Nosegear: Ugly, but Effective

the_other_dougreeves · #1 06-28-2007, 09:46 AM

Sorry for another nosegear-oriented post, but I found this photo of some kind of ugly looking but sturdy gear on a IndUS T-11 / T-211 Thorpedo

* All three wheels and tires are the same - 500x5
* Oleo struts are used on all three wheels
* Nose pant has plenty of clearance (mains are similar, just missing that day)
* Angle of the nose strut is such that if it starts to sink, it's not going to "dig in" as easily.

FYI, the gear design is unchanged from the 1940s. I believe that the wheel pants were added in 2005 when the design was revived.

Jamie · #2 06-28-2007, 09:50 AM

It would never work on an RV unless all SBS RVs had three blade props. RVs sit really high off the ground because they need that longer prop for performance reasons. Here's a picture of my -7A. Check out the clearance (or lack thereof).

N908RV · #3 06-28-2007, 03:47 PM

Looks like the Thorpedo uses a smaller and lighter version of the Cherokee nose gear. Same designer, so no surprises there.

Paul Thomas · #4 06-29-2007, 10:57 AM

A friend of mine build one. While effective for that airplane, it wouldn't work on an RV without serious modifications. He has an O200 in his airplane with a 3 blade prop, the blades should still be shortened by 1 inch. Can't remember what it currently is.

It's a fun airplane to fly, and if I'd flown it before the RV, I might be building one. They're also much more easy to build than RV. It's a shame they stopped making the kit to focus on the LSA market.