Originally posted by poorbs
Ed, I forgot to reply to your question about retracts vs. fixed gear. I like retracts for several reasons. If you fly off of grass, the retracts will probably outlast wheel pants, and I like the look of retracted gear better than fixed. Lastly, if you have to land in the weeds due to flame out, etc. you can kiss your fixed gear good bye. I like to retract the gear and belly land when this happens.
FYI, Bill
I fly fixed gear off a grass field that is not perfectly smooth. The secret on the wheel pant is to use a flex mount setup, I use a 5/32 steering arm that you screw the end into the ply mounting plate inside of the pant. I have had no problems with this setup and fly almost 85% of my flights(about 300) off of grass. Most of the new 2 meter planes are using fixed gear. The drag difference isnt as important as it was a few yearsback. Seems most of the new designs are getting draggier due to wanting constant speed in the downlines.
Maybe I have been lucky but only one time did I have to land mine off the runway and that was in short grass no damage.
ONE NOTE: You have to fly the sportsman class with gear down. All other classes it is optional.