Sunday 12 July 2009

Narrow Gauge Undercarriage for Front Door Access


I have been working on this narrow gauge undercarriage to enable me to retract the main gear and trundle the Dragonfly through my front door etc. I have to make the triangulating fixing yet, but then it will be pretty much done. The main bracket, which fits it to the rear of the keel, will be fixed semi-permanently in place without any alteration to the aircraft at all (no holes etc). The trolley link will then just be offered up and bolted to the aircraft on the ground. The trike will then be rolled onto seating chocks, which will lift the main gear off the ground fractionally, so that it can be retracted.

This will mean that the trike can be kept fully rigged (with panels, seat, etc in place and monopole folded forward). The only part which needs to be removed for fitting the wheels is the underbelly panel. I am planning on running the retract cord through a plastic tube to stop any possible friction and chafing.

So far, so good. You can't see the means of fixing the bracket to the keel, but I have tested it and I am pretty sure there won't be any turning strain on the bracket - there will be nobody in the trike when it is moving, after all - and the kit is only going to be used with the wing already off.

What do you think?

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