Wheels
05-07-2002 | 01:37 AM
#1
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From: Placerville,
CA
Wheels
I have a very rough landing strip at my neighbors, I am a fairly new plank flyer, and I was wondering I could use extremely big balloon wheels to absorb the shock of the terrain and prevent the plane from tipping. Is this possible? If not, how might I be able to fly on such a rough strip? Thank you for all the help, this website is the best.
05-07-2002 | 01:30 PM
#2
big wheels
I would say that it would depend on how large your plane is. The wheels need a lot of axle sticking out past the plane for mounting. I have 2 of those blow up trexler wheels on a Big LAzy Bee and I can tell you that the way the wheels smooths out the planes ride is amazing! I would think a plane like a Kadet Senior or a Telemaster Senior would be perfect for these wheels. This is different, picking a plane to match the wheels! Gotta love this hobby! 
05-07-2002 | 01:48 PM
#3
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From: Franklin Park,
NJ
Wheels
when you say you are tipping I assume you have a tail dragger and are nosing over....
here is what I do to land my cub (that loooooves to nose over: see avatar)
bring it in just above stall speed and get it to about 2 feet. hold the plan at 2 feet while slowing it down.. (you will notice that you will need increased elevator)
at about 3/4 full elevator hold the elevator there and let the plane settle to the ground... as soon as the wheels touch firm give it full elevator to drag the tail down. the wheels touching the grass (im assuming grass) will slow it down below flight speed
depending on the plane you may want to give it a blast of throttle to help get the tail down (real quick not enough to speed the plane up... just enough to give a blast of air over the tail to make it work more)
just a note... I use 3 3/4 (i think) wheels on my 80' cub if your wheels are too big it will raise the planes CG while on the ground making it easier to tip. the major consensis(sp?) seems to be 3"+ wheels for grass fields (varying on the size of the plane) and 2" for paved.
here is what I do to land my cub (that loooooves to nose over: see avatar)
bring it in just above stall speed and get it to about 2 feet. hold the plan at 2 feet while slowing it down.. (you will notice that you will need increased elevator)
at about 3/4 full elevator hold the elevator there and let the plane settle to the ground... as soon as the wheels touch firm give it full elevator to drag the tail down. the wheels touching the grass (im assuming grass) will slow it down below flight speed
depending on the plane you may want to give it a blast of throttle to help get the tail down (real quick not enough to speed the plane up... just enough to give a blast of air over the tail to make it work more)
just a note... I use 3 3/4 (i think) wheels on my 80' cub if your wheels are too big it will raise the planes CG while on the ground making it easier to tip. the major consensis(sp?) seems to be 3"+ wheels for grass fields (varying on the size of the plane) and 2" for paved.
05-07-2002 | 02:49 PM
#4
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Wheels
I call them "Tundra Tires"! When our club recently changed fields, the new one was (and to a certain degree still is!) very rough in places. I had probems with my relatively low slung "Slick Stick" Tail dragger (Highly modified Lucky Stick) on the new rough field. I bought a pair of 3" lightweight (foam?) Dubro wheels, and the extra clearance and "cushioning" effect was just what the doctor ordered. The only (small) downside was that the extra drag cut my top speed noticeably in the air, but heck, I'm not pylon racing with it anyway!
Lee
Lee
