hey guys...on my hobbistar 60 airplane i'm having with the front nose gear. the spring thats located half way up the steering rod wears out and gets all flimpsy. so when i accelerate to take off and make steering corrections that steering rod bends over about 45 degrees and the plane is uncontrolable. so i'm wondering what i can do to beef that up cause i've already replaced it a month ago and that one is done already. i'll throw in a pic of the plane if that will help you.

One way to fix the problem is to get a FULTS dual strut nose gear. They make them is various sizes. Check Tower Hobbies and see what they have. The difference between a standard nose gear and a FULTS dual strut is like night and day. Todd

yeah i checked those out sawdust. really look great, thanks alot man

This is a common problem and one quick fix is to turn it around 180. also ask around the club as most flyers will have some of these laying around and a relpacement is often there for the asking. watch at swap meets and sales, it is easy to pick up stuff like that cheap. If one of the guys helps you out just remeber to do the same for the next new guy!

"sawdust" has a good idea. Fults makes an excellent nose gear. Your gear is probably soft, not-heat-treated steel that will bend and stay bent easily. Typical of a "Pacific Ring" ARF.

Dr.1

See if you can find one that's been heat treated or of better quality. The trick will be finding one with spring but not so much that your firewall starts getting stressed from the hard landings. I've seen some guys get frustrated like you're getting and try the dual spring gear and take a hard landing then find the firewall broken or cracked.

The fults dual nose gear is a tad heavy. So, after you install it, re-check your CG. It may (probably) change.

CGr.

Convert it to a tail dragger.

Springhillflyer, I think I may have a fults nose gear laying around here that I don't need any more since I have moved to all taildraggers. Not 100% sure I still have it but I will check today when I get home. If you still need one or want to try it I will mail it to you if you want and it's free. I will post latter today to let you know if I have it or not.

Yeah, you can always do that..

Hey, you might consider that the nose gear bending is a good thing. The energy from a hard landing has to go somewhere. The gear absorbs it now and bends. If your gear is strong enough, the force is transmitted to the firewall. The firewall is a lot tougher to fix.

I just kept turning the gear 180 degrees when I bent it. Eventually you'll start making "purty" landings and you won't have to worry so much.

Learn to flare better?

Dr.1

Yeap...go to tail draging. Just do a little toe in.
It's actaully easier to control than a tri once you get use to it.
If you read too much about it...people make it more complicated than it's actaully is.
Because that nose gear that you have is wacked and you're compensating anyway.


Once the tail lifts...it'll go that way you tell it...unlike the tri.
On a tri..if the nose gear is wacked , like your finding out.lol

This is one of the easiest tail dragger conversions out there, just mount some lite ply on the fuse sides and use 1/4" ply for the plate. Mount it up tight to the former, and your gear will be right on the leading edge. Use this tailwheel, great way to jump into a tail dragger.

http://www3.towerhobbies.com/cgi-bin...?&I=LXFV47&P=0

thanx for the offer brooke, but i already ordered one and i have to take it when it comes in so i guess i'm sol. to bad i didn't read your post quiker but i was away from my computer for a couple days.

Best thing to do is QUIT LANDING ON THE NOSE FIRST!!! It's not supposed to be first point of contact.

i do occationally get a hard landing but for the most part they are good. its not the landing that wrecks em, its the hard uneven surface that i land on that causes em to weaken.

Then you will like the Fults. They have a bigger upper wire that will require drilling open the gear mtg holes but worth it.

I changed my LT 40 to a tail drager, best thing I ever done...