Who knows what components includes SpringAir system? Find out this note on their site :"Please Note-- All of our retracts come as complete systems!" What they meen "complete system"?

Spring Air systems come just as they desciribed. All the things that are needed are in the kit. The landing gear, wire struts, control valve, tubing and air tank are all included. It does not come with an air pump or any connector's to take apart an airline if the need arise's, and you will need to buy axles for the struts. Hope this is what you are wanting to know and Good Luck, Dave

Thank you, Dave. The question appiars because some guys posted that they ordered Robart struts for SpringAir retracts. So I was wondered that complete system not includes struts.
May be you also know what's wrong is with their tail retract for TF GS P47? Everyone said that they are not happy of SA tail and ordered Robart's one. I've never found the pictures of tail retract on the SA website. May somebody can post it.

Spring Air retracts come with wire struts. If you wish to bolt on functional oleo struts, then you must purchase them separately.

Some models of S/A come bored for 3/8" or 1/2" struts. Those models do not include the struts. Spring Air just uses a steerable nose wheel as a tailwheel retract. They are not very scale.

It is indeed true that if you want functioning struts they must be ordered else where. The units as delivered have 5/32 or 3/16 inch music wire struts without the axles. I prefer the 3/16 wires as they are a bit tougher to bend, in the event of a hard landing. I have used all the brands out there and Spring Air has by far been the most reliable and dependable. The spring loaded down locks have saved my bacon on a couple of occassion's. Good Luck, Dave

FLASH NEWS! Spring Air has developed a drop in replacement for the TF giant P-47. It includes struts. Looks like the robart except they are all metal. No plastic parts in these retracts and they have the spring air standard "spring down" safety in case of an air leak. I just received an order from them last weekend and there is a brochure in the box detailing the new retracts. I would buy those if I were you. No special mods to make spring air fit. Too late for me, I'm using the 404 and making my own struts. Note: the retracts listed on the SA web site say to use the 403. That is incorrect. The 403 are 90deg, you need to use the 85deg retracts which are the 404.

They also have newer struts that look much better than what I've seen in the past and are pretty much a clone of the robarts, but no P-47 struts. I guess if robart is gonna copy them its ok for them to copy robart. Also have 100deg nose gear now. Looks like they've been busy.
Edwin

Nice info, Edwin. Thanks a lot. I'll be even more thankful for you if you'll share the pictures of these new retracts. I've wrote an e-mail to SA but no answer for couple of days.

Cheers,
Dmitry

I'll see what I can do when I get home tonight. Would need to take a picture of the brochure.
Edwin

Heres a picture of the brochure they sent.
Edwin

Edwin,
Thanks for posting the picture. Looks like the strut has plastic coat like Robarts one. But you noted that it's fully aluminium. Did you see the note that "... all our retracts can be ajusted to defferent angels 90-85-74". So I supose better to take 403 set and ajust angel to 85.

They are not adjustable. If you look at the design you'll see the angle is controlled by the slot and the position of the end points. There is a detent cut in at the ends of travel to lock the struts. Its that position that has to change.
Edwin

I read in Dick Pettit's review of the Thunderbolt that a "jeer" was that the wheels did not go all the way up into the wing when retracted. Would using the 90 degree retracts solve that problem? Also, would the cowl conceal a G-62?
Thanks
sam

I dont think 90deg retracts would help. In addition to the problem of the struts being angled outward, it would look like a spitbolt. I initially had 90deg SA 403's and was having a hard time trying to get the strut angle right without retracting too much inside the wing. Thats when it dawned on me they were 90deg. Was hitting the top of the sheeting. SA exchanged them for the 85deg 404's. After looking at the SA replacements I noticed that they also have the wrong struts. Not P-47 scale. Those would work on a P-51. I'm not sure which strut Petit was using so I cant comment. But I do know that if you use a P-51 style strut it'll be hard to get it all inside the wing. Not impossible, just hard. With the P-47 style strut, its much easier.
Edwin

MAN, too many troubles with 404s. I'll order 403s. Forgive me guys, my retracts will be 90 degree.

DMG
What kind of problems have you encountered with the
Spring Air 404.... ???
Thanks
Hisham.