Microlighters

I would like to find out from you guys that have Challengers and may have had nose wheel failures. What did you do with repair? If you have pictures please post them. I was taxing back to the hangar after doing a few circuts and landings and the shaft snapped. The crack shows that its an old failure. I am so greatful that it happened taxing and not on landing. I must be honest the constuction that I have looks shabby. It may not be original... but it sucks! I am a toolmaker and I have my own ideas. But one needs to be very careful not to beef it up too much as when you have a hard landing you could create a new problem and damage something else. Been on the internet and here's not too much available information, but there are reports of failure and mine is exactly as they mention.
Any idea's? Share them ..Thanks

Hey Skid.

There is a mod available. It's a spring suspension assembly and I have seen pics on the NET. Even better, lets design something similar and i can cut it on the machine. I'll pop in for coffee later and we can discuss it.

Been there, done that, AUK had 3 front wheel shaft failures, one with me on the runway at Morning Star, one just before I bought her and one before that while landing on a beach.

The problem is the shaft and bearing assembly comes from a bicycle? The bearing setup is fine, no problems at all, the shaft wall thickness is just too thin, usualy 1 to 1.5 mm. Mine snapped off on the thread, where the wall was only .5mm thick

The last time I took it off and had an engineering company cut and thread me a shaft with a 4mm wall thickness and made out of stainless. The fork attached to it by sliding over the bottom of the shaft and held in place by a single bolt and nut. The bearing assembly remains the same.

Since then perfect.

BTW do NOT overengineer the front fork assembly. If you hit a rock or something it is supposed to fail as opposed to bending the longerons, which will be a lot more expensive to fix as they have a compound curve in them

You wanted a drawing, you got one

The large nuts, bearings, bearing cups etc are all available from any bike shop. They come in a box, as a front fork set. Price about R50

I used a much thicker shaft, 4mm stainless and had it tapped. The drilled the bottom 4mm hole for the bolt and a hole at the top for a split pin to ensure it does not come loose.

Got it sorted.Will do a good repair then put it up forsale.

So how many times you gonna sell this plane now?

Under the circumstances I think I did a spiffing job. I hope that what I had was not the original from the factory. If it was the boys must go back to varsity. It was a shocker and I'm happy to have broken this only taxing...it could have been bad! If it was a repair locally then your repair was KAK! A hack job! I will post pictures and will take constructive criticism... One last thing.. most of us learn as we go on... this was scarey as I could have wiped out somewhere alone with my thumb up my .....!!! But I'm still here and we can learn from this. Challengers...PLEASE check your nose wheel properly. It really is vulnerable. I would give my plane a shake and a kick on the nose wheel thinking all was cool on a preflight....makes you think!!

Mmmmm. I sincerely hope the guys at Challenger has since come up with something better, front wheel setup-wise. I have always given this patent the frown, and the slow smile......... front wheel assembly clamped on with HOSE CLAMPS!! Hu uh. Not on.










But then, they have been around for a LOOOOOONG time??

There was a website that I looked at some time back, I cannot for the life of me find it now, But it had specific mods for the nose wheel assembly and looked quite nice... If memory serves they had incorporated a shock absorber type assembly and wasnt that expensive either. Morph, do you remember seeing anything like that>?? Search google, see what comes up, I remember it looking hellava nice though... good luck..

Dish i've also seen the setup you are refering to and agree that it looked very nice. Also tried to search for the site again but came up with nothing.

Flyday afternoon, A bit slow at the office, going to trawl through somke internet pages and see if i can come up with anything, will post when and if I find anything...

http://www.challengers101.com/

http://www.turbulence.ca/

http://challenger.inebraska.com/

Skidmark, would like to see what you did.

Soon as that damn authority to fly come s through I will pop over to Wintervogel and show you. Waiting to see what is happening on the 300 hour stuff...... stuff that next good weather day we just do the illegal stuff!!

By the sound of things it seems that there must be several Challenger nosewheels flying solo throughout the world.