THE

SPORTPLANE LANDING GEAR

BUILDER PROBLEMS
By Antoni (Tony) Bingelis AND
EAA Designee Program Advisor
SOLUTIONS
8509 Greenflint Lane
Austin, Texas 78759

JHORT-COUPLED aircraft with It must be properly located with re- of the toe-in versus toe-out cult.
narrow landing gears have long held spect to the aircraft's center of grav- Alignment is easy to adjust in the
the reputation for being "ground ity (CG), and should have a gener- slab spring landing gears and in
loopers". However, they are not the ously wide stance (tread). Needless some types of cantilever strut de-
only aircraft with a propensity for to say, adequate propeller ground signs utilizing scissors. Tapered
this sort of behavior. Many clearance and good wheel alignment shims are added to the axle-to-leg
homebuilts, generally considered to are also necessary. A design defi- connection in the spring gear to
be quite manageable on the runway, ciency in any one of these require- make the corrections for wheel
seem to become ground loop prone ments could result in a premature alignment, while the addition or re-
when landed in a crosswind by a less retirement of the homebuilt. moval of washers between the scis-
than alert pilot or by one with li- Other, more desirable design fea- sor links is used to transmit a simi-
mited piloting experience. tures would include a landing gear lar corrective adjustment to the axle
Of course, we are talking about with large wheels so that unpaved and wheel of the cantilever strut
taildraggers. Remember, however, runways can be used, and a gear of gear.
that tricycle gear jobs are not totally minimum weight to enhance the Most other landing gears requir-
immune from ground loops either. overall performance of the airplane. ing wheel alignment will ordinarily
I don't suppose any designer delib- And, it would be nice, too, to have a have to undergo structural modifica-
erately starts out to design his landing gear that is easy to build tion. This means, in most cases, a
airplane to be a ground looper, but and requires little or no mainte- cutting away of the welds, re-jigging
he sometimes accepts that prospect nance attention. and re-welding. It is, therefore, im-
as a trade-off for other attributes he portant when building such a land-
wants. Homebuilts with conven- LANDING GEAR PROBLEMS ing gear, to check and recheck its
tional landing gears can be designed alignment to make sure both wheels
so that their ground looping tenden- Wheel Alignment will be parallel with each other as
cies are reduced or eliminated along An airplane that is skittish and well as parallel with the centerline
with other odd runway behavior. unstable on the runway may suffer of the aircraft.
The application of a few helpful em- from improper wheel alignment. Too
pirical rules for landing gear design Attachment Point
much toe-in or toe-out, or a combi-
should help us produce an aircraft nation of both, can result in ground The comparatively large number
that is free of landing gear induced looping tendencies. Remember, the of reported gear failures after land-
difficulties. wheels must be aligned with the ing is indicative of inadequate rein-
A good landing gear design would centerline of the aircraft as well as forcement of the landing gear at-
be one that has adequate strength with each other. This is, of course, tachments and inadequate diffusion
and good shock absorbing qualities. assuming that you are not a follower of landing loads over a large area of

l^w**-. >-.••• •:-.• -

Here's what one builder did to cure a fiber-glass gear that The "whip" gear often looks pretty busy when in high speed
was too flexible. That wire axle is suitable only for good motion over rough terrain. The wire snubber is apparently in-
pilots and regularly mowed grass strips. tended to subdue that activity.

52 MARCH 1979
The scissors gear produces a very high drag installation and
streamlining short of enclosing the entire mechanism in a And you think you have gear problems?
large glob of fiber-glass is difficult. At the very least the
upper gear leg should be streamlined.

