Why the change to spring gear?
- Thread starter JackC
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Bob Turner
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Cheaper, lighter, less drag. Takes more skill to wheel land. Sounds like a good move.
Flying them back to back I don’t think I recall much of a performance difference in speed or anything (comparing similar HP & props)
It seems to me the oleo gear would be more time consuming to manufacture and there is maintenance involved that other manufacturers' planes didn't require except maybe the Piper Cherokee. The spring gear bolt on and last until they break or need to be bent back into shape, or just replaced. Seems easy-peasy if you're the one building them. No?
Maybe the oleo gear were at their design limit at the heavier Citabria gross weight? Don't the axle ends bend easily if you twang them?
Maybe the oleo gear were at their design limit at the heavier Citabria gross weight? Don't the axle ends bend easily if you twang them?
Reminds me of this
Was taxing out and it just felt like a stick snapped under my butt
One of the bolts finally gave way, thankfully it was on taxi and not on takeoff or landing
that was the inner bolt that failed?
Bob Turner
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Please tell me they were AN bolts, and not the high strength MS bolts?
indeed
Twas a while ago, one of the fleet I was CFIing in but was not mine, not sure
Sully
Well-known member
Another spring gear failure
blog.zawodny.com
Citabria N5156X Landing Gear Accident
Back on December 26th, 2009 my wife Kathleen was flying with an instructor in the Citabria that we owned half of as part of her ongoing flight training toward her Single Engine Land pilot rating. …
blog.zawodny.com
Another spring gear failure
Citabria N5156X Landing Gear Accident
Back on December 26th, 2009 my wife Kathleen was flying with an instructor in the Citabria that we owned half of as part of her ongoing flight training toward her Single Engine Land pilot rating. …
Totaled the plane?!!!
Also very shocking to see the leg just clean snap like that, wonder if they ever did a metallurgy analysis, intergranular corrosion?
In my photo, I recall the prop got hit but not enough to notice from inside, we shut the ending down and didn’t even know it touched till we looked at the prop, no engine damage as I recall, think it was new gear bolts, fabric patch, prop and inspection.