WindOnHisNose
BENEFACTOR
Lino Lakes MN (MY18)
This note is not about super cubs, but it is related. I had my first experience with a main gear tire going flat shortly after landing, and thought I would share this with you.
Julie and I were landing in the CT210N yesterday, on our way to our granddaughter's 1st Birthday party in Fargo. It was a short flight from Park Rapids, with temps around 75 degrees...perfect. I was cleared to land on 27, made an uneventful approach and made a nice landing and was rolling to the next right turnoff. Suddenly the left wing dipped and there was an immediate and pull to the left. I looked down and the left tire was flat. Of course the tower told me to make the first taxiway, and I replied that I had a flat tire, needed time to evaluate.
I was right at the first turnoff to the right, but found it required a lot of power to get the plane to turn to the right, but managed to do so and clear the threshold and told the tower that I was clear of the runway but would need assistance to move further. They told me they would call Fargo Jet Center, which was right adjacent to 27, for assistance. I informed them I would shut down the engine.
While we sat there waiting for the ground crew to respond I mentioned to Julie that Mike Wiskus, one of our MN Pilots Assn board members and fbo operator at KCFE, had invented an apparatus that he named the "Plane Skate", which as really useful for disabled aircraft like ours. He came up with the design after an experience like ours had happened at his airport (one asphalt runway) and the aircraft effectively closed the airport until the aircraft could be moved...and it took awhile. I told Julie that this device would make this an easy operation, but that I doubted Fargo would have a Plane Skate.
I was wrong. Two of the linemen approached with a tug bearing one authentic Plane Skate and within 3 minutes from arriving they had the Plane Skate with the left main gear resting nicely and safely on it and the aircraft was sitting at the maintenance shop just a few minutes later. Fortunately, I had only taxied a short distance with the flat tire, minimizing damage to the wheel. We had to call out a mechanic, but within a few hours we had a new tube and tire installed and we were back in the air.
You can see from the photograph that the Skate is positioned in front of the gear and the hand-cranked winch strap is wrapped around the axle. The winch is tightened, pulling the gear up onto the rear ramp of the Skate. Very simple concept, very effective.
https://www.theplaneskate.com/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WrDDFvmPkSM
I had been planning to replace that tire at annual in November, as it had been useful for about 300 hours but was showing signs of wear.
Here is a photo of our aircraft being towed with the Plane Skate in place. Mike is marketing this as an indispensible and easy way for airports and fbo's to manage flat tires, and I wanted to share this with you. I called Mike and told him what had happened, and thanked him for making what could have been a really lousy day better!
Randy
Julie and I were landing in the CT210N yesterday, on our way to our granddaughter's 1st Birthday party in Fargo. It was a short flight from Park Rapids, with temps around 75 degrees...perfect. I was cleared to land on 27, made an uneventful approach and made a nice landing and was rolling to the next right turnoff. Suddenly the left wing dipped and there was an immediate and pull to the left. I looked down and the left tire was flat. Of course the tower told me to make the first taxiway, and I replied that I had a flat tire, needed time to evaluate.
I was right at the first turnoff to the right, but found it required a lot of power to get the plane to turn to the right, but managed to do so and clear the threshold and told the tower that I was clear of the runway but would need assistance to move further. They told me they would call Fargo Jet Center, which was right adjacent to 27, for assistance. I informed them I would shut down the engine.
While we sat there waiting for the ground crew to respond I mentioned to Julie that Mike Wiskus, one of our MN Pilots Assn board members and fbo operator at KCFE, had invented an apparatus that he named the "Plane Skate", which as really useful for disabled aircraft like ours. He came up with the design after an experience like ours had happened at his airport (one asphalt runway) and the aircraft effectively closed the airport until the aircraft could be moved...and it took awhile. I told Julie that this device would make this an easy operation, but that I doubted Fargo would have a Plane Skate.
I was wrong. Two of the linemen approached with a tug bearing one authentic Plane Skate and within 3 minutes from arriving they had the Plane Skate with the left main gear resting nicely and safely on it and the aircraft was sitting at the maintenance shop just a few minutes later. Fortunately, I had only taxied a short distance with the flat tire, minimizing damage to the wheel. We had to call out a mechanic, but within a few hours we had a new tube and tire installed and we were back in the air.
You can see from the photograph that the Skate is positioned in front of the gear and the hand-cranked winch strap is wrapped around the axle. The winch is tightened, pulling the gear up onto the rear ramp of the Skate. Very simple concept, very effective.
https://www.theplaneskate.com/
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WrDDFvmPkSM
I had been planning to replace that tire at annual in November, as it had been useful for about 300 hours but was showing signs of wear.
Here is a photo of our aircraft being towed with the Plane Skate in place. Mike is marketing this as an indispensible and easy way for airports and fbo's to manage flat tires, and I wanted to share this with you. I called Mike and told him what had happened, and thanked him for making what could have been a really lousy day better!
Randy