the structure. Landing gears at- Gear Location With exciting dare. For that matter, run-
tached to wood fuselages need rela- Reference To CG ning the engine at higher rpms to
tively large fittings to disperse im- In the air the airplane trims out check the magnetos sometimes be-
posed gear stresses. This require- perfectly for hands off flying with comes a visually dramatic act high-
ment or need to disperse concen- the trim set in a near-neutral posi- lighted by the sudden, menacing rise
trated loads, is the same for aircraft tion; the weight and balance checks of the tail before the startled pilot
constructed of wood, metal or compo- out O.K., and yet, on the ground, can yank the throttle back.
sites. Sometimes the gear legs or you find the airplane to be too nose A slight error in the location or
struts break but such failures are heavy. Yes, it does happen. the welded angle of the attachment
much less frequent than the failure The landing gear often becomes an brackets, will cause the gear to
of welds and points of attachment. innocent heir to the consequences of sweep forward, or aft, quite a dis-
The only real assurance a builder the changes made during construc- tance at the wheel end, and result in
has that a particular landing gear tion. For example, it is not uncom- an inordinately nose heavy or tail
he has designed has adequate mon for the builder to install a heavy condition in the three point
strength is to prove it with a drop larger and more powerful engine ground attitude.
test. Because very few builders are along with a propeller-spacer and a If the wheels are too far aft in re-
inclined to drop their aircraft 18", or metal propeller. All this weight lation to the CG, the tail is very
to set up an appropriate test module, sticks out ahead of the main gear. light on the ground and use of the
it isn't too likely that much testing The weight and balance is O.K. even brakes becomes traumatic. Engines,
of that nature is going on. Since though it may be crowding the for- crankshafts and propellers are ex-
very few builders know how to set ward limit a bit. Nevertheless, the pensive to replace, and nobody needs
up such a test anyway, a stress end result is a landing gear problem to suffer the humiliation of a nose-
analysis would be a more attractive which hangs over your anxious over due to an improperly located
alternative. In short, utilizing thoughts like a sword on a silk landing gear.
proven methods, and following tradi- thread. On the other hand, in the event
tional design and construction prac- Under the described conditions, the wheels are located too far for-
tices, can help you achieve the con- most taildraggers with a full tank of ward, it will be hard to get the tail
struction and installation of a stout gas and a hungry (lean) pilot up during take-off, even though
landing gear free of runway idiosyn- aboard, will be very light on the tail aerodynamic balance in flight is not
crasies. wheel. The use of brakes becomes an affected. Consequently, on landing

A wide gear normally assures excellent runway handling This gear is not wide but It Isn't narrow either according to
qualities. empirical design guidelines. But looks count for something
too. A wide gear has that comfortable solid look.
SPORT AVIATION 53
 >AN

