Brief Description: Drilled Hole in Concrete; Lower Tail with Tie Down
Van's came out with a mandatory service bulletin - (Service Bulletin 07-11-09) requiring the modification of the nose gear leg and the replacement of the nose wheel fork. There have been a number of "A" models that have flipped over when their nose fork mounting nuts have dug in and pole vaulted the planes over onto their backs, destroying the planes. The modification provides at least another inch of clearance between the nut and the ground thus reducing the likelyhood of flip overs.
I decided now would be a good time to start the process. I lent my engine hoist out to a buddy from work so I came up with another way to lift the nose. I installed a 3/8" bolt into the concrete just below the tail, screwed one end of a turnbuckle to the bolt, and then used a ratcheting tie-down strap around a small 2x4 set on the deck for the horizontal stabilizer to pull the tail down. Worked like a charm!
Now I have to remove the nose gear and either send it back to Van's so they can match-drill the hole on the engine mount end onto a new leg,,,or send it to a machine shop so they can cut an inch off the lower end and then cut another 1" of threads. I also have to scrap the old fork and replace it with a new fork,,,all at my expense of course. Yikes! This will be about a $500 modification before it is all said and done.
Concrete bolt installed and tail pulled down with tie-down strap
