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Final Approach
I drove out to the airport today to do a bit of flying, first time since last Saturday, knowing the engine needed some exercise. I also needed some 15W50 for my upcoming oil change, so the plan was to hop on over to PAC @ KPTK and pick up a case. As soon as I began to taxi I had a feeling something wasn't right with the steering, as it required more force than I thought it should to move the rudder pedals. But then again I just bought a car, a subcompact with a manual trans, so I thought maybe my sense of what pedals should feel like was messed up by my brain's relearning how to drive with a stick and a clutch. Once situated for the runup the pedals didn't seem all that stiff. So I did a runup, announced my departure to the NW, taxied onto the runway and firewalled the throttle. A little vibration, nosewheel shimmy perhaps, that disappeared as soon as the weight came off the nosewheel. I'd noticed that before. Steering now felt normal. I lifted off, raised the gear and flaps, and prepared to depart the area.
First I tried the rudder pedals again just to be sure, and that's when I knew that something was very wrong. They were very stiff, especially the left pedal. I still had rudder control but the pedals didn't feel free. So I announced cancelling departure and turning crosswind for a landing. Except for the stiff rudder pedal feedback, everything was normal. After touching down, some more "normal" nosewheel shimmy and the pedals were still very stiff. I needed some brake to turn off the runway.
Back in front of the hangar I shut down the engine. When I got out I noticed that my floormat was folded under itself and guessed that maybe the mat had been in the way. So I straightened it and tried working the pedals again. No difference. I checked the nosewheel tire and it seemed to have normal pressure. Steering the plane into the hangar with the winch there was no question that there was an abnormal amount of resistance to turning the nosewheel.
I got hold of my mechanic by phone and squawked the problem to him. He speculated that either there is a problem with the steering bungee or a rudder cable is fraying and getting caught on a pulley. I'm guessing the latter, since the problem happens in the air as well as on the ground.
What is the old quip in answer to the question, how much money does it take to own an airplane? All of it? In my case that is beginning to look very accurate. This is an especially bad time for me to have another major airplane expense since I just junked my old Saturn and bought a new car.
First I tried the rudder pedals again just to be sure, and that's when I knew that something was very wrong. They were very stiff, especially the left pedal. I still had rudder control but the pedals didn't feel free. So I announced cancelling departure and turning crosswind for a landing. Except for the stiff rudder pedal feedback, everything was normal. After touching down, some more "normal" nosewheel shimmy and the pedals were still very stiff. I needed some brake to turn off the runway.
Back in front of the hangar I shut down the engine. When I got out I noticed that my floormat was folded under itself and guessed that maybe the mat had been in the way. So I straightened it and tried working the pedals again. No difference. I checked the nosewheel tire and it seemed to have normal pressure. Steering the plane into the hangar with the winch there was no question that there was an abnormal amount of resistance to turning the nosewheel.
I got hold of my mechanic by phone and squawked the problem to him. He speculated that either there is a problem with the steering bungee or a rudder cable is fraying and getting caught on a pulley. I'm guessing the latter, since the problem happens in the air as well as on the ground.
What is the old quip in answer to the question, how much money does it take to own an airplane? All of it? In my case that is beginning to look very accurate. This is an especially bad time for me to have another major airplane expense since I just junked my old Saturn and bought a new car.
