Author Topic: landing gear problem (Read 851 times)

joseph_v · « **on:** December 19, 2006, 08:15:55 AM »

Ok heres the problem,
im trying to sucessfully land my airplane i get it on the air and press "G" to retrieve the landing gear. I make a couple of air tricks an all that crap then when i whan to land i press "G" to place out the landing gear and the landing gear doesnt work .

Is there another button to put the landing gear down?

Blagard · « **Reply #1 on:** December 19, 2006, 08:19:30 AM »

It sounds like you are flying too fast to lower it. Gear does not come down if your overspeed. Also if you forget to take it up it will break when you go fast.

Get the speed down to around 150 or lower and try again.

joseph_v · « **Reply #2 on:** December 19, 2006, 08:42:30 AM »

Quote

Originally posted by Blagard
It sounds like you are flying too fast to lower it. Gear does not come down if your overspeed. Also if you forget to take it up it will break when you go fast.

Get the speed down to around 150 or lower and try again.

THANKS i did just that and it worked!!!!

1cemanVS · « **Reply #3 on:** December 19, 2006, 09:47:33 AM »

the number is actually 200mph for all planes before you can get the gear down, but if your doing 200mph and put the gear down and accelerate theres a chance it will break off

just thought u shud know the absolute limit, might come in handy in a situation

RTR · « **Reply #4 on:** December 19, 2006, 09:51:23 AM »

160 is the magic number for most aircraft.

cheers,
RTR

Schatzi · « **Reply #5 on:** December 19, 2006, 10:51:52 AM »

Max speed for gear is usually between 170 and 180 mph. An exception being the F4Us, as they use it as "airbrake" and can lower gear at speeds up to 350 mph.

porkfrog · « **Reply #6 on:** December 19, 2006, 11:05:23 AM »

what was so special about the f4u gear that it didnt break off at those speeds?

RTR · « **Reply #7 on:** December 19, 2006, 11:22:38 AM »

Hmmm..just tested a bunch of aircraft offline.

All seem to have the magic number of 200 mph to lower gear, although if you sustain that speed they eventually rip off, so you need to keep decelerating if you lower them at that speed.

The difference of course was the F4U, I was able to lower the gear at 390+ mph with no trouble.

Porkfrog, The F4U used it's landing gear as a speed/dive brake as well, hence the ability to lower them at higher airspeeds. They are pretty beefy landing gear.

Funny, I wonder why I had 160 mph so imbedded in my tiny melon for so long?

Cheers,
RTR

Blagard · « **Reply #8 on:** December 19, 2006, 11:28:36 AM »

Quote

Originally posted by porkfrog
what was so special about the f4u gear that it didnt break off at those speeds?

The F4u gear is very tough - dare I say tough enough to survive a ground loop!

Schatzi has the real answer, they can be used as an air brake, although I must admit to not knowing if the any of the wheel well fairings have been designed with this secondary use in mind.

Target2 · « **Reply #9 on:** December 19, 2006, 11:36:27 AM »

RTR - Some planes, Spits for example, require your speed to be less than 160 to drop flaps. Maybe that's why you had 160 on the brain.

Blagard · « **Reply #10 on:** December 19, 2006, 11:46:22 AM »

Quote

Originally posted by RTR
Funny, I wonder why I had 160 mph so imbedded in my tiny melon for so long?
RTR

Probably because it is a sensible maximum to use. - Its trhe figure I work to to! I just tried a hurricane and got the gear down at 200 then a second or too later it was whisked away without even time for the metal to creak!

I am not in favour of dropping gear for any other purpose except landing (F4u excepted). A side slip and cranking in some G turns will do a far better job at scrubbing off speed, so on that count, 1cemanVS why drop gear at its maximum limit ?

Advice to joseph_v was to make sure he was likely to operate the gear at a safe speed and so be successful in getting it down whatever he was flying

trotter · « **Reply #11 on:** December 19, 2006, 12:10:04 PM »

Quote

Originally posted by Blagard
A side slip and cranking in some G turns will do a far better job at scrubbing off speed, so on that count, 1cemanVS why drop gear at its maximum limit ?

Well there's rather a few scenarios

-In an engine-out situation returning to base, you have not correctly judged your AoA and are too fast coming into the runway.

-Overshoots

-Caught too fast on the deck in a low speed performer, your instinct tells you that you can get off a good shot if you just come around fast enough.

Gear down + rudder will bleed E faster than rudder alone, and sometimes you do not want to pull heavy g manuevers in bleeding airspeed (such as forcing overshoot with intent to kill). Hey even if the gear rips off its all good. Belly landings

Blagard · « **Reply #12 on:** December 19, 2006, 01:44:18 PM »

Quote

Originally posted by trotter
Well there's rather a few scenarios

-In an engine-out situation returning to base, you have not correctly judged your AoA and are too fast coming into the runway.

-Overshoots

-Caught too fast on the deck in a low speed performer, your instinct tells you that you can get off a good shot if you just come around fast enough.

Gear down + rudder will bleed E faster than rudder alone, and sometimes you do not want to pull heavy g manuevers in bleeding airspeed (such as forcing overshoot with intent to kill). Hey even if the gear rips off its all good. Belly landings

Good Grief. In either of the first two you can't fly well if you need gear drag as well in a desparate attempt to drop from 200mph due to a hopelessly reckless approach. In some a/c you will not even be slow enough to drop flaps for landing! - No dispute that gear adds drag but it is relatively small compared to other means

Check out the best corner speed of your aircraft - If it is above 200 why try to slow below that for your turn. Remember your "too fast" scenario here is the max speed you can drop gear at!

Just chopping the throttle to force an overshoot with some yaw will work I think you are overating the amount of drag you get from the gear over and above what you get from other actions.

1cemanVS · « **Reply #13 on:** December 19, 2006, 04:44:02 PM »

Quote

Originally posted by RTR
Hmmm..just tested a bunch of aircraft offline.

All seem to have the magic number of 200 mph to lower gear, although if you sustain that speed they eventually rip off, so you need to keep decelerating if you lower them at that speed.

which is what i intially said

Quote

Originally posted by Blagard
I am not in favour of dropping gear for any other purpose except landing (F4u excepted). A side slip and cranking in some G turns will do a far better job at scrubbing off speed, so on that count, 1cemanVS why drop gear at its maximum limit ?

im not saying you have to lower your gear at 200, but its good to know that u can get your gear down at 200 if an emergency arises, i generally bring my gear down at 200 with the intent on slowing down further, never had anything rip off and means i can approach the runway quicker if i need to...thats all

Apeking · « **Reply #14 on:** December 20, 2006, 02:08:17 PM »

"I am not in favour of dropping gear for any other purpose except landing"

One wildcard is the Me163, which has a landing skid rather than landing gear. I have landed with the skid, and without, and I can't tell the difference; in both cases the aircraft comes to rest much more smoothly than I expect a real Me163, landing on concrete, would have done.

The Ju87 Stuka and D3A1 Val have fixed landing gear. According to Soda's wonderful article on the Ju87, the landing gear rips off at 500mph, leaving the aircraft slightly faster but otherwise unaffected!

The C47 has semi-recessed landing gear that pokes out of the nacelles a little bit. I have never belly-landed a C47.

I drop gear at 190mph, but only if I am slowing down. Because I can.