John,

At first I was going to defend the way I mounted the main gear. There are 2 carbon fiber wing spars that that are the backbone for support. I created 1/2" basswood 'short ribs' to screw the retract mount to. I added balsa spacers to put between short ribs and the remaining portion of the wing ribs. I used epoxy and CA on each side of the retract mount blocks to make it solid. All of the wing ribs and the basswood short ribs are adhered to the wing spars. It all seemed very solid and I thought that I had done an alright job on it. So I decided to think about your comments before responding.

I still believe that I have created 2 solid pieces for mounting the main gear retracts, but I think you have a right about twisting. The pressure of a hard landing would cause the short ribs to try and twist the carbon fiber tubes. I doubt that the tubes would break, but I think it would cause them to break loose due to the twisting. If a mount breaks away from the wing spar there would be very little support and it could punch through the wing skin.

So I thank you for your feedback and I will add the plywood support as you suggest. This is my first design and my first scratch build so I will take help whenever it comes along.

Thanks again and feel free to add your constructive criticism. As you mention, it is best to make corrections while the wing is still open.

Mike