CENTER OF GRAVITY

(A.) 25° MINIMUM T R E A D

OR
(B) 15-20% OF SPAN

ESTABLISHING MINIMUM WHEEL T R E A D

GROUND REFERENCE

ESTABLISHING GEAR LOCATION ALONG

HORIZONTAL A X I S

FIGURE I.
the tail will drop suddenly on slow-
ing. center of gravity. Wheels of a con-
Figure 1 shows that, according to ventional gear aircraft are always will gain peace of mind knowing
broad design parameters, the wheel ahead of the center of gravity (still that you would be able to remove
tread should be at least 15% to 20% talking about taildraggers). Just and replace the landing gear with-
of the wing span. Another way of es- how much is usually the problem to out tearing into the structure.
tablishing the minimum acceptable resolve.
Knowing that his landing gear lo- Jack Points
tread is to insure that the wheel's
points of contact with the ground cation in reference to the CG is crit- There will be a time when you
will be outside of a 25° angle formed ical, a builder should, when instal- have to remove the wheels and
between the aircraft's vertical axis ling the landing gear, be sure to perhaps the landing gear, too. To ac-
and the vertical center of gravity. provide sufficient access for its total complish those feats it will be neces-
The gear location along the hori- removal and reinstallation. Make a sary to jack or hoist the airplane in
zontal axis of the aircraft is gener- practice removal and installation at some manner. The simpler the bet-
ally determined as that point of con- some time during construction to be ter. You could remove the cowling
tact with the ground established by sure. You may never need the easy and attach a hoisting hook to the
a 15° angle struck from the vertical access you make but at least you engine and lift the aircraft that way.
54 MARCH 1979
Who says landing gear scissors go In back? (Adaptation of a What do you do when you learn your gear is too far aft. This
Piper gear.) fix won't take the place of good design and planning but it
seems to work.
After its up in the air, though, you
will have to find some way to keep it
from swaying while you work.
Jack points on the structure are a
far better solution. Then either side
of the aircraft can be jacked for the
removal of the wheel or gear. A good
location for th'e jack points? How
about one on each side of the
firewall. A fitting similar to the one
shown in Figure 1 can be mounted
flush with the bottom of the firewall.
Anytime you needed to use it, a
short bolt could be screwed in to
FITTING-
serve as a protective spacer to keep
/2" TUBE (WELDED) the jack from rubbing against the
fuselage.
Sometimes a small low-profile jack
will fit under the stub of the gear
axle (if yours is that kind) and the
airplane jacked from that point.
However, for most gear installations
that method is impractical or simply
will not work.
When work on a cantilever strut
3/8 B O L T - WELD type of landing gear requires that
TO H E A V Y S T E E L the shock strut be disassembled, a
WASHER. jack under the axle would not per-
mit you to undertake the job. All in
all, the most versatile jack is a
screw jack mounted on a small
tripod custom-built for your
airplane. A jack doesn't take up
much hangar space so plan on using
WING JACK PAD
it regularly for changing tires,
TIE DOWN
greasing wheel bearings, inspecting
landing gear shock struts and for
other purposes.
FIGURE 2. More next month.

An example of an ultra light gear for a powered hang glider. Ever try to fair in a strut type of landing gear with scissors.
At 30 mph drag Is not a factor. How's this for ingenuity?
SPORT AVIATION 55
 THE
SPORTPLANE LANDING GEAR
BUILDER SHOCK ABSORBERS
By Antoni (Tony) Bingelis Part II
EAA Designee Program Advisor

