Originally Posted by
John Eacott
Once in the wheel well the NLG is aligned: it can't come down in any condition other than centred.
Certainly you should have the lock engaged.
I think you missed my point....which was that of course the nose lock should always be engaged before gear retraction. A running landing can be carried out up to 40 kts ground speed, but the nosewheel must be locked for a ground speed above 20 kts.
I've watched a number of pilots who seem to rely on the nose gear to self centre when lifting from a helipad, rather than taxing forwards slightly to centre it and wondered if they ever bother to lock it properly. Certainly it's possible for the locking lever to be moved to the locked position without the pin engaging.