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Matco TW went flight

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Posted

I have the Matco 7" Pneumatic tire on my plane. This morning I had a buddy with me and was taxiing out to fly to a fly-in when all of sudden something didn't feel right at all. I pulled off the side of the taxiway and my TW was totally flat. I jogged back to the hangar and grabbed a car dolly thing that looks like a furniture mover only it's used to put under the wheels of a car to move them around in a shop. I just stuck that under the tailwheel and taxied back using differential brakes to steer.

After tearing it apart it just had a small pin hole in it but it's such a small tube it would go flat almost instantly when you put air in it. I inspected the tire very close and didn't find anything in it. I just stuck a patch on it and went flying. Seems to be holding just fine. Sure glad it didn't happen on landing roll out could of gotten squirrely.

The fly-in was a bust and it was windy as hell. Only stayed about an hour and then spent an hour coming home and showing my buddy who is a Cessna guy what real flying is all about.

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Posted

I have the Matco 7" Pneumatic tire on my plane. This morning I had a buddy with me and was taxiing out to fly to a fly-in when all of sudden something didn't feel right at all. I pulled off the side of the taxiway and my TW was totally flat. I jogged back to the hangar and grabbed a car dolly thing that looks like a furniture mover only it's used to put under the wheels of a car to move them around in a shop. I just stuck that under the tailwheel and taxied back using differential brakes to steer.

After tearing it apart it just had a small pin hole in it but it's such a small tube it would go flat almost instantly when you put air in it. I inspected the tire very close and didn't find anything in it. I just stuck a patch on it and went flying. Seems to be holding just fine. Sure glad it didn't happen on landing roll out could of gotten squirrely.

The fly-in was a bust and it was windy as hell. Only stayed about an hour and then spent an hour coming home and showing my buddy who is a Cessna guy what real flying is all about.

Having it go flat in flight does not make it a bear on landing. I have had it happen before a couple times and it was a total non-event. The only way I really knew it was flat was the extra bumping on the pavement as I taxied back in to the tie down.

:BC:

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Posted

Good to know... I have now added a patch kit to my tool bag...that would have sucked if had happened in the middle of my Idaho trip on some remote strip.

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