The Little World

Nearly all tricycle-gear planes need some sort of nose weight to prevent them sitting on their tails.

In some cases it can be a geometric nightmare trying to find enough space at the front of the fuselage to accommodate that weight. You are asking for trouble if you try to do it with lumps of clay or wood – not enough weight for the shape – you need car wheel weights or lead sinkers – or flattened musket balls. Even then you seen to be filling all available gaps with lead slivers to get enough moment of force downwards.

Not so with SAAB’s barrel. There is enough space under the flight deck to install a washing machine and dryer. The flattened ball tucked in perfectly and was secured with some contact cement. The balance was verified by passing a stiff wire through the landing gear attachment points and seeing if the nose dropped. It’s always worthwhile doing a balancing act on any plane as soon as there are wings and tail attached.

Not quite the best central seam, but like any fitting surface it can be trued up on a flat sandpaper block so that the cement has the best opportunity for a mutual side-seal.