8509 Greenflint Lane

Austin, Texas 78759

'ESIGN AND BUILD your land- p a r t i c u l a r installation. In short, most other kinds, their safe use is
ing gear to take a lot of abuse. landing gears weigh more than most limited to slow light aircraft operat-
Abuse from hard landings, poorly builders realize and the selection of ing from smooth t u r f and paved
executed crosswind landings, fast the best gear design for a particular runways.
t a x i i n g over rough ground and, homebuilt is never an easy matter to
perhaps on occasion, a sedate ground resolve. Tubular Gears With
loop (ugh!). In addition, be sure that Shock Absorbers
the landing gear legs of your con- Rigid Landing Gears The welded tubular type gear,
ventional h o m e b u i l t (taildragger) Rigid landing gears, (no shock better known as the J-3 Cub gear, is
are long enough to provide at least absorbers), are light in weight and one of the lightest and stoutest land-
9" of propeller clearance with the are endowed with good runway sta- ing gears you can build. It does re-
ground when the aircraft is rotated bility but are, nevertheless, consid- quire exact jigging and alignment
to a take-off attitude. The gear must ered to be a rather primitive instal- during construction, because after
also, in concert with the tail wheel, lation in spite of their good safety installation no further wheel align-
support your aircraft in a proper record. Not many designs, currently, ment will be possible without cut-
three point attitude. This will per- feature a rigid landing gear . . . ting and rewelding the gear. Some
mit you to make 3 point landings at perhaps among those better known builders, therefore, rather than risk
a m i n i m u m speed. Years ago the to homebuilders are the Volksplane misalignment generally jig, align
Cougars and some Tailwinds i n i - and the Fly Baby. Both do have and tack weld the gear while it is in
tially suffered from high landing rigid gears and both rely on rela- place on the aircraft. This type of
speeds because the landing gear the tively large wheels and tires to ab- landing gear is welded of 4130 steel
builders used was too short to per- sorb landing shocks. Incidentally, tubing and seldom requires heat
mit the required nose high attitude both aircraft have comparatively low treatment.
to be reached for full stall landings. landing speeds . . . an essential fac- Except for the added expense,
Among the p r e l i m i n a r i e s of tor for this type of gear. streamlined tubing could be used for
selecting a landing gear design for In rigid gear installation, the the landing gear V struts to reduce
your project is the determination of aircraft's structure (fuselage, wing drag. Instead, most builders content
what wheels, brakes and shock sys- attachments, engine mount, etc.) is themselves with covering of the gear
tem would be suitable. Big 600 x 6 subjected to more of the landing leg V's with fabric or metal for
wheels are fairly heavy and builders loads than it would be if shock ab- aesthetic as well as aerodynamic
who opt to use them pay a weight sorbers were built into the landing drag reduction purposes.
penalty in exchange for better rough gear. You would, therefore, have to The shock absorbers used with
field operations. However, many determine if the structure and at- this gear are most often coiled com-
homebuilts seem to function as well tachment points must be reinforced. pression springs or tightly wrapped
with the smaller lighter 500 x 5 If you expect to regularly operate under tension, bungee cords. Both
wheels, and with the added benefit your aircraft from rough or unpre- types generate considerable drag
of reduced drag. pared fields, the installation of a and, therefore, should be installed
Roughly calculated, you will find rigid landing gear is inadvisable as, out of the slipstream if possible.
that a conventional landing gear in- in time, structural damage may re- However, a lot of builders find it
stallation makes up approximately sult. Additionally, the landing gear more practical to let it all hang out
8^ of a two seater aircraft's empty itself might prematurely fail at the in the classical J-3 tradition.
weight. A modified J-3 Cub landing axles or in the weldments. This type of gear is always rela-
gear when adapted and installed in Balloon tires and larger wheels tively narrow even though many
a homebuilt is really quite light. At and tires can absorb some of the builders attempt to make theirs as
the most, it might weigh as much as shocks encountered in landings, but wide as possible for increased run-
50 pounds. In comparison, a can- although the larger wheels, and way stability. Ordinarily, the build-
tilever strut gear will add about 73 tires, partially inflated are helpful, ers' objective is a good one but
pounds to the weight of an aircraft. they can also cause other unexpected some of them are frustrated by the
Spring gears and rod (whip) gears problems . . . problems like pulled need to maintain sufficiently large
generally fall somewhere in between valve stems because of hard braking, angles between the strut V's to de-
the two weight ranges. Generally or having a tire roll off the wheel velop strength characteristics nor-
overlooked by the builder in figuring rim in a hard fast turn-off from the mally required of a triangular struc-
the weight of a landing gear is the runway. ture.
necessary structural reinforcement Although rigid landing gears are Most of the modifications to the
and added trusses required for a lighter and easier to construct than basic J-3 gear are made by builders
SPORT AVIATION 57
of biplanes and high wing aircraft . . Cantilever Strut Landing Gears installed in low wing homebuilt air-
. the most frequent users of this type The cantilever or strut type of craft than are the oleo types. Many
of installation. You find that their landing gear is one of the finest landing gears of this type now in-
bigger airplanes are equipped with landing gears around and is ideally corporate a coiled compression
the bungees buried inside the fuse- spring for the shock absorbing ele-
suited to low winged aircraft. They
lages while the smaller aircraft will are rather heavy but are virtually ment of the gear. It makes an excel-
be fitted with externally exposed maintenance free. There are many lent gear and absorbs the lesser
shocks that may or may not be en- kinds of cantilever strut gears. shocks of taxiing over the rough
cased in streamlined cuffs. Homebuilders being an enterpris- ground as efficiently as it does the
Biplanes, because of their high occasional hard landing. Landing
ing lot, find the idea of modifying
vertical center of gravity, impose se- and installing a landing gear sal- shocks are dissipated smoothly with-
vere service requirements on bungee vaged from some production aircraft out tossing the airplane back into
equipped landing gears. It is impor- very attractive. The inducement the air as is characteristic of some
tant, therefore, to check that the usually stems from some reasonable types of landing gears.
shock cords in these aircraft remain cost for a salvaged gear and from The main load carrying compres-
in good condition and are kept tight the realization that much work and sion springs used in cantilever strut
to insure reasonable runway stabil- construction time will be saved. gear legs vary quite a bit but, sur-
ity. Those featuring hydraulic shock prisingly, the results obtained seem
Shock cords are highly resiliant absorbing units (Aerol, oleo spring, to be equally good. One gear I
when first installed but deteriorate pneumatic, or whatever) are rarely examined, recently, got by very well
quite rapidly. Primarily, I suppose, used in homebuilts. The Pazmany using a 9" compression spring made
because they are under constant of 15 coils of .344" diameter wire
PL-1 and PL-2 designs do feature
tension and are, furthermore, sub- while another two seater using
such a gear. However, hydraulic
jected to the contaminating and shock struts, if found on a larger gear legs depended upon a
damaging effects of exhaust gases, bigger spring almost 18" long and
homebuilt, more than likely, would
fuel, oil, dirt and pebbles thrown up made of 26 coils of .356" diameter
have been cannibalized from some
by the propeller during ground oper- production aircraft and adapted for wire. The latter, of course, was a
ations. use by the builder. Such gear units heavier landing gear although both
Builders using shock cords in are more complex to build and re- aircraft were in the 1500 pound
their landing gears also install a quire some machine shop work. In gross weight category. Rubber pucks
short loop of 1/8" control cable as a addition, the gear is somewhat fussy could probably be substituted in
safety restraint "to catch" the when compared to the simple slab either gear with some savings in
airplane in the event the shock cords spring gear or the whip gear, and weight. The longevity of rubber
give up suddenly. In reality, shock does need more care and mainte- pucks, however, may be somewhat
cords do not give up suddenly. A limited compared to that of the com-
nance than most others. Therefore, if
thorough preflight inspection of the a cantilever strut gear with a hy- pression springs.
bungees insures that you will be These vertical strut landing
draulic shock feature is desired, most
given sufficient advance warning of builders will try to salvage a land- gears require the installation of ex-
impending failure. During your pre- ing gear from some aircraft rather ternally mounted scissors or splines
flight inspections of the shock cords, to keep the axle and the lower gear
than undertake building one from
look, in particularly, for any part of scratch. This strikes me as being a leg from swiveling around inside the
them that may seem to have a thin- matter of good judgement provided main strut. This requirement contrib-
ner than normal diameter . . . it the gear selected is not too heavy. In utes to a rather aerodynamically
could be an indication of a forthcom- addition, in the event of some future dirty installation. Most European
ing collapse. Suggested additional designers now cope with this prob-
gear damage a similar replacement
reading . . . SPORT AVIATION gear can often be found. lem by encasing the entire gear leg
May 1973, page 48 — Bungee and Other kinds of cantilever strut and scissors in large bulbous wheel
Spring Shock Absorbers. pants which lend a unique appear-
shock absorbers are more frequently

