Hi there,
What is the is minimum distance between mailwheels on a jet? My Reaper has 43 cm (=17 inch) and I would like to reduce it as much as possible in order to make a good strong retract. 30 cm (12 inch) would be perfect for me, but is it to close?
The Reaper is 71 inch in span.

It all depends on what you want the ground handling to be like. The closer together the wheels are, the more you're going to have to work at it to keep the aircraft tracking correctly and not lifting one wheel (with consequent wing-touches etc) when any side-load is applied (either from pilot input or from external forces such as a cross-wind).

Why not put the retracts in the wings? I have one like that, and it is quite easy. Cut out the foam, insert a couple hardwood blocks, and put the gear in. The Reaper is very stable on the ground so you could probably put two mains in the fus, but the wings work fine.

Hi both
Gordon: Of cause you are right, but what is the typically distance? Mine seems quite large, compared to e.g. F16 and other scale jets, but trainers like Hot Spot has larger distance..

B58: Sorry to mislead you, but I AM going to put them in the wing. My doubt is only if the wing mount is strong enough for the increased load during landing due to the force from the retracts. The original wing mount is not constructed for such a load - this is my concern. My Reaper has a carbon rod within the wing tubes, so the strength is increased, but I still find the wingmount creepy.
My retracts will be mounted approximately like this, only with the wheels pointing outwards, and the mount a bit closer the fuse, or alternatively appr 8 cm (3 inch) from the fuse. The red-indicated plate will be plywood, to make some breakable plate, and spare the wing in case of hard landing. The photo is stolen from "Contryboy".

Considering that the F-16 gear is about as narrow as it gets, maybe you should compare to an F-4 or T-38 with the gear out in the wings

Thanks Morgan
I'll keep the larger distance then. My wing and mounting should hold, allthough the Reaper is getting more and more heavy (12 kg=27lbs wet)
Happy for your input

Propellars,

The gear mounted as shown in the picture gives a spacing of 24 inches on center.... strut to strut. The wider stance is the better choice for ground handling. Good luck on your retract installation.

thanks country :-)