Custom landing gear engineering question
Ok, I have an engineering challenge, I just need some suggestions about how to engineer a custom landing gear. I have a kit of the plane that I posted a picture of below. It is a really old free flight design and I will eventually convert it into R/C. The landing gear that it shows drawn on the plans is a 100% manual retract. I believe it is like a "U" shaped wire with only one wheel at the bottom. You have to initially pull the landing gear out by hand and set the plane on the ground. The weight of the plane keeps the retract gear and wheel from sliding back up into the fuselage. But, as soon as the plane leaves the ground, the weight is removed from the landing gear and a rubber band pulls the entire gear up inside the fuselage. It does not come out again for landing so it just bellies in on the grass. The way the landing gear retracts though is straight up in a straight path. It does not pivot or rotate or fold up like modern day retracts.
So, I was wondering if there is any way to engineer this landing gear so I could retract it down and back up from my transmitter? I think one issue is that the travel distance the wire gear will have to go is going to be much further than a standard servo will be albe to extend it. Another issue would be, once the retract gear is extended, how can I ensure it is solid enough to land on and not accidently collapse back up inside the plane? It will need some kind of lock when fully extended but be able to unlock and retract.
I dont think the gear has to be something super substantial but not weak either. Im guessing the AUW of this plane should be around 3 to 5 pounds ready to fly.