Gear Doors
 

I am currently building a Top-flite Sea Fury and I would like to make gear doors for it so that the entire landing gear is enclosed like the real thing. My question is how do I make it so that the door stays open when the gear are down and then it closes when the gear retract? I know I can use more cylinders for this, but I would like to do it some other way.

My thought was to make it so a spring or something holds the door open and when the gear retracts, it hits a wire and pulls the door closed. Are there any better methods? I would really like to see pictures of such a mechanism.

Thanks.

Gear Doors
 

Herb,
I too have the Seafury and I am going to build my doors exactly as you mentioned in your thread. I will let you know how they come out. Razorback11

Gear Doors
 

Razorback,

Can I get a little more info on how you are installing a spring so that it forces the door open? I would like to know the best way to install it. Also, how big of a spring are you using? It obviously needs to be big enough to hold the door open in flight and small enough such that not to put undue stress on everything.

On the main gear of the real Sea Fury, there are little doors right where the gear mount to the wing. Are you installing these as well? Any insights on how to do this?

Thanks for your reply.

Seafury Doors
 

Herb,
I am not going to mess with those tiny doors that sit right at the top of the strutts. I would like to finish this model sometime and I figure that building the two main doors for eash side is enough effort for one model.
As for the small doorlets on the centerline, I have just finished fiberglassing the inside of the wheel wells as recommended by TF. I am just now trying to draw out how I want to build and hinge the doors. I will build the doors out of fiberglass and I believe I will hinge the doorlets using a straight wire accross the top that goes into small hardwood blocks on each side of the door. A year or so ago, I found a bag of springs (all sizes) for about a buck at a local arts and crafts store. So I will dig in there to see what I can find to use as a spring to force the doors in the open position when the gear is down. My thought is that the wire going accross the top of the door that acts as the hinge can extend inside the wing a short distance and then bend 90 degrees so that it stands streight up when the door is all the way open. The spring attaches to that wire and is streched to a hookout in front of the door and to the side so it can't be seen. when the door closes (Vvia the wheel hitting another wire coming from the door itself) the wire with the spring attached rotates away from the opening streching the spring. The one note of interest here is that that wire must travel through the center rib to work properly and must not conflict with the doorlet mechanism on the other side. Anyway, That is my thought for the moment. It may take several trys to get it right and I may have to redesign completely but that is how I shall approach the issue as soon as the fiberglass job drys. I am also considering building soe walls in the wheel well area so that it looks lie a true wheel well when painted. Phil

For what it's worth
 

Here is a link showing one method
http://www.acsip.com/~dgu/f106bld.html

Gear Doors
 

Herb,

I'll try to send you pics of my plane that I just got. It is a F8F Bearcat with Robart air retracts, and the original builder built the fuselage doors for it as well. It is set up with a separate servo and micro switches. From what I can tell, when the landing gear go up, power goes to the the 2nd servo and opens the doors. When the gear is up in the wing they trigger the micro switches which in turn power the servo to close the doors. In theery this is what it appears to do. I havent tested it yet, because the radio in this plan is an old Cirus, and I havent changed it out yet.

Todd

More ideas???
 

Are there any other ideas that people would like to share. Pictures would be very helpful. Please remember, I would rather not use cylinders for this if at all possible.

Thanks!

Gear doors
 

Check out Sonictronics for flush "over center" spring hinges.

http://www.sonictronics.com