ORIGINAL: MarkGrabowski
Nifty idea! I've thought about building a 110-120% Tipo and using an OS120....
Yours would be awesome! The Tipo has such nice lines, good to see that styling alive and well.
Just an fyi, for the os160, if ground clearance for the prop becomes an issue, many pilots use an apc 3 blade prop (15'' diameter, I believe) that is re-pitched by Dave Lockhart.
You may also be able to extend the gear legs without ill effect by using carbon fiber struts in place of the original ones...MTK has posted on that topic before.
If you do build it, post some photos for us!
Yes Mark is correct.
If you definitely want retracts on this bird, nose gear length might be a problem. Anyway, what I've done successfully is to cut the steel strut below the spring, leaving about 3/4" stub. Carbon tubing is then epoxied over the stub. Carbon tubing with a .156" ID is readily available from ACP. You want an OD of around 1/4". Use aircraft grade epoxy adhesive. I ca'd a short length of aluminum tube over the carbon tube around the stub to keep the tube from splitting. It probably would not have been a problem, but I didn't want to tempt fate.
Bend an L stub for the wheel axle and epoxy in
The spring takes all the shock.
Carbon tube saves considerable weight compared to the steel strut (long struts need to be at least 3/16") and is much stiffer than steel or titanium. A 9" nose strut should be straight forward. Should give you all the clearance you want and be light enough to actuate with one servo for all 3 gears
Matt Kebabjian