It is close to fixed

Eckhardt has been a fantastic help. We quickly had the plane on jacks and isolated the nose gear hydraulics. Bang. The main gear comes up perfect. So we know that the problem is in the nose gear.

The actuator was off in a jiffy and sure enough the o ring inside re actuator was blown out. This was a big relief because an o ring eckhart has. It could have been the whole pump which would have been a bit of a wait.Oring replaced, the gear goes up and down beautifully but the pump is still have to work every 10 seconds or so to maintain the pressure.

We repacked the actuator again (having found small pieces of the old ring still in the system and it works better but still not perfect. So it was decided to rest the gear and the fluid and hydrate and feed ourselves for a while to see if the fluid calms down. It is a self bleeding system so air can take time for removal.I am confident we will be on our way again tomorrow.

UPDATE: Lunch did not resolve the issue. A new actuator arrives tomorrow at 10am. Should still be back on the move tomorrow. In the meantime, let me tell you about the massive fire that has been burning near here. It started yesterday and closed roads. Water bombers have been coming and going for 2 days. The wind has not helped. One of the water droppers was a crop-duster. He came in today bearing fresh scars, having clipped a tree on his water run. Must have scared the crap out of him because the wing had a fair ding in it. Photos in due course.