TripleDeucer

My Feedback: (129)

I need some feedback on the fit of the Robart retracts in my wing. I aquired a framed up wing and glass fuse and am concerned with the way the retracts hang out when all the way up. I need to knock out the existing rails and rebuild them heavier duty. My question is whether to put the mounting rails back in at the existing angle or adjust that too. Not having any plans or instructions, I don't know if this is the normal installation. My retracts are the HD version. I do have a set of the regular 150's for my Byron Corsair that fit right, but seem to be too light for this (Ziroli) size bird.

TripleDeucer

My Feedback: (129)

Here is the way the HD Robarts fit.

bentwings

Mine were more or less stock but I did tilt the rails back so the gear legs fit under the gear doors. From the pic your legs are way too far out. I too used the heavy duty retracts. They worked very well and I still have them ready for the new Corsair. I managed to bust the rails loose a couple times so I added some sheet metal screws with the epoxy.

FWIW the front of the gear just barely cleared the inside of the front gear door and I ground a little bit off the back of the strut that sticks out. 1/16 or so. I used a couple washers under the gear mount bolts to fin tune the install.

TripleDeucer

My Feedback: (129)

Bentwings, thanks for the reply. So then there is nothing to worry about the plane noseing over too easy with the gear angle set back?

bentwings

Looking a little closer at the picture, I think your gear are mounted too far out too. As I recall mine were much farther down inthe opening. I had a removable filler piece that bolted to the gear frames to fill in the opening on each side so the gear doors filled the opening. They were all of 1/4 in thick. There was a considerable u shaped groove in the spar. I eventually cracked this but it was easily repaired with some carbon fiber strips that I should have installed from the start. I don't have any digital pictures. The wheels actually touched the upper wing skin with DuBro air wheels. I also had to cut out any balsa skin supports that the wheels hit. At the front of the gear frame, the front gear door just cleared the the gear frame. I had made molded fiberglass doors for the mains. All 6 of them pluss the tail wheel gears doors. I never had any problem nosing over that I didn't cause. The plane was like driving a car around on the field.

G-Pete

Here are some pictures of Gary's F4U,

The LG not only is flush with the wing surface - the wheels a pretty recessed.

The whole build thread [link=http://www.wyliewarbirds.com/projects/projects.htm]Click here for the link [/link]

Happy landings
G-Pete