A rigid tripod gear being fitted to a Volksplane 1. Is this an The high vertical e.g. of a biplane coupled with the high land-
improvement over the original rigid aluminum slab gear? ing speed and relatively narrow gear combine to make this
type of airplane pretty frisky on the runway.
58 APRIL 1979
 EXPLODED VIEW D E T A I L S -

STATIONARY
UPPER S T R U T

UPPER
FLANGE
AN
REINFORCEMENT
BOLT
GUSSETS

ALUMINUM
SPACERS
X/ (2024 T-3)

RUBBER
DISKS
(SHOCK
ABSORBERS)

REBOUND
SPRINGS

SHOCK STRUT~-
(SLIP-FITS INTO
UPPER S T R U T )

FIGURE 3.

VERTICAL SHOCK STRUT

(FOR ULTRA LIGHT AIRCRAFT)
#••

A variation of the old J-3 Cub gear complete with bungee

cords hanging out in the slipstream. Axle treatment for the welded tube tripod gear installation.
SPORT AVIATION 59
 UPPER WING BRACKET

ALTERNATE 3 BOLT
A T T A C H M E N T BKTS
(DASHED LINES)

TAP FOR (3) SHORT

A N - 4 BOLTS

HARDWOOD BLOCK
TO LEVEL UPPER
SCISSORS
8KT.

