jet prevents using the rudder for steering; you'd need to moving way too fast to generate enough airflow across the rudder to have an effect, and that would present some serious safety issues. It's dangerous enough on the flightdeck without doing things like that, trust me. You also have some basic physics issues to contend with, given the Cg (center of gravity) of a jet on tricycle gear v. a much lighter taildragger. Also, if you turn the nosewheel, don't forget to move the rudder in the appropriate direction as well.

When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there you will always long to return. --Leonardo Da Vinci EAA # 729686 delete .mil.nav to email

nosewheel, don't forget to move the rudder in the appropriate direction as well.

Not necessarily true. The A-4 Skyhawk, a well-known carrier-based aircraft, did not have nose wheel steering (at least on the earlier models). It used a free-castering nose wheel and steering was done through differential (i.e. left or right) braking.

Martin

It doesn't have to be steerable, as in direct linkage. It can be steerable using differential braking. I can't imagine any a/c not having a steerable (by some manner) nosewheel.

I see... I think my original question was ill-phrased. I just wondered wether the nosewheel could swivel. I don't think there is a steering unit, the noseleg seems quite 'bare'. Anyway, I've learned a new word: castoring!

TX, Bonehammer

Ah, if you're talking about nosewheels, that's spelled: castering.

Castor: One of the twins Castor and Pollux of Greek mythology, also a synonym for St. Elmo's Fire.

Castor oil was used as lubricant in WWI aero engines. hth

The Keeper (of too much crap!)

steering (at least on the earlier models). It used a free-castering nose wheel and steering was done through differential (i.e. left or right) braking.>>

My bad, I never even considered that. I'm used to that on light GA aircraft, but never considered it for heavier jets. The A-4's were pretty much gone when I joined the Navy (other than TopGun's adversaries and the Blue Angels), and I was in F-14 squadrons, so.... Which, as an aside, are no more as soon as VF-31 comes off this current cruise. The end of an era (sigh).

When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there you will always long to return. --Leonardo Da Vinci EAA # 729686 delete .mil.nav to email

Are you sure? This page

Frank Kranick

also as a lube in foul mouthed children...

point to another two year's worth of squadron service for the F-14. Let's hope...>>

Yes, unforunate, but true. Here is the Stars and Stripes article

When once you have tasted flight, you will forever walk the earth with your eyes turned skyward, for there you have been, and there you will always long to return. --Leonardo Da Vinci EAA # 729686 delete .mil.nav to email

Don't hope too hard...you're only going to be disapointed...

IIRC, it's been used as a personal internal lubricant also. I seem to have missed that era. Phew!

Bill Banaszak, MFE

And the pilots of those WW1 aircraft also had a side effect that was not often discussed........

One report I read was that large quantities of brandy were found to have a holding effect on the problem.......

Hope this helps, Peter