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2 Answers

nose wheel shock strut too high

Asked by: 6199 views , ,
Aircraft Systems, Commercial Pilot, General Aviation, Private Pilot

hello there

while i was doing a preflight on Cessna 172s i noticed the nose wheel strut was too high about 8 or 10 fingers and i felt it was unusual, i pushed down the nose but the strut get back to the same position.

when i asked the maintenance guy he just answered with attitude problem "it is better for the airplane, i know what i am doing".

while i was student my instructor has thought me in the preflight that its about 3 or 4 fingers are the minimum but i never heard anything if the strut was to high it is okay or not

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2 Answers



  1. John D Collins on Aug 08, 2014

    I don’t think the mechanic does know what he is doing. The strut is likely overfilled with nitrogen or air and over extended. Here is what the POH says in the handling, service, and maintenance section of the POH for a 1979 Skyhawk:

    “Keep filed with MIL-H-5606 hydraulic fluid and inflated with air to 45 PSI. Do not over-inflate.”:

    You have made a valid observation and should bring this to the attention of the owner or operator of the aircraft.

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  2. Brian on Aug 08, 2014

    If the owner wants to check his struts inflation just take off the top cowling and find the shredder valve on the top of the strut. Check it just as you would a car tire, but be careful if it is that high. The nitrogen bottle we use goes to 800 psi. If he has it really high your pressure gauge could suffer.

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