COMPRESSION
SPRING SCISSORS
(ALUM)

PISTON
BRONZE OR
ALUM.

AN- 4 BOLT 8
!
WASHER
REBOUND WELDED TO'i
SPRING LOWER -
LOWER LEG
SCISSORS
BKT

BOTTOM
BUSHING (8RNZ) THREAD AXLE BEFORE
DISC - \ WELDING
BRAKE A T T A C H M E N T

CANTILEVER STRUT LANDING GEAR

The classical cantilever strut gear complete with scissors

whose function it is to maintain wheel alignment. Unfaired it
Typical compression spring shock installation. Ts a high drag gear.
60 APRIL 1979
 WING ATTACHMENT BKTS.

REINFORCEMENT
GUSSET

AN 4 BOLT -
WASHER 8 /
COMPRESSION
SPRING
REBOUND
SPRING
BKT
EXPLODED VIEW

HARDWOOD BLOCK
MTO LEVEL)
SCISSORS
ASSY.

MAIN COMPRESSION
SPRING

.090 4130 STL.

(WELD TO L E G )
DISC - B R A K E
ATTACHMENT
(4130) SLIP-FIT INTO UPPER LEG

(MACHINED ! AXLE SIZE

8 TO SUIT
WHEELS
FIGURE 2.

CANTILEVER STRUT LANDING GEAR

(A VARIATION)

This Skybolt gear has its bungee hidden inside the fuselage
and the landing gear V's are being covered with aluminum Ever see a streamlined "Cub" gear?
instead of fabric.
SPORT AVIATION 61
ance to the aircraft. Although the the lower leg and the main compres- has quirks that many builders do
cantilever strut landing gear utiliz- sion spring rides on it. The rebound not like. There is very little stability
ing compression springs or rubber element in such an installation is in the gear legs because they will
pads is simple in its design and usually a small compression spring flex erratically in all directions
execution, it is difficult to build. At or rubber bumper added to a while, at the same time, they will
least two pieces must be machined. splined-like set up. Figure 2 should twist on all but the smoothest of
One is a piston-like cap for the lower clarify this verbage for you. pavements. This produces a ten-
leg and the other is the lower bush- dency to shudder torsionally with
ing. In addition, the welding of the The Tapered Rod Or Whip Gear the vibration being transmitted
scissor attachment brackets can The most attractive feature of through the entire airplane. In some
cause severe distortion in the lower the rod gear is in its simplicity. installations, it proves to be very
main strut area and make it dif- Even the installation can be simple stiff during taxiing and provides a
ficult, if not impossible, to insert the with a sleeve welded into the lower rather rough ride. Mechanically the
lower leg with its slip-fit piston. It is engine mount. However, mounted in gear would seem to be a great solu-
suggested, though, that the other installations complexity of in- tion to the homebuilder's landing
heliarced elements be torch-heated stallation increases. The gear is gear problem. Undoubtedly a lot of
to a dull red condition to stress re- light in weight but is also found by the reported problems stem from
lieve the area. some builders to be too flexible for gear legs that are mismatched to the
A simpler version of the can- their aircraft. The flexibility often aircraft's weight. Improper design
tilever strut gear leg may be made causes excessive wing wobbling dur- and installation could account for
using a larger size of tubing for the ing ground operations and some- additional difficulties. The gear legs
upper leg and a smaller tube which times during take-off and landing, a should be faired to reduce drag.
fits easily inside that tube. This re- rapid cycling of toe-in, toe-out, and This, in itself, can be a challenging
moves the need for machining of camber occur. This induces a run- effort because the gears flexibility
bushings or pistons as the inside of way control problem and excessive makes the accommodation of a fair-
the tube becomes the bearing sur- tire wear. The round rod spring gear ing difficult.
face. The lower leg simply has a
large washer welded to the top of

