Landing gear for DD?
 

Realizing this is probably heresy, I have a paved runway and would be willing to sacrifice a little performance if it could be landed with the engine running and have ground control. Has anyone seen this done?

RE: Landing gear for DD?
 

Never heard of anyone doing this with a DD. You're right about the heresy part, it's built the way it is for a reason, and adding gear to it seems too off the wall to me. Yoiu's sacrifice more than just a little of the performance it has. I've seen a Holy Smoke with a single center wheel retract, and wire tip skids, but it's a different aircraft altogether.

MJD

RE: Landing gear for DD?
 

OOOIIINNNKKK!!! [>:]!!!

You can double-back tape strips of aluminum to key contact points on the underside and do really cool and loud belly scraper landings. [8D]

RE: Landing gear for DD?
 

To put a steer-able nose wheel would just be too heavy and cause too much drag, it would be defeating to the purpose of a DD.

I run music wire skids on my DD's and remaining Outlaw but it's at the sacrifice of speed, the runway or the grass fields around here will tear the bottom out so I have no choice.

The two main skids are .078" diameter and are mounted into small hard wood block that's glued to the widest part of the mid-span rib. The wires are held in place with a 10-24 setscrew that's been tapped in to the block. To keep the rib from twisting from lateral forces, a hole was drilled in the side of the hard wood blocks and the main ribs to accept short .156" carbon tube between both for each wing.

A block was tried further back at the rear spar, but the nose skid comes down too hard at touchdown.

The nose skid is .125" diameter. The wire was heated to form a loop/eye to go around the rear motor mount screw and heated to form the front bend. The wire is installed by first using a washer at the front and rear mounting holes and the skid is than put in place on top with the eye around the rear screw. A standard nut is used up front, but one of the flats is ground deeper to make room for the wire between the nut and case. A Nylock nut is put over the loop end and all four mounting screws are tightened as normal. Lastly a washer and Nylock nut put over the front nut (with the deep flat) and tightened to trap the wire.

The longer the skid wires are, the more drag so keep them short. Each wire is angled too the rear (caster) and has a small curve for more contact area. You could just let it run on the ends but than it will end up with three sharp points that poke holes in everything.
When the DD is placed on a surface it sets about 2 to 2 ½” high, level or slightly nose down, but never nose up. Remember you will be landing deadstick so set the prop so it stops horizontal on compression.

This setup has survived 250+ landings on my standard dust and 85+ on the clipped wing with no problems. Check the tightening as needed due to normal seating of engine's mounting flanges and washers settle into the wood. A loose engine looses power.

RE: Landing gear for DD?
 

Not a Dust but my delta kit had a landing gear option. The short moment made it impossible to taxi with control using a tail skid. A steerable tail wheel may help and rudders gave the Q-500 style takeoffs some control. It only added a couple of oz. to the total weight. It is doable but takes away from what a delta was meant to do. There is a short take off and landing video on my site a little over half way down the home page. My advice is find some grass to land or do what FF did with short skids.

RE: Landing gear for DD?
 

thanks all for the input. Based on what y'all say and since we have nice thick grass I think going without any gear is how I'll go.

one more question. Is the Morris DD the same as the one being sold by DD?

RE: Landing gear for DD?
 

Yes and no.

It is the same diamond dust.

But morris never sold any that I am aware of.

RE: Landing gear for DD?
 

Yeah Morris has had "Taking Pre-Orders" on there for years. I tried to get one from him several years ago, but Robert said he didn't have any. I've never heard of anyone that actually purchased one from Morris.

RE: Landing gear for DD?
 

This is the first time hearing of someone else trying a landing gear on the Dust. I might have taken it to the extreme by adding the retractable nose and mains with the extended nose and a set of canards.

http://image2-5.rcuniverse.com/e1/co...ges/103979.jpg

I've got a more detailed photo in my models, might have gone in to overkill on this project.