Now, that's something I haven't come across before. While the FT folk might do their tests with NWS physically disconnected to tick the certification box, the idea of such happening out there on the line is a new one. Are you able to add some commentary as to any Types which might do such things, etc ?
Hi John,
The aircraft types I've flown (Airbus narrowbody, Boeing 787) both bleed out NWS orders from the rudder pedals as ground-speed increases. That's what I was implying when I said disconnected. My apologies, I could have made it clearer.
It's a moot point in my opinion because V1 is always greater than Vmcg, so if you can't control the aircraft with the nose wheels on the ground, you're going to face exactly the same difficulty during rotation.
Likewise, might you be able to provide some evidence to support this contention ?
Thinking it through, you're absolutely right. I suppose the elevator can only just overcome the weight of the aircraft on the nosewheel during rotation, and authority in the nose-down direction is probably less. Given the way the 787 falls onto its nose wheels during derotation it must be a non-event.
I don't know whether the elevator could generate sufficient force to wheelbarrow the aircraft onto the nose gear.