CONGRESSIONAL RESPONSE . . .
(Continued from Page 38) the future without positive control. Safety of flight in its most basic
I appreciated hearing from you on this important issue. component is dependent on the ability of pilots and passengers to see
Best regards. and to be seen. The FAA proposal will not further that possibility.
Sincerely, The Terminal Control Areas function like a sod covered landing field
John Glenn in the jet age. The FAA should recognize the efficiency of climb and
United States Senator descend corridors that the military used. Simply making those cor-
Washington, DC ridors prohibited areas would increase Terminal Control Areas effi-
ciency for safety purposes many fold without additional bureaucracy
Mr. R. W. Manetta and expense.
2519Crawford Both aircraft at San Diego were under positive control. To the ex-
Terre Haute, IN 47803 tent that the FAA would put some of the airport trust fund money into
"Reliever" airports in major cities accomplished separation could be
Dear Mr. Manetta: made without the incumbent bureaucracy and expense inherent in the
Thank you very much for contacting me regarding your objections FAA plan.
to the proposed FAA right-of-way regulations. Probably the only word to describe the proposed positive control
As Chairman of the Transportation Appropriations Subcommittee, I airspace restriction is "absurd" unless, of course, the objective is to
have done what I can to make sure that adequate safety precautions create jobs for the bureaucracy and add expense to the hundreds of
are considered for air traffic. The alternatives that you brought to my thousands of VFR pilots who fly in these areas.
attention appear to be most reasonable, and I have asked the Federal I fully support FAA proposals that will sensibly enhance aviation
Aviation Administration to take a serious look at the EAA's alternative safety and I urge you to carefully consider the positive and sensible re-
plans. As soon as I receive a report on this matter, I will be back in sponse to the proposed changes made by the Experimental Aircraft As-
touch. In the meantime, I trust you will feel free to let me know if there sociation of Hales Corners, Wisconsin.
is anything further I can be doing to help. Very truly yours.
Again, thank you for keeping me posted. Norman E. Gaar
Sincerely, U. S. Senator
Birch Bayh State Capitol
United States Senator Topeka, KS66612
Washington, DC
From: Ray Arvin. Director, Aviation Division
Federal Aviation Administration Kansas Department of Transportation
Office of the Chief Counsel
Attention Rules Docket AGC-24 House Resolution No. 6020
800 Independence Ave., SW ' By Representatives Ferguson and D. Heinemann
Washington, DC 20591 • 2-15

Re: NPRM Docket Number 18605 A RESOLUTION relating to the Federal Aviation Administration's prop-
Notice Number 78-19 , . osed increase in the national airspace in which air traffic control is re-
quired.
Gentlemen: Be it resolved by the House of Representative of the State of Kansas:
I write to advise you of my strong objection to the FAA proposal to That the House of Representatives finds that the recently announced
massively extend positive control of United States airspace. It's an ob- program of the Federal Aviation Administration to drastically increase
vious over-reaction to the mid-air collision over San Diego, California the national airspace in which air traffic control is required (proposed
and in my opinion as a former military pilot and the holder of commer- "controlled visual flight" rules, 44 Fed. Reg. 1322-33, January 4, 1979)
cial, multi-engine and instrument ratings, it will simply create a horribly is not in the best interests of the people of Kansas; and
expensive bureaucratic nightmare. Be it further resolved: That the House of Representatives believes
The function of the FAA is not to create jobs for bureaucrats and that this program will adversely affect general aviation and is being fos-
expense for aviation, whether it be general or air carrier. Its major tered in apparent disregard of the importance of general aviation to the
reason for existence is to structure air traffic so that it provides as safe national interest and the interest of the people of Kansas: and
as possible climate for airspace users. The proposed plan fails misera- Be it further resolved: That the Chief Clerk of the House of Rep-
bly to accomplish additional safety for those users. resentatives be directed to send an enrolled copy of this resolution to
The creation of the new Terminal Radar Service Areas is an absurd the Federal Aviation Administration for inclusion in the record of its
fait accompli if they are to be used to prohibit general aviation flight in proceedings relating to the proposed visual flight rules.
62 APRIL 1979