I'll Have my Camera with me tomorrow, unfortunately I didn't have time or think to take pics when I had the 172 RG in for 100 hr this past week! grrrrr!
LOL sorry,
I'll try to get some for you this week.

sounds good, should have some pictures ect for you soon, id say within a week.

I am building a 'test' Cessna 182-RG with working retracts ..... if it's working I build a larger one (probaly rebuilding a TopFlite 182Q to an RG)
The current model is less than 40" wingspan ...
The maingear is in 'alpha' test. I made a correct working model (only to weak to land on) with the right dimensions...
Problem is still how to mimic the hydraulic's with standard RC components, and how make it tough enough to wistand harsh (=normal[]) modelairplane landings ...
The nose wheel retract is 'easy' done with standard parts ....

Dirk,
Good to hear, that you were at least able to build an alpha version. Did you see my link to the micro pneumatic cylinders? Also, what materials are you working with? For lighter models, light ply would probably work fine. Any pictures you could share?

I am now building a "dummy" belly of the Cessna (scale 1" = 1' ) as soon as I completed it, I will publish some fotograph's/video's and some aditional information (and pittfalls ) ..... but I am very busy with my daily business at the moment so it can last a few weeks before it's ready

That sounds really good. Good luck, I'm anxious to see what you come up with.

i am hoping to build the 337 in 1/3 scale someday, but holding off until this retract problem is cured.

I'm just going to put my 337 on floats with 91's on a 52's size plane. No speed worries there i think. But, I'd like to have retracts so I didn't have to pull the gear every time.

I'm prototyping a set of gear for the Cessna singles. Located a maintenance trainer for the 210 at a local A&P school. This set will be for the older spring steel legs but the tubular steel legs should not be a problem to fit to this mechanism. The plan is to make the legs in molded carbon fiber to take the landing loads, still haven't decided on how to actuate them.
Paul

Here's a short video of the motion.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DmX1-d7_6TQ

Paul

Paul, pretty cool idea. I wish i could have seen it about a week ago before i put my gear in my TF 172

Thx, I haven't scaled anything yet but I'll work on it and post more photos when I get it all working.
Paul

That is clever.. I thought the full size one dropped down to the center and then swung up and aft, and I was trying to recreate that motion...but yours is much simpler and in simplicity, there is elegance!

Actually the 45degree pivot is the way it was done on the real thing... I located a maintenance trainer and took a few photos of how this thing works. I know about the legs swinging down at first then retracting slowly but I suspect that is because of the the hydralic motor they use.
Paul

Hi guys,

as I mentioned in Post #49, the system is really pretty simple. Cessna don't normally complicate things any more than they have to as it generally costs more time and money and weighs more - all factors that work against you when you're trying to produce a reliable and economical aircraft..... Cessna - in my humble opinion have always built their aircraft with JUST the right amount of metal in the right places to do the job. They're not (over)built like Beechcraft, nor overweight like Pipers. I know I sound like I'm plugging Cessna - and I guess I am - but after thrity years flying nearly all of the various types, I have to say that I've never had any major difficulties with them structurally. Radios and systems - well that's another story.....

Oldtimer,
I re-read your earlier post and you are right on the money. Hopefully we'll see more Cessna singles built once we can get the retracts working.

Does anyone know what year Cessna switched from the spring steel legs to the tubular legs? ... and did the Skymaster get the new legs as well???

Thx,
Paul

My buddy just finished his 100 hr on his 172rg and unfortunatley did not get any pics of the retract sequence. He said however this weak he will have somebody take some video of some touch and goes and I will get them uploaded as soon as I can.

The 210 went from flat steel legs to tubular in around 1978 (the 1979 C210N certaily had tubular gear legs), and lost the maingear doors around the same time. The 182RG always had tubular gear (from memory) as did the 172RG. I'm not too sure about the 177RG but I suspect it always had tubular gear. The 182RG and 172RG never had maingear doors, but I don't know about the 177RG. That's one of the few Cessna singles I've not flown.

forgot....

I'm pretty certain the C336, C337 and P337 all had the flat gear, and never changed to the tubular style..

Greg

Just found this interesting photo on Airliners.net

[link]http://www.airliners.net/open.file?id=0995274&WxsIERv=Ervzf%20SGO337T%20Fxl znfgre&Wm=0&WdsYXMg=Hagvgyrq&QtODMg=Riben%20%28YCR I%29&ERDLTkt=Cbeghtny&ktODMp=Frcgrzore%2016%2C%202 005&BP=0&WNEb25u=Wbf%E9%20Wbetr&xsIERvdWdsY=&MgTUQ tODMgKE=Ba%20qvfcynl%20ng%20%22Cbeghtny%20Nve%20Fu bj%202005%22%2C%20vafvqr%20gur%20Ntebne%20unatne.& YXMgTUQtODMgKERD=1609&NEb25uZWxs=2006-01-27%2022%3A02%3A01&ODJ9dvCE=&O89Dcjdg=&static=yes&w idth=1350&height=912&sok=JURER%20%20%28nvepensg_tr arevp%20%3D%20%27Prffan%20336%20Fxlznfgre%27%20BE% 20nvepensg_trarevp%20%3D%20%27Prffan%20337%20Fhcre %20Fxlznfgre%2FCerffhevmrq%20Fxlznfgre%20%28B-2%29%27%20BE%20nvepensg_trarevp%20%3D%20%27Ervzf%2 0S337%20Fhcre%20Fxlznfgre%2FCerffhevmrq%20Fxlznfgr e%2FZvyvebyr%27%29%20%20beqre%20ol%20cubgb_vq%20QR FP&photo_nr=100&prev_id=1000079&next_id=0992088[/link]

.... and another. This one shows that the pivot is quite low near the fuselage bottom in order to have the gear retract far enough into the rear fuselage. This is also a pressurized 337 so it is one of the last few years of production and clearly still has the flat gear...

I notice it also seems to have a gear mod to remove the main doors, something I wasn't aware existed. It still has the doors covering the legs though - kind of strange as the late 210s, 182RG and 172RG never had them

http://www.airliners.net/open.file?i...P&photo_nr=131

Greg

From my memory banks.... The 336 had fixed gear flat plate. I believe it was phased out of production in the late 60's in favor of the 337

The 177 / Cardinal were the first with the tubular gear. I remember the press making a big fuss over this new technology. The RG had no main gear doors...just two big holes which provided some extra drag at high angles of attack...

I finally got a chance to take a video of the 172 RG Gear today, the later 210's used this Tubular gear as opposed to the Flat Spring steel gear in the earlierones..

Here are some detail pics and a video link,

http://www.rcuvideos.com/item/MTSQH85G4SNV95V8

Sorry it took so long but we just brought it back in for it's 100 hour

The tubular gear started in 1976 If I believe, and it originally had gear doors.
about 1980 the doors were eliminated since they were sequenced hydraulically and could get out of sequence with the expected expensive results!!!!!

so a kit was developed to retrofil the non gear door setup onto older Tubular gear 210's.

Also the 337's definitely did not have tubular gear in their entire life span.

Thanks for the video. I never knew the sequence was so "simple". I always imagined it was a two step process.

Robart should pay PS2727 some bucks and run with his design ...they would make a fortune re-gearing all those Top Flight Cessna 182's out there (mine included!)

Don

I like the way you think, Don!!!!!



US185, thanks for those photos, I wondered what the tubular legs mounted to. Those show it very well.
Paul