beatty3987

My Feedback: (1)

What retract is better air or mechanical?????

bigchap

in my opinion mechanical are better,less parts=less weight and less to go wrong.

dr_wogz

My Feedback: (3)

And I'll say Pnematics.

-Don't require a massive dedicated servo. jsut a tiny one, to actuate the valve, and can be placed just about anywhere.
-Air lines can bend around corners & such..
(you'll need a fairly straight linkage run for Mechanicals)
-Restrictors can be installed to slow down the action (making them 'realistic')
-One goes up, then the other.. again realistic for warbirds

But:
Are just as finneky to adjust.
Installing the air cylinder can be a pain (but it can be placed anywhere!)
Need to pump them up.
Have the air piston cylinder sticking out one side, which may interfere with other internal structures.
air can leak out.

quint-rcu

My Feedback: (24)

Much of the answer depends on what and where you are flying. What weight is your plane? Do you fly off a paved or rough grass field? Do you have others around that have experience with either or both types of retracts?

The mechanicals on the market today are usually over-rated in the ads as to the weight they can handle. Yes, they can, but can they do it day in and day out without fiddling and repairs? Yet, if well and conservatively chosen, they work fine. I fly off a rough grass field reliably with several .60 sized birds using mechanicals. Albeit modified and carefully installed. Mechanicals are a bit of trouble to set up for reliable and repeatable operation (linkages, etc.), but after that are easy to keep flying.

The pneumatics out there are best for heavy ships all the way to gassers and fairly easy to install. They require air charging and may give leaks from time to time as you assemble and disassemble the plane for transport. They cost more up front and seem to last long enough to pay it back. They will swing heavier struts and scale units with ease and can be set to give a slow retract time without the electronic delay units that would be required for mechanicals.

That's allot of 'what if's' and waffling, but with retracts there is no one right answer. I love my mechanicals and my best buddy can't stand anything other than his Century Jet pneumatics.


quint

voyager_663rd

And they will rotate on anything less than a greased landing on grass--> My first experience with springair's on grass in a Super Chip.

beatty3987

My Feedback: (1)

thanks for the input