I agree completely that nose wheel shimmy is a maintenance issue, but back in the real world you might well encounter it !
My thoughts stand, ' be kind to the airframe ' - it's only alloy and stringers.
Though there's the odd occasion when one has to plonk it down rather deliberatley;
I've been in that situation with an experienced ( though I was later to find a total berk ) fast jet pilot in a light twin, with the aircraft - PA44 Semilone - performing the mother of all Dutch Rolls - when we finally hit the ground - rather firmly - he remarked " at least we're still walking!" which did not do a lot to cheer up self or my Kenyan supposed fast jet companions...
On the other extreme, when in a D.H. Dove being flown by a rather famous Harrier Test Pilot, we didn't even know we'd touched the ground except for looking out of the windows, until we were on the flight line...
Last edited by Double Zero; 15th July 2008 at 10:34.