fixed gear vs. retracts

[John Ferrell]

Keep the articles coming!
If you have a pointer to a picture of the Carbon tubing gear I am sure I am not the only one interested.

I am in total agreement that it is better to make our planes serviceable rather than indestructible!

John Ferrell 
6241 Phillippi Rd
Julian NC 27283
Phone: (336)685-9606  
johnferrell at earthlink.net
Dixie Competition Products
NSRCA 479 AMA 4190  W8CCW
"My Competition is Not My Enemy"

  ----- Original Message ----- 
  From: Rcmaster199 at aol.com 
  To: discussion at nsrca.org 
  Sent: Wednesday, July 16, 2003 8:39 PM
  Subject: Re: fixed gear vs. retracts


  The composite fixed gear designs of today are quite the overkill in terms of strength, rigidity and weight. They could be made far lighter, less rigid and cheaply enough where, as they break on a hard landing, simply pull the pieces out and toss them. 

  My good friend Nat Penton is using regular carbon tubing material for the struts, and uses a short piece of aluminum rod epoxied in the tube, to serve as wheel axle. A quick wrapping of kevlar thread, super glued on the carbon tube where the axle in epoxied, keeps the tube intact.

  He is reporting that the struts weigh in at less than 1 oz for both, with the farings installed to a fully airfoiled section, without the wheels. The length is 10 inches.

  Matt

  PS- I prefer retracts to fixed gear for pattern planes except they are too heavyat around 6 ozs sans wheels. 

  My composite gear that I make, come in at about 4 ozs with pants, for the pair, sans wheels, but will be using Nat's technique to reduce the weight further with little compromise in strength. I'll probably write about it for the KF. If you have been following my writings you should have learned that I have been keeping no secrets.


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