Undercarriage Bumper Rubbers

[RobertP]

Hi all,

Doe's anyone know where I can source a pair of the above as mine are split and the washers on them are shredding the shock cords on my F22A (no it is not the safety wires causing the problem and I have read the threads) At present I am managing about 30 hours before the shock cords need renewing! I have tried Univair & the Factory site with no luck. I am told that the same rubbers fit the Auster but again no luck there either at the moment. Any suggestions from UK would be especially helpful as I am laid up with no flying! Rob or anyone at Leicester UK can you help?

[Chet Peek]

Re: Undercarriage Bumper Rubbers

Yes, Rob, I think I can help. Go to your local hardware store, (or whatever you call them over there) and buy two "axe handle savers." They are a heavy rubber block with a hole for the ax handle. They are designed to slip over the axe handle and saves the handle from being broken by an inexpert blow.
You have to shape them but I used them on my last restoration and they fit and looked perfect. If you cant find any, I'll get a pair locally and bring them in my luggage next month.
Chet Peek

[Dick Smith]

Re: Undercarriage Bumper Rubbers

Here's a link that shows what Chet is referring to:

http://www.awesometools.com/handlesaver.asp

The HS-2 item might work well, with a little modification. Dick

[Mark Julicher]

Re: Undercarriage Bumper Rubbers

Another alternative:

Cut a 3 by 6 inch piece out of the centre of an old aircraft tyre. Bend said piece around the metal where the bumper normally goes. Fasten the rubber to the metal with four each PK screws.

This works quite well and most of us can scrounge an old tyre.

[pete]

Re: Undercarriage Bumper Rubbers

I used a couple of the axe handle savers. With a little bit of cutting and
shaping they fit nicely. Just make sure to round of all edges of the
rubber where the bungees might make contact. I think I used the HS-3.
Glad I took a look up in there before too long.
Pete

[RobertP]

Re: Undercarriage Bumper Rubbers

Hi Guys,

Thanks for the suggestions. The problem is that my aircraft is on CAA licensing which means all parts have to be certified and repairs signed off by a licensed engineer! My engineer (who isn't licensed - yes it is a strange system in the UK! ) and myself had created what we considered to be a perfectly sevicable and far better mount than the original fitting using rubber sheet from a local specialist factory identical to Mark's tyre suggestion. However when my engineer called in a licensed engineer from another establishment to inspect our work although he agreed it was an excellent job he said he could not "sign it off" because it was a modification which would need approval by the CAA! This would take months and months even if I ever managed to achieve it.

So I am now grounded until I can obtain the original bumper rubbers or the nearest thing to them and he suggested the Auster Rubbers which he said were the same fit and he would be happy with!

At the moment I am stuck "in catch 22" as if I go with our fitting which is perfectly servicable IMHO and then the suspension were to collapse with damage caused then the insurance would not pay out because of this modification which was not CAA approved! So I am still Looking?

The CAA have said they will not allow my aircraft to be transferred to a Permit (which would allow far greater leeway with repairs ) because there is still a holder of the Type Certificates in the USA, so until either the certificates are handed back to the FAA or someone makes some use of them and produces licensed spares I am "stuffed" every time something like this happens and I struggle from one problem to another at the moment! I just start to feel happy flying the aircraft and then there is "down time" again whilst I struggle to obtain spare parts and it is like starting all over again each time! Which is more dangerous unlicensed properly made up modified replacement spares or lack of flying time? I certainly know the answer!

Chet thanks for your offer - did you receive my email concerning my aircraft N22UK and any details as to who flew her and her sister at Leicester over from the the States as detailed in your book?

[Robert Lees]

Re: Undercarriage Bumper Rubbers

Robert:

In the recent past (probably before your ownership) your aircraft was serviced at least once at Aerotech, Coventry. Have a look in the logs (or receipts) from the previous owners.

I now work there, in an aviation capacity. I'm sure we can get you sorted,

Let me have a look at the specs for the bumpers...

Would you be willing to bring the aircraft to Cov?

Rob

[Forrest Barber]

Re: Undercarriage Bumper Rubbers

Robert to the rescue!!! thank u, off to Sun-N-Fun tomorrow , Cheers.

[RobertP]

Re: Undercarriage Bumper Rubbers

Rob,

Thanks for your offer but I managed to source some Auster Rubbers which apparently have done the trick - unfortunately five weeks ago I suffered a stroke at work whilst on the telephone and finished up hospitalized! I am out now and physically I am fine but my speech is a problem but improving all be it I speak slowly at the moment ( I could not speak at all when I was taken to hospital ) I am determined to continue to flying in some capacity ( probably a NPPL medical or a safety Pilot if needs be ) Being the holder of a PPL A do you know how you convert to the NPPL? I have not told the CAA yet but obviously I shall be unable to fly for some little time yet. I am receiving Speech Therapy and we are concentrating on all the Radio terminology to give me the best chance of getting up there flying my Plane again.
I think I am due some good luck soon but things could have been far worse! Interestingly when I had the stroke I imeadiately knew what it was and if I had been flying I am quite confident that I could have landed the plane and would have set the Transponder to Radio Failure but it would have been very frightening non the less!

If you or anyone else has any knowlege of the CAA or FAA system of getting flying again after a medical trauma it would be helpful but perhaps it should run under a different thread?

[Robert Lees]

Re: Undercarriage Bumper Rubbers

I'm very sorry to hear of your stroke, Robert...all the best for a full recovery. Positive attitude, that's what we like to see!

You are obliged to notify the CAA in due course, have a word with your AME about that process.

As for the NPPL, the UK-based Flyer Forum might be better suited for a general discussion on that matter; I have little knowledge.

Keep us posted how you get on.

Rob

[RobertP]

Re: Undercarriage Bumper Rubbers

Rob,

Thanks for your response. I will give it a try, It was a big shock for me as I had been feeling so well! but now I know why they call it the silent Killer! I guess the moral of the story is keep on top of your blood pressure and cholesterol yourself. Yes you are right my aircraft did have some work done at Coventry ( new bungee's) and it is good to know you are up there if I get stuck again.

I will certainly fly again and have no intentions to sell my plane as it owes me to much pleasure yet! Now to the flyer forum!

Regards,

Bob Preston.

[RobertP]

Re: Undercarriage Bumper Rubbers

Rob,

The latest is the CAA have pulled my class 2 medical which was expected but my AME is doing his best for the NPPL medical but that is not straight forward as apparently people who have had strokes don't normaly want to continue to fly planes!

My Doctor has signed me off to drive again which is a step in the right direction and last week I fast taxied my aircraft (naughty boy but it had to be done and I was very tempted to do a circuit!) My AME want's me to fly with an instructor doing away with the need for a current medical and it may also help to convince the NPPL powers that be that I can still do it!

I was planning to fly to Leicester for your gathering but that is now out of the question and I am settling for a week at IAT at Fairford in my caravan instead!

Getting back to serious stuff like bungees, when I taxied my aircraft over the fairly rough taxiway / grass on the way to the runway which was the first time I had been in it since the bumper rubbers and bungees were replaced I noticed that it still continued to make some knocking noises from the undercarriage area, it was ok on the runway.

The bungees were replaced with ones for the Auster / Taylorcraft series part no 9090 which was the correct ones according to Light Aero Spares at Okehampton for the F22A. Two were fitted per leg but I am wondering if heavy duty ones from the USA should have been fitted or perhaps 3 per leg if possible which I recall having been mentioned in the forum? Any suggestions? My engineer says that they are ok but I am not totally convinced as it seems that the undercarriage is knocking against what I presume is the stops? Is that normal over a fairly rough taxiway?

[Robert Lees]

Re: Undercarriage Bumper Rubbers

Robert:

Glad to hear that small progress is being made on the medical front. The important thing is that you get & stay healthy...flying is a bonus.

As for the bungees, the proper ones for your aeroplane are NOT the 9090. These are 9/16" thichness and 9" across the ring. (It doesn't surprise me, year after year, that LAS make this error...after all, the Taylorcraft to them is a British-built thing, and as we know, the British one was based on the A model which uses these shorter bungees).

Hopefully someone with an F21 or F22 will pipe up what the correct ones for the F22 are.

As for your bumpers...I don't know what the proper ones look like. Mine were originally some fibre-reinforced product, perhaps similar to Linoleum, which provided no cushioing whatsoever. I replaced them with the axe-handle savers as previously mentioned.

I can't comment much further without seeing them...can you ask a friendly pilot to bring you & the plane to Leicester? I can't recall where you are based, but I bet I could find someone local to you to do the flying for nought.

Hope this helps, and keep us posted.

Rob

[RobertP]

Re: Undercarriage Bumper Rubbers

Rob,

Thanks for the input - I do recall in one of the threads somebody mentioned what I took to be heavy duty ones available in the States. I remember that they had a different part number to those quoted by LAS at Okehampton. I shall be out of circulation for a week at IAT Fairford but hopefully somebody will have piped up with a sorce and part number for the correct bungees by the time when I get back?

I am currently based at The old base at RAF Little Rissington in the Cotswolds so not far from you but I was planning to get the aircraft down to Swansea asap so that I can start flying again with an Instructor friend of mine. I have somebody at Rissy who would fly with me to Leicester if needs be. He is an engineer with BA and has 500 hrs on Taylorcraft but he is not sure either as regards to the correct Bungees for the F22A so I hope somebody can help?

I have just this minute found an old Univair Catalogue which shows the shock cords for the F19 - 21 to be part number 9010HDX but there is no mention of the F22A or for that matter a price? Do you know if Univair supply to the UK ok , if these are the correct ones of course?

[Robert Lees]

Re: Undercarriage Bumper Rubbers

500 hrs on Taylorcraft

Can he name exact make and model, please Rob. My suspicions are immediately aroused that he is talking about an Auster Taylorcraft, not a USA one like you own.

Univair do indeed supply to the UK.

Rob