The nosegear on my Cozy looked terrible - the cover had delaminated from the strut, and while not structurally a problem, it didn't look great - and I really didn't want it coming off one day and going through the prop! I decided that while I had the plane down for maintenance during the winter, that I would take a couple of weeks and rebuild the cover - make it look nice again.

Unfortunately, once I got it off and inspected, I found some serious problems - which meant that what was originally a refresh project turned into a complete build-new-from-scratch project. In this video I take you through the process of building my brand new nosegear, explain what I'm doing at each step and why.

0:00 Intro
0:21 The Problems
2:27 Lots More Problems Found
2:55 New Strut and Void
4:37 First BID Layup
5:24 Peeling Peel Ply
6:16 Trimming First Layup
7:06 Second BID Layup
7:40 Trimming Second Layup
8:14 Preparing for Pivot
10:48 Layup to Fit Pivot
11:26 Finished Result of End
11:56 Fitting Pivot
13:51 Pivot is Cured
14:32 Trim and Drill For Clamp
15:21 Prepping Actuator Brackets
17:06 Bonding Actuator Brackets to Strut
18:04 Build Up Locking Layers of BID
19:47 Locking Layers Finishing
20:27 Trim Strut for Pivot
21:16 Lay Up Finish Layer
21:46 Trim Finish Layer
22:07 Bond Clamp and Foot
23:25 Pivot And Foot Trim
23:50 Torque Fasteners
24:05 Problem With Forks
27:03 Drilling Actuator Brackets
29:01 First Test Fitting
30:39 Problems Found
33:00 Identifying the Problems
35:49 Trimming the Actuator And Well
36:20 Second Test Fitting
37:23 Fixing Wheel Bearing Spacers
38:59 Removing Old Cover
40:14 Fitting Spacing Foam
40:50 Third Test Fitting
41:37 Cover Explanation
43:28 Bonding Cover to Strut
44:32 Micro the Radius and First Layup
45:25 Second Layup
45:50 Final Sanding and Finishing
47:10 Paint Prep
47:31 Primer & Top Coats
48:46 Final Installation & Testing
50:31 Where Are We Now?

No content in this video should be taken as flight instruction or advice. Refer to your aircraft POH and consult your CFI. This video has been edited for time and content, and context may be lost or distorted. This video is for entertainment purposes only.

#Canard #Cozy #Nosegear