Brodhead Pietenpol Association

Original Posted By: "DJ Vegh"
I am thinking of converting from a split axle to a straight axle landinggear. I already have the landing gear fuselage fittings installed for thesplit axle. Does anyone see any problem of using them and building fittingsat the top of the straight axle gear that would have 5/16" pins attachingthem to the fuselage fittings just like the split axle gear?Thanks for your thoughts,Ted________________________________________________________________________________

Original Posted By: Edwin Johnson

Original Posted By: owner-pietenpol-list-server(at)matronics.com
Ted,You might want to invest in a set of Pete Bowers' Fly Baby plans. I believethe arrangement you are talking about is very similar to the gearconstruction on a Fly Baby. The Fly Baby (I believe) uses fittings thathave a heavy bolt essentially parallel to the flat plane of the landing gearstrut going through fittings attached to the fuselage. The bracing wiresand spreader bars supply the rigidity to the system, just as the F&GPietenpol plans do. This is not a bad setup, and is probably better thanthe original F&G plans. I don't care for the design BHP showed in thoseplans for the fuselage attach fittings, and modified mine substantially tocarry the loads better. I never heard of a Fly Baby having landing gearproblems - wings falling off due to unequal tension in the paired flyingwires, but not gear problems.Incidentally, Pete Bowers died last week. He was a good designer and a realexpert on rare antique aircraft.Jack -----Original Message-----

Original Posted By: "Jack Phillips"
Thanks Jack,By the way I looked at a picture of your gear legs. Wow, are they nice.What kind of wood did you use. Any other pictures showing the attachfittings?Ted----- Original Message -----

Original Posted By: owner-pietenpol-list-server(at)matronics.com
I am sad to hear of another of the early greats in home building passing.The gear as in the F&G is well braced as the front view shows.The cross bracing of the gear legs, in tension with cables, is held incompression by the horizontal spreader bars each side of the axle.As you have indicated Jack, a very stout design!The only catch I see is that the inclusion of brakes to the design requiressome method of preventing axle rotation.Mike Cuy has a very neat solution to this.The external bracing wires as on the Fly Baby would not work on the BHPdesign as the axle is held down against the bottom of the V struts by thebungees. The suspension motion requires the V to move down below the axle asthe "Jounce" displaces the axle. The bungees return the axle to the restposition "rebound".The Fly Baby has rigid mounting of the axle no suspension.John-----Original Message-----

Original Posted By: owner-pietenpol-list-server(at)matronics.com
As much as I love the Flybaby, the problem with the flybaby design is thatif you damage the gear (on takeoff, for instance, by hitting a gopher holein the runway), you have just compromised the ability of the wing to holdyou up as the landing gear is an integral member of the lift wire trussingsystem.Chris Bobka-----Original Message-----

Original Posted By: owner-pietenpol-list-server(at)matronics.com
Hi Ted,I used spruce, laminated from 1/4" thick pieces using resorcinol glue. Irouted a groove in each of the inner pieces that when assembled formed ahollow opening that gave me a place to run my brakeline down each rearstrut.Jack -----Original Message-----

Original Posted By: owner-pietenpol-list-server(at)matronics.com
You are correct John,When talking about the bracing wires on the FlyBaby, I was referring to thewires that brace the landing ear, similar to those on the Pietenpol (and theCurtiss Jenny), not the flying wires that attach to the axle on the FlyBaby. The Fly Baby has no suspension at all, other than the low pressure8.00 x 4 tires.Jack -----Original Message-----