I bought a CG Eagle 2 to learn how to fly again. It is a great flying plane. I was surprised how fast I got the rust out of my system. It is very stable and forgiving which is a plus with me. I was never very good anyway but I want to convert this to a tail dragger so I can learn to fly it before I buy a more aerobatic low wing tail dragger. What I am asking is what are some of the better manufacturers of main gear and tail wheel kits? The bottom of my fuselage is 3 7/8" . I would like wide and tall main gear for ground clearence and good ground characteristics. I fly off of and land on grass and concrete (conrete when I am brave). I think I would need 2 3/4" or 3" wheels to handle grass to help it from nosing over. The tail wheel on the other hand I have no clue. Any help, tips, or suggestions would be appreciated.

Hi,

I'm working on the same thing(Not Eagle2 but Hobbico Superstar) and this is how I am doing.

What you need,
- Landing gear : http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXJ922&P=7
- Bolt-on axles : http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXK176&P=7
- wheels : http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXK156&P=7

- Tail gear : http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...93p?&C=QDK&P=7
and the matching tail wheel.
I used : http://www2.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXD850&P=7


Put a small plate of plywood on the fuselage for the landing gear.

My tailwheel is not connected to the rudder but uses seperate pushrod.
So, my rudder servo controls both rudder and tailwheel.
The servo has a servo horn(Long arm) that has two pushrods connected on each end.
One pushrod goes to rudder(exits left side of the fuse) and the other pushrod goes to tailwheel(exits right of the fuse).
So when rudder pushrod pulls, tailwheel pushes and vice versa.

Hope this helps.

Jake.

Would this also work for an Avistar 40? I'm rebuilding a crashed one into a taildragger and I'm unsure as to how far forward I should place the mainwheels from their previous position.

Also, I thought that you should use something more substantial than a thin piece of plywood for the new mounting point of the main gear. I've gotten a 1/2 inch X 1/2 inch thick piece of basswood for the floor of the fuse, but if I'm wrong, could someone tell me before I make a mistake?

Thanks!

Its not the thickness of the wood that matters so much but also how its supported inside the fuselage. Make sure there are plywood doublers right where you are planning to glue the piece of wood and use triangle stock to secure it to the fuselage. It shouldnt be too hard to even use the same method that was used on the trikes. Use a drill, get some basswood stock and epoxy to the inside then attach the original landing gear at anywhere from behind the firewall to at least 1 inch ahead of the center of gravity.

And remember, don't screw the landing gear TOO TIGHT to the fuse because the tighter it is, the more damage it'll be in hard landings. Landing gear should come off than breaking your fuse into half.

Where should the mains go in relation to the CG?

For the Avistar, the builders manual says the CG is 3 1/4 inches back from the LE. So I would say that if what cappio777 said about going anywhere from behind the firewall to at least 1 inch ahead of CG, this would mean centering the dural apparatus at 2 1/4 inches back from the leading edge........Hmmmmmmmm.............

Sounds good to me....................

Easier way to decide where to mount the main gear is to set it up so the center of the wheels are even with the leading edge of the wing (or just forward of it) when the plane is held level.

If you can, get some 1/8th to 1/4" (max) lite ply and cut it so it fits inside the fuselage just forward of the wing saddle. As has been mentioned, epoxy triangle stock on top of the plywood and against the inside of the fuse sides. This will beef up the structure so it takes the landing loads.

A seperate pushrod to the tail wheel is often the easiest way to set up live steering, but a free-wheeling tailwheel will often work well enough.
Dennis-

Thanks DB, that sounds even better!

On my .60 ultrastick (high wing) the front of the landing gear is even with the leading edge of the wing (wheels are behind the LE). On my fourstar (low wing), the back of the landing gear is even with the leading edge (wheels are in front of the LE). Since the fourstar is a low wing, they have to be forward. The fourstar handles better, but the stick handles ok too. That's all I have to go by, hope it helps.

If a LHS is available, take your measurements down and find a 40-60 gear that will fit. Most are generally same height. If you get a sturdy aluminum, you can bend it depending on your prop size. If you are ordering online, check the dimensions by part number. Level the fuselage with blocks and you can see how much ground clearance you need. My ultrastick only has a 1" GC at the prop, and I haven't broken one on it YET :-)