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Cessna 180 crosswind wheels

floatpilot

Registered User
Anyone have any experience with the old Cessna crosswind wheels [that I think pivot to keep the plane straight??] Seeing they are not around anymore I assume they were not that great.
THANKS
 
I remember seeing a set in action on a Helio. When the airplane turned to go around a corner, the wheels kicked out so that the plane kept going in the original direction.
 
My friend used to have a 170A with the crosswind gear. The only time I saw it kick out was when we twisted it around to shove it in the hangar.
 
The 180 handles crosswinds just fine without them. I have never flown anything with them, and probably would ask for a checkout. Doubt that anybody is qualified any more - a lousy idea by most accounts.
 
You don't need a checkout, Bob. You just fly it like they aren't there. If they kick all you notice is that you're dog tracking while taxing. As they got old they would get weak and like mentioned above sometimes they would kick out just ground handling the plane. If they were any good or needed they would still be around. I used to fly a 170A that had them.
 
I've heard of crosswind gear on 170As, and 190/195s. I've never seen reference to it on 170Bs or 180/185s. I've heard about it on Helio Couriers as well. I've never seen or recognized it on any airplane including several Helios I've been around.

To the original question, the rudder on the Skywagon is very effective. There have been days where I didn't feel like pushing my own crosswind capability on narrow LZs but on typical runways the airplane is solid in crosswinds. My personal highest measured Xwind component has heen 17kts at 90* and 23kts at 70* off runway heading. I enjoy Cessna crosswind discussions. Many guys talk about increasing speeds and reducing flaps. I use normal speeds and full flaps for manageable wind speeds. I've watched some really excellent pilots attempt to land in high winds and after a couple of tries head off toward a more friendly runway alignment elsewhere. Nobody's immune to balked landings.
 
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I was pleasantly surprised with my first x-wind landings in the 180. Plus I even picked up a few tricks from the guy I was flying with. Guess it wasn't his first time. Ha
 
Crosswinds are a psychological problem for a lot of pilots. Remain calm, and use the inputs that the airplane is asking for to keep it straight. Tom, you exemplify that kind of flying and that is why you had no problems in Rutland, VT with those healthy x-winds. Having said that, while the 180 has enough rudder for a 15 - 20mph x-wind, it is not OVER ruddered like the cub is. When you get to 20 and above you have to be ready for some fancy footwork and possible brake tapping as things slow down.

The high profile Sprinter van I was in on the way to the Denver airport this morning was having quite a time in the gusty crosswind. It definitely needed a bigger rudder!

sj
 
There's a "puck" in there that wears and allows it to kick sideways easier as it ages. If they're serviced properly, they behave pretty well. A friend of mine loved his (although they were on a 195) as he could kick it sideways and see better to taxi. Somewhere I think I still have a set of them and a bag of pucks....
John
 
Crosswinds are a psychological problem for a lot of pilots. Remain calm, and use the inputs that the airplane is asking for to keep it straight. Tom, you exemplify that kind of flying and that is why you had no problems in Rutland, VT with those healthy x-winds. Having said that, while the 180 has enough rudder for a 15 - 20mph x-wind, it is not OVER ruddered like the cub is. When you get to 20 and above you have to be ready for some fancy footwork and possible brake tapping as things slow down.

The high profile Sprinter van I was in on the way to the Denver airport this morning was having quite a time in the gusty crosswind. It definitely needed a bigger rudder!

sj
I've seen that footwork when it was well over 20 :crazyeyes::crazyeyes::crazyeyes:
 
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The crosswind gear went away and the next evolution for Cessna tail draggers was the optional tail wheel lock. My plane has one and it's been disabled since before I bought it. Other guys employ them for the majority of their ops. To lock or not to lock? Do your own Sigmund Freud over that one.

Operating in crosswinds on floats and skis will teach you much about your airplane.
 
I know this is an old thread, but I'm new to this forum and thought I could help if folks were still curious. I have a 1953 C180 that has the Goodyear Crosswind Gear installed as a factory option, so they have been on there for awhile. A little odd to get used to (not kicking out of a crab on very short final, or crabbing while you taxi in a crosswind) but have probably saved my butt a couple of times. I have flown 180s with and without the crosswind gear and, just like anything, learn the differences and embrace them. If you try to operate an aircraft equipped with crosswind gear like one without, it will scare you at minimum - same applies in the other direction. One positive is the look on peoples' faces when you make a tight turn on the ramp and don't pull forward to re-straighten the gear right away. :)
 
I bought a couple of L-19 Bird Dogs that had them, and they were the first thing I removed. One would kick out, and not the other. Like doing a split with tight pants on. Ouch. good thing those gears had a lot of give.
 
The Army had an axle/gear on O-1s in the late 60s - 70s that only castered outward. This was intended as a ground-loop-preventer. I don't know how many ground loops it prevented, but in normal taxiing, was invisible.

I flew jumpers in a 180 in Sparta, IL in the 60s. I only took out one taxiway light trying to get out of the packing area with the wheels pointed the wrong way one time, and not enough brain power to get it onto the pavement and not blast jumpers trying to pack. Only a little scratch on the rear fuselage....... It was a handful to push backwards with ruts in the ground - lots of pushing forward to straighten wheels, then back - not so much of a problem where it was smooth.
 
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