Capt Jim

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Great Planes had a nice PT-19 ARF...(now discontinued)...and just as the full scale did, the ARF would have a nasty habit of nosing over on landings...Those 3/16" wire mains flop around like they are made of rubber...and they take a bend and stay there. Sometimes it rips out the gear blocks inside. And the CG is right on the exact spot, according to their manual.
Even in a perfect two wheel landing, they bend rearward so much as to allow the plane to pivot and pitch down at the nose.
They say the full scale PT-19 had it's mains in the wrong location. Apparently in maintaing scale, the ARF has their mains in the same location, and maybe they are just too "rubbery", adding to the overall problem.
Has anyone found a nice workable solution to the gear problems on the GP ARF, or similar installations???
I have installed a 1/8" wire "nose-skid" as a temporary (hopefully) fix.
It looks weird, but saves the prop.
Any better ideas???
thanks.
jim

rcflyerfl

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Capt. Jim,
Some have put 1/4 wire and use Robart Struts but they bend back.. Mind do. Soft wire I guess.. I have that setup. Are you at Port St. Lucie this weekend?

Jim

Capt Jim

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I was at Port St. Lucie...
I flew there on Saturday with the PT-19 gaggle...."the lost patrol" from S. FL.
We had a real good time, as usual....except for Limey putting his Ryan into the pine tree.
He was doing a nice low knife edge....then he rolled inverted....he says he's not real good at flying inverted...especially low. Well anyway, the pine tree turned his Ryan into confetti...heh heh...the motor landed clear across the canal! A very dramatic ending to a nice plane.
My last sortie of the day came about as Doug and I were doing low slow passes....I sorta touched the grass just a little, but that was all it took to enforce an unplanned landing...and yet another bent gear leg. An easy fix..I'll fly it again locally today.
I wont be at Pt St Lucie today....it's a bit of a drive, and the overnight lodgings are pricey these days.
Regards.
Jim

Capt Jim

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Just as a PS...I would like to try a set of those Robart struts...I've heard some good things about them, but at a hundred bucks a set...I guess I have to wait for a real "deal" to turn up.
Thanks for that tip.
Jim

rcflyerfl

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Capt. Jim,
I was flying also when the Ryan went in.. To Bad. I seen what I thought was the start of knife edge. We camped the weekend.. Flew 3 times today with my Hanger 9, then the tail just came off.. I did not build and there was hardly any glue holding it on. Landed to the east acrossed the canal and went SPLASH!.. Wing and tail feathers are OK fuse is CRAP.

Jim

Capt Jim

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There is a big bird coming up over in Cape Coral. I am hoping to be able to go there too. It's a 2 day event, and the motels are getting some pretty hefty prices this time of year, and I'm not into camping out. Last year we drove over on friday to be able to enjoy the day sat without feeling like we had been up all night....so we paid a motel for two nights. I'll be trying to find a cheap place...after all..it's just a bed to crash in for a night...I dont need anything "fancy" at all. Are you planning to be there? The guys are all planning to show up with the PT-19's and also the heavy metal too....P-47's and the like.
You're not on ch#41 are you...heh heh. We did have at least three guys on that channel on sat. Me, and Pat (the laser kit cutter), and another guy with a nice PT-19...(maybe that was you?) I was trying to find another Rx crystal so I could change channels, but no one had another high band crystal to spare. I guess I'll just have to send another order to Tower....there's always something I just gotta have.
Well I have to go put my stuff on charge for the night...more flying in the morning.
Jim

rcflyerfl

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Capt Jim,
WE may plan to go to Cape Coral.. I have been there a few times and had a good time. Nice bunch of guys.. Plan on going to Sarasota this weekend..

I was on Channel 57 this weekend. Normally on Ham band 07.. I also had my Autogyro flying.

Jim

fbw4

I am very surprised to here about your troubles because I have been flying a Great Planes Giant PT-19 for 3 years now and have never had a single problem with the landing gear. Maybe you’re not talking about the same plane because mind dose not want to nose over. I have never even had to bend the gear back and the original plastic strut covers are still going strong. Because it’s such a stable plane I may have moved the CG further back then originally called for. This has been a great plane for me and is a pleasure to fly floats for ever on landing though. I do live in a desert with very little grass so maybe tall grass would change my perspective.

http://www.rccraze.com/pt19.html

rcflyerfl

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Capt. Jim,

I will be bringing a used set of Robart gear for the PT.. I bought another PT today and it had gear on it..
I will be at Sarasota this weekend and hope to make Cape Coral also.

Jim

Robinaire

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Hi Jim; Having flown the PT-19 (full scale) many times, I found it one of the best wheel landing planes I ever flew. I NEVER ran into any noseover tendencies and most of my flying was out of a sod field at Conway, PA, near Pittsburgh. I maintain that to make a really bad landing in it, you had to be "head up & locked"!!!! I don't know where you heard that about the noseover, but the Stearman was worse, but not bad at all. In every case, you had to pay attention to what you were doing, as with ALL planes! As for models, I have been building custom model landing gear for about 30 years, and have built a number of PT-19, Stearman, Mew Gull, and similar full oleo strut gear. I never had anyone say they had a noseover problem. Maybe they were too sheepish to say so!! But the wire gear is definitely a sad excuse for a gear. Lee Robinson W. Palm Beach, FL ROBINAIRE

Robinaire

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Hi Jim; Just saw FBW4s comment, and I think he hit on one thing that helps a wire gear, a good set of strut covers will reduce the bowing over the whole wire length and tend to make it stay near the top. It doesn't bend back quite so far. I'd say FBW4 must do a good job of landing! Lee

eaglescout87

Hello all

im jumping on this old thread looking for a set of instructions for the mentioned plane GP Giant PT19 I acquired a NIB recently and it was missing instructions I know it’s an ARF and they are all pretty easy Just want to make sure I have it right

thanks in advance
phillip

RBACONS

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Google is your friend. Use it some time.

han2080-manual.pdf

eaglescout87

Thanks for those While they are fairly similar they are definitely not the Great Planes version I have I have seen both of those attachments many times online as well The planes may look similar on the outside the nose section and firewall design are very very different

Tony Hallo

A friend had one way back and I seem to remember bending 1/4" music wire to replace his stock gear. Believe I used heat and reheat treated after the bending. I have since made a larger version of the KS Mighty Bender that can handle 1/4" music wire. For the cost of the wire and shipping I can bend a set for your plane.

eaglescout87

Hey Tony Thanks for offering I’m planning on using Robo Struts so I hopefully Won’t have to worry about the weak wire as all but the part attached to the plane but I will sure keep you in mind !