Baclpacker
I am totally amazed and a little worried that you seem to think that the "nose wheel issue" as you call it is acceptable.
It is ONLY if the landing gear has not keen properly serviced that there is an issue with the nose gear unlocking at any C of G position.
You should not accept sloppy maintenance, the manual is very specific about the quantity of oil and the air pressure that is required to be put in the shock strut and this differs between DR400 types, the oil quantity is critical in setting the spring rate so must be checked.
Spring rate in the main gear is the controlling factor in the attitude that the aircraft sits on the ground and therefore the weight that is taken by the nose gear, if the spring rate is to low in the main gear or to high in the nose gear then it will become more difficult to disengage the nose gear centering when the aircraft lands.
This is the second tine I have heard of a DR400 hitting the PAPI's, the other incident hid not end so well, the aircraft caught fire and burnt out.
One of the best ways to stop a DR400 on a slippery runway is to hold the stick to the rear and use aerodynamic drag to slow the aircraft, indeed it was the technique that I used when operating into a 340m grass strip in the winter when the grass was slippery, you simply never had to use the brakes. Bad servicing of the legs would stop the use of such techniques and so is another reason that badly serviced landing gear should not be accepted.
All that having been said don't be put off flying the DR400 it is a great aircraft and has far better performance than most.
Last edited by A and C; 8th Sep 2012 at